Product Description

The question follows Lorna Luft to this day: "What's it like to be Dorothy's daughter?" Although by appearances glamorous and truly thrilling, growing up as the daughter of Judy Garland was anything but a journey over the rainbow.

With unsparing candor, Lorna Luft offers the first-ever insider portrait of one of Hollywood's most celebrated families: a rare story of a little girl, her half-sister Liza, and her baby brother trying desperately to hang on to the mother whose life seemed destined to burn brightly but briefly. Lorna makes an extraordinary journey back into the spiral of love, addiction, pain, and loss that lurked behind a charmed facade.

Filled with behind-the-scenes dramas, hilarious untold stories, and little-known details of Garland family life, Me and My Shadows is a tribute to Lorna's victory over her own past, a story of hope, of love and its limitations, and a deeply moving testament to the healing powers of embracing one's past and charting a course of self-love and discovery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (71)

Extremely pretentious
I'm so sorry to say this, but Lorna can't write. It was very hard following her scattered thoughts and short sentences. I honestly took way too long reading this book because I was simply bored with it. I felt that she was a little self-centered, and did a lot of tooting of her own horn. She even put a quote of her mother's that read "Lorna is more talented then all of us" on the back. Is that supposed to persuade us to read her book? She's a very untalented writer so I'm not too sure what she meant by that!

It's not a very good book. If you're interested, stick to the books written by actual writers.

"Judy's other daughter"
"When people refer to my family's life as a tragedy, they completely miss the point. My life has been filled with exhilarating highs, terrifying lows, and more than its share of farce. But if I've learned anything along the way, it's that everyone's show must go on, and it's up to us to make it a good one."- Lorna Luft

When Judy Garland died, the press called Lorna Luft "Judy's other daughter".With Liza Minnelli becoming such a star in her own right, it was often overlooked that Judy Garland actually had three children. This book is Lorna Luft's autobiography. Lorna writes with amazing crystal-clarity about the tough position she was in as a child, taking care of her drug-addicted mother, without a trace of "poor me". Luft is a straight shooter who probably inherited her no-nonsense attitude from her father, businessman Sid Luft. But Lorna doesn't just write about her struggles. She had access to the glamorous life as Judy's child and she takes the reader with her behind the scenes of celebrity. She played at the Kennedy Compound. Her best friend was Bogey & Bacall's daughter, Leslie. She partied at Studio 54 with Andy Warhol. She had many good times, and she knows it. Lorna also takes us through her own personal demons that she experienced later in life when she became a drug addict herself. She allows you deep into her psyche, through her journey from addiction to Al-Anon.Once sober, she played caretaker all over again, doing an intervention with Liza so that her sister wouldn't suffer her mother's fate.

But at the end of this book, the person I felt like I got to know the most is Judy Garland. Lorna loved her mother fiercely, and she successfully portrayed Judy as a well-rounded person with strengths and weaknesses. She tells her mother's life story from her first performance at two years old as Baby Frances Gumm to her last tormented days. Judy Garland is a legend, but this book makes her human. Lorna shows you what it was like (and still is like after all this time) to have the whole world mourning a celebrity while you mourn a parent.Every year she experiences the bittersweet pain of attending a convention where everyone is dressed up like her mother, who died decades ago. As someone who is extremely close to my own mother, I sympathize with Lorna Luft on many levels, but she doesn't feel sorry for herself. This book will not only give you a glimpse into "Dorothy's life" but will take you through the journey of an intense mother/daughter relationship.

Great Book
This book was great. I got it within the time that was specified and the book was in great condtion, exactly as I read before I bought the book. I wouldnt change anything. I am a first time amazon. com buyer and this experience makes me want to buy again.It was great.

