Face It by Debbie Harry

I love how books find me. My friend Larry answered a trivia question at his gym, and won this book. He then gave it to me because he knows memoir is my most passionate book genre. What he did not know is that my favorite movie as a teenager was Richard Gere’s “American Gigolo,” in which Blondie performed the movie’s theme song, “Call Me.” So, for many reasons I was thrilled to dive into “Face It,” Harry’s account of her life and rise to fame in one of the most iconic punk rock pop bands of the 1970s. Born Angela Tremble, Harry’s mother gave her up for adoption when she was just three months old, and she was raised by a couple in Hawthorne, New Jersey. She grew up as a tomboy who always felt different and never fit in. She knew if she could only get to New York City that she would have shot at a more exciting life. When she landed in the East Village at just 20 years old, her life began to take off. Watching the Velvet Underground and Janis Joplin perform, she began crafting a musical career of her own. In 1974, she and her boyfriend Chris Stein formed the band, Blondie. Their bohemian life found them barely making ends meet while also schmoozing with the likes of Andy Warhol, Iggy Pop and David Bowie. Her book is full of tales of fires, drugs, drag queens, movie stars and fashion, and through it all she remains ambitious, tough, and steady in the face of all the highs and lows that come with being a rock star. “My Blondie character was an inflatable doll but with a dark, provocative, aggressive side. I was playing it up but yet I was very serious.” Now at age 75, Harry is a music legend and survivor, who was welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. “Face it” includes dozens of fan art pictures that she has collected over the years. Her memoir offers an excellent glimpse into the punk rock pop world, and also a peek into the heart of a little girl who dreamed of starting a band in New York City.   To buy this book on Amazon please click here.