I absolutely love memoirs, especially memoirs about music and rock bands, so I was thrilled when I discovered When I Grow Up: A Memoir by Juliana Hatfield.
Now, I have to own up and say that I had never heard of Hatfield and I am not a huge fan of alternative music – however, having said that, I must also admit that I adored this book.
I think this is a must-read for anybody who has dreams of becoming a big rock star. I have often wondered what happened to all of those rock stars of the 80’s who seem to be everywhere while I was in my teens and then POOF! Suddenly just disappeared!
Well, in When I Grow Up, Hatfield pretty well explains it. Although she found some success in the 1990’s – and may have become a household name for some, she never managed to make it quite to the pinnacle and was therefore, relegated to ‘being on the road’ the hard way. What follows is an honest, down to earth memoir about her experiences as an alternative rock star – the ups and the (very) lows that she had to endure. None of it is particularly glamourous and I think I would have given up a long time ago – however, Hatfield is obviously devoted to her music – which is where her true dedication lies.
This book is informative, depressing, funny and everything in between. A great buy for anybody who dreams of being the next Mick Jagger ( )