"A Revealing Account Of Judy and Liza's Life By Lorna Luft"
Lorna Luft's book "Me and My Shadows-Life With Judy Garland" documents Lorna's life with her famous mother, who was battling addition to prescription drugs, and who would eventually die when Lorna was only 17. The book is not another "Mommie Dearest", but a memoir where a daughter writes about the problems and demons her mother was faced with on a daily basis. Nowhere in the book does Lorna ever say that she hates her mother: she instead dramatizes the sad events that led up to Judy's untimely death, and the problems that her mom faced with an addiction that she could not overcome. Miss Luft is very understanding of her mom's problems, for she knows better than anyone that back in the 1950's and '60s prescription pill addiction was never discussed and there was no Betty Ford Center to help people beat their dependacy. An excellent book, with well documented stories of her life with one of Hollywood's greatest stars, Lorna Luft proves she is an extraodinary writer in the truest sense. The second half of the book also discusses Lorns'a half-sister Liza Minnilli, and Liza's dependency on alcohol and drugs, and the help Lorna gave her in her recovery. Lorna is also very upfront about her own addiction to cocaine in the 1970's.
"Me and My Shadows..." was made into a well-received TV miniseries in 2001 that aired on ABC, ultimately winning 5 Emmy's. The book is one of the best memoirs ever written. Lorna Luft should be applauded for her courage in telling her story: many in her own family, including Liza and Lorna's dad Sid Luft, stopped talking to her when the book was published.

Me and My Al-Anon
What is incredible about this book is Lorna Luft's first becoming acquainted, in her mid-thirties, with the theory of alcoholism as a family disease.

It brings to mind Liza Minnelli's appearance on "Inside the Actors Studio" a year or two ago.She told the audience to look up alcoholism, because it actually is a disease!

It makes one wonder whether these two were living under glittery, spangled rocks, or something.

The book is an interesting read, but the many, many pages devoted to Ms. Luft's late-in-life revelations about her mother's and her sister's addictions are like patiently watching a child play with color crayons:You know you're doing the polite thing, but Gawd, it's boring.

Finally, I wonder who edited this book."Me and Joey," and "Me and Mama," and "Me and Liza," and so on.After the first few dozen, it's like reading a letter from camp.

Is it to remind the reader of the title of the book he already has in his hand, or is it just plain bad grammar? ... Read more

Product Description
Adapted for a two-part mini-series, nominated for 13 Emmy Awards, this is the memoir of Lorna Luft - a remarkable woman and talented performer - her half-sister Liza Minnelli and baby brother Joe, as they desperately try to hang on to their legendary mother, Judy Garland. With wit and candid detail, this is an account of survival in a world of dizzying contradiction. By learning to embrace her past, Lorna Luft has managed to emerge out of the shadows. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A really good angle.
Numberous books on Judy Garland but this is one from a close famliy member (Judy's daughter) which I think has some validity points. A Very good point,not mentioned in other bios was that the family had a private detective investigate wheather Judys father,Frank Gumm, was a homosexual. His report stated that people whom wnew him interveiwed dispelled this.Further those claims were never made till many years later when family members were dead and Judy was famous enough to be paperback writer fodder. I recommend this book for anyone that's read other books about Garland's life written by a 'third party' ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Lorna Luft, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 936 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Product Description
In a career that spanned five decades and encompassed stardom in every medium, Judy Garland's professional achievements remain unsurpassed. Now her timeless joy comes alive in JUDY GARLAND: A PORTRAIT IN ART & ANECDOTE. Hundreds of rare and previously unpublished photographs, studio memorabilia, and personal mementos from the family archives, along with scores of anecdotes drawn from interviews with her professional colleagues, friends, family, and Judy herself, showcase her on- and off-stage "talent to amuse." Decade by decade, her incomparable accomplishments on stage, film, television, radio, and recordings are lovingly illustrated and remembered by those who knew her best. Often funny, sometimes poignant, but always fascinating, this book singularly conveys the happiness that Garland's own great and buoyantly emotional performances have brought to hundreds of millions of admirers. Anyone who ever enjoyed a Garland song will revel in this glowing, lavishly illustrated tribute. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (40)

A magnificent look at the performer and wonderful woman behind it
This is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful book about the life and career of "Miss Showbusiness" Judy Garland. This was the first real book on Judy I read and what an excellent way to begin. I had vagually known that the many stories about Judy were disgusting lies. Now John Fricke (after his other great book) now puts Judy in her proper place, I wanted to get to know the woman better and this book did better than that. I actually felt that I was there with Judy, experencing her warmth, joy and laughter with her in her personal life and watching her perform on the sets of films, live in concert and on her tv series. I actually got to know Judy from this book and I loved her.

