Just as the controversy over
raises questions about the standards of writing a memoir, so do the revelations contained in
the book by former American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi.
In the book, scheduled for an April 26 release, the song writer and music executive says she was molested as a child and was date-raped by a music producer, according to news reports. She also describes sexual harassment at the hands of a "hugely successful artist."
In a CityLit Festival panel last weekend, memoirists James Patterson and Charles "Chic" Dambach discussed the issue of baring all in a book. I noted that Sarah Silverman, Carrie Fisher and other entertainers have held back little from autobiographical works. But both Patterson and Dambach said they were much more circumspect. AS I recall, Patterson said some things "are none of your business." Well-said. I'm all for a memoir that examines the obstacles that someone has faced. But too often, revelations are meant to titillate and drive sales, rather than to offer any real introspection. Those I can leave alone.
Here's how publisher HarperCollins describes her book: "Kara not only writes about what it was like to collaborate with some of our favorite performing artists, she also opens up about everything from her struggles with debilitating stage fright and an equally paralyzing eating disorder, to the most devastating yet profoundly life-altering experience—caring for her mother during her fatal battle with cancer. And, of course, she shares behind-the-scenes stories from her years on American Idol and the real truth about her departure from the show."
Truth or titillation?