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Overview
Geraldine Barr knows her sister Roseanne Barr Arnold like no other person. She grew up with her, dreamed and schemed with her - from the trailer parks of rural Colorado to the pinnacle of television stardom. Roseanne's success was neither spontaneous nor unplanned. Flying in the face of Hollywood's sexist stereotypes, Roseanne and Geraldine created the brilliant persona of Roseanne the "Domestic Goddess" who showed that a working-class woman could be as funny, smart, and insightful as any man. My Sister Roseanne is a bittersweet memoir of growing up Jewish in Mormon Utah, of discovering feminism, lesbianism, and the power of community in a small Denver bookstore; it is a tale of hilarious collaboration on the development of the "Domestic Goddess" character, of learning how to deliver a feminist message with jokes that made women laugh and men think. It is an insider's story of the comedy club explosion of the 198Os, an exploration of the surreal dining rituals of Hollywood agents and of the miraculous adventure of two determined women taking Hollywood by storm. My Sister Roseanne is also a story of paranoia and betrayal, of Roseanne's abandonment of the sisters' shared dream for the dubious role of "Mrs. Arnold," a plastic-surgery-enhanced habitue of the talk show circuit who discovered that she could say anything - and the media, from the tabloids to the talk shows to Vanity Fair, would treat it as gospel truth. A compelling and at times frightening story, My Sister Roseanne reveals what happens when collaboration gives way to blind ambition and the power to invent and reinvent yourself becomes as dangerous and destabilizing as any drug.My Life as a Woman, Roseanne Barr Arnold's 1989 bestseller, was largely written by her sister Geraldine. Now Geraldine offers her own pointed, bittersweet memoir of what it's like to be the kid sister, confidante, and now estranged business partner of the No. 1 entertainer of the 1990s. Photos.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
In this biography that continues the seemingly endless saga of the dysfunctional Roseanne, sister Geraldine, the self-proclaimed ``business expert behind the star,'' describes life with Roseanne from childhood through marriage to Tom Arnold. The author relates how they grew up as poor Jews in Mormon-dominated Salt Lake City. She recalls the trials of the teenage Roseanne: committing herself to the state mental hospital and becoming pregnant out of wedlock. In the early 1980s, the sisters started on a 10-year plan that would take them to Hollywood and comedy fame. The big break happened when Roseanne landed a gig on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. The author goes on to show Roseanne as mother, comedienne and TV star of her own sitcom. The marriage to Arnold (including the ``incredibly'' small size of his penis) is analyzed, as is Roseanne's penchant for kinky sex. The author tells of her own lesbianism and details her break-up with her sister, who fired her by saying, ``I don't want you to clean up my shit anymore.'' The author also strongly denies that Roseanne was a childhood incest victim of their father. Barr and Schwartz (Delorean) have written a sleazy tell-all. (Nov.)Library Journal
In this work, the author relates the transitions in her own life to events in the personal and professional life of her famous elder sister, Roseanne. The majority of the book recounts the actress/comedienne's career path, all the while illustrating the integral part that Geraldine claims to have played. She cites the varied subjects on which Roseanne has based her character and act-feminism, the working class, homosexuality, and religion, to name a few-and traces their conception to the difficult childhood they shared. The remainder of the text is mainly an embittered joust, chastising her sister for firing her (Geraldine was Roseanne's manager before Tom Arnold came into the picture), for accusing their parents of incest and abuse, and for the generally irresponsible behavior Roseanne has exhibited throughout the arc of her life. While no more objective, Roseanne's account of her own life (My Lives, Ballantine, 1994) is at least more focused and, perhaps, a little less contrived. Still, many patrons will enjoy the dish served up here; recommended for larger public popular culture collections.-Charles A. Weiss, "Library Journal"Ilene Cooper
This book is perhaps most interesting for what it isn't. It's no "Sister Dearest" ripping the very rippable Roseanne for all the stunts, public and personal, she's pulled over the years. On the other hand, it isn't a page-turner, either, and readers may get bogged down by some of the intricate descriptions of business deals. Geraldine Barr, you may recall, is the sister who got shafted by Roseanne. As Geraldine tells it (and she certainly makes her case), she and Roseanne--two Jewish girls from Utah with the modest goal of sweeping Hollywood off its feet--started out working together, a 10-year plan in hand. While Rosey was upfront, Geraldine did everything from critique the nightclub act, to handle the finances, to form the fan club. As Geraldine remembers, the goal of both sisters was to build a production company that would not only finance their own projects but those of other women as well. Enter Tom Arnold. Once Tom was in the picture, Roseanne changed her tune about many things: "Sisterhood is dead," she told Geraldine after firing her. "I don't believe in that stuff anymore." Geraldine also staunchly defends her parents against Roseanne's charges of child abuse (even presenting polygraph tests to bolster their case). But Geraldine spends too much time on goddess mythology, Mormon theology, and feminist rhetoric, at the expense of what most readers will want: an in-the-trenches, you-are-there look at the embattled and battling Barrs. Still, Roseanne has had her say in two tomes and enough magazine articles to fill the "Readers' Guide"; it's good to hear the other side of the story for a change, even if a few too many punches seem pulled.Book Details
Published
October 1, 1994
Publisher
Carol Publishing Corporation
Pages
293
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9781559722308