Stories about Judy are often innaccurate but this book (and a few others) are the real deal. Most biographers like to think that Judy was a tragic figure and her life was a hopeless ride to despair and degredation.

But this book changed all that, Fricke brilliantly captures Judy Garland as her friends, family and co-workers knew her, as a bright, intelligent, witty human being and also a affectionate, kind and caring lady who happened to be one of the most talented performers to grace this earth.

Well done, Mr. Fricke and thank you.

Picture galore!
As a relatively new fan to Judy, I bought this book mainly due to the positive reviews here on Amazon, and Amazon writers never fail. This book is truly fantastic. With more rare pictures than you can shake a stick at, most of them at better-than-good quality, too. These pictures, complete to extensive captions and quotes by the people who knew Judy, span her entire lifetime. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and indeed these pictures speak more plainly to the reader than even the most comprehensive biography. Judy Garland was a phenomenal talent, and what a pleasure to have such a wonderful book devoted to this true star.

Great Photos
This book gave me a refreshing and rare look at Judy Garland's life through pictures.The most interesting ones were of her behind the scenes, with family or rehearsing.These are ones of her behind the scenes laughing and dancing with people like Gene Kelly.So any fan of the classic musicals would enjoy these photos.
You get to be a witness to what an extraordinary person she was not only on the screen, but off, and in person.There are great quotes from people who knew her, all of them saying how she really was unique and a one-of-a-kind class act.She did have a hard life but I like the way this book doesn't seem to focus on that at all.The focal point of this book is to show the great points of her life that fans will enjoy seeing and that's good enough for me.
It's great to see her in her prime and with some of the top stars of the day.It shows the excitement in Hollywood and their lives in that era, and how she was in the very midst of all of it.
Any Judy Garland fan, really anyone, will enjoy this look at Judy Garland's life through photos.It really is a book that makes you want to look at it over and over again.

Five stars for one of our brightest and loneliest stars
She's reviving her career, she's in London with a troubled marriage that's fodder for the tabloids...no, we're not speaking of Liza Minnelli, mega-talented daughter of "Dorothy Gale from Kansas," but of "Baby Gumm," Frances Gumm, who you might have heard of as Judy Garland.

In a memorable scene from the 2001 miniseries "Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows," a frustrated Garland, played to perfection by Judy Davis, shouts into the phone, "Yes, I've heard how difficult it is to work with Judy Garland. Do you know how difficult it is to be Judy Garland? I've been trying to be Judy Garland all my life!" In the foreword to Judy Garland: A Tribute In Art And Anecdote, Garland's daughter Lorna Luft echoes this sentiment in as loving a tribute to her mother as the miniseries, based on Luft's own published memoir, and as reverent yet observant as John Fricke's stunning, definitive, human, glowing, not-in-the-least-fawning encomium on Garland's life.You'll love the posters, photographic portrait of entertainment history, drawings, and "home movie" photos of the private Garland.Garland's children, flawed and loving, gave her added complexity as a working mom heroine. To quote the title of one of her movies, "I Could Go On Singing." In Fricke's book, she does just that.

Gushy
When I picked up this book at the library, the librarian said to me, "You've got the heaviest book in the library."

I replied, "It may be heavy in weight, but it won't be heavy reading." And indeed it was not. The only reason to look at this book is for the pictures, many of which I've not seen elsewhere.

The text, however, is gush, gush, gush. The author repeats himself ad nauseum and quotes only people who haven't a single word to say against the great, the fabulous, the one and only legend! It gets tiresome. Yes, Judy Garland was a great talent, but how many times do we have to hear it? ... Read more