Ricky MartinCritiques

Read it for the Menudo chapter, and really enjoyed the rest as well. Interesting man.

I wish there were more pictures of Ricky as a youth. That's one of the reasons I like to read celebrity biographies. I thought this was as much a story of his life as it was a story of his spiritual journey. Proves that no matter how old or how famous, we are always on a journey of self discovery.

This book has a nice message that if you try hard enough, you can do anything, but it's tainted by an implicit message that only the lead role matters while supporting roles are neither important in their own right nor even stepping stones to the lead.

This book allows for readers to see how the imagination and dreams can become realistic with love and dedication.

Me by Ricky Martin was a great book, a good book about his personal growth as a person. This was not a gossip book, a tell-all about his sexual exploits, or celebrity magazine. I know some did not like this book because it failed in not telling enough about himself. I think they wanted more of the above. This was about Ricky, the real Ricky. He even tells what his family and friends really call him but I had a audible version and I can't spell it. It wasn't Ricky. It goes into what makes him, him. His likes, dislikes, what pushes him, goals, his past, moments that made him think, moments that were special, moments that changed him. This was a book about his growth as a person and what that looks like to him. In many ways it is a spiritual journey too, especially near the end. What his special calling is to help children from slave/sexual trafficking. What got him to choose this calling. It is a very good book if you like Ricky and want to know what is in his head and not looking for just gossip. If you want to know who he really is.

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In my opinion, this was a good book. I really liked the pictures, because the illustrator drew every picture with details that were not put into words. For example, on the first page the picture is of Santiago singing into a flash light, on the second page Santiago is walking off of the stage and a lady is the audience is clapping and a man is writing, and on the third page you can see an audience with children laughing and a women asking them to be quiet by putting her finger up to her mouth. Even though the words in the book did not describe any of the events that I just described, the reader still knew what was going. I also like that the illustrator used a lot of white space, making the reader only focus on the important parts. For example, on page three when Santiago is walking down the steps, there is only a picture of the stage, him walking down the steps, and the audience in their chairs. There is no floor, or walls. I also like that the author uses a lot of different types of punctuation. He uses ellipses, hyphens, and colons throughout the whole book. For example, “He was in a classroom, but only this time he was the teacher—helping kids to follow their own dreams. Teaching them math and science and art…” and “But the last dream was the one he love the most: He was performing on stage at a famous theater.” The central message of this book is to never give up on something you really want. Santiago did not get the lead in the school play but he still practiced the lines every day. At the end, the lead singer got sick and Santiago was able to step in and take his place. “Dad,” Santiago said, “you taught me to never give up, to follow my dreams, and to always reach for the moon.”

Santiago wants to be the lead in a school play, but doubts about himself after getting turned down.
Age: 4-5 Years
Source: Pierce County Library

Santiago who has many dreams but does not believe in himself after being turned down for a school play.
Age: 4-5
Source: Pierce County Library

I don't think that anyone needs to explain what Me is about. Both the title and cover clearly spell out that this is a look into the life of Ricky Martin, the man behind the artist. Honestly, I've always had a bit of a crush on Ricky Martin, from his days in Menudo when I watched him dance and sing between Saturday morning cartoons, to crooning sultry serenades on Vuelve, or gyrating to "Livin' La Vida Loca." Whatever he's done, I've been a fan.

In a stripped down sense, this autobiography is the essentials. There isn't a single picture, very little outside information about anyone else, and mainly takes us through Martin's feelings and thoughts about different periods in his life. The core of his exploration seems to center on his own self-identity, which returns over and over again to his acceptance of himself as a gay man. I wouldn't say that he solely looks for areas of his life that should have guided him in his personal truth, but it was a definite theme, and rightfully so. It is easy to see how Martin's upbringing in a Catholic, Latino culture that both demand strong ideals of masculinity and heterosexuality, shaped his own search to understand who he was at the core. In the book he looks at what he thought at different times in his life and considers his response in each case. For instance, Martin had a string of successful relationships with women, who he felt passionately in love with, only to be offset by equally satisfying relationships behind the scenes with several men that came into his life. He doesn't express any confusion about these relationships, but explains what drew him to each of these loves and what he learned.

The book is pretty much an exploration of experiences and how they shaped Martin into who he is today, a man of an open heart and life of complete honesty. My one disappointment was that there wasn't a single picture outside of the cover! I don't care if I'm reading about a famous author or a superstar, I look forward to seeing the personal pictures that are included. There's something about autobiographies that beg for a picture or two to help us think about the person at each age. I was just sad that Martin chose not to include any pictures. The stories and personal journey were interesting, but I'll admit that I was sad that he left out the pictures.

In short, I would say that this is less of an autobiography in the classical sense (linear and straight-forward), and more about Martin's thoughts about different times in his life. This was an interesting life story, with lots of self-reflection that helps us to relate to Martin's life and to see ourselves in him.

If Ricky Martin can come out of the closet, so can I. I LOVE RICKY MARTIN! I always have. I will listen to anything he sings, I will watch any program he's on, and I will (apparently) read anything he writes. The book wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible either. If you're a fan, give it a try - but don't expect any gossipy dish or pics of any kind. (Why, oh why?!?!) He does have a refreshingly positive outlook on life, and I enjoyed that very much.

Memoir