Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business

This book brings all of my Southern tendencies and accent to the forefront. I'm glad I can have something in common with Miss Parton, besides my big bazoom, that is.

I display this book proudly in my main bookcase for all the world to see. There's no shame in loving Dolly, and her autobiography is a fine testament to a life well lived. The book displays enough of her self-deprecating humor and wit, and she's in fine company with Keats, Yeats, Dickens and the Bronte sisters. I should wrap the book in neon lights for all to see.

I've been in love with Dolly since "Steel Magnolias" ( I'm more of a Weeza, but I certainly loved Truvy's optimism). I may have only been 13 at the time, but it was still too late of a discovery for what it's worth. show more That's time I won't ever get back, the ignorance of not knowing Dolly.

I "borrowed" this book from a person who never asked for it back, and that's just fine with me. I read it once, and went back to certain chapters that hit the spot when one of my moods warranted. I'm one moody Southern girl.

I'll tell you something else, too. I love it when Dolly talks about her husband, Carl Dean. I love Carl Dean. Hell, if I sat on millions and millions of dollars, I'd still want my man to go to a drug store on Valentine's Day and pick up a heart shaped box of candy that costs all of a dollar, drive home and come into our mansion and say, "Well, here." That's not just romance. That's pure love. He can store any extras in my deep freeze anytime.

And yes, I read this book every few years or so, especially when I'm feeling down. For anyone who loves Miss Dolly, well, what took you so long? This book is for you.

“I was the first woman to burn my bra - it took the fire department four days to put it out.” --Dolly Parton show less

From my blog: http://weelittleactress.blogspot.com

"She's a sparrow when she's broken
but she's an eagle when she flies."
- Dolly Parton

Recommended Tea: Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion

The picture here is one that I took in my hometown. One day, my mama and I decided that we had an itch, and the only way to solve it was to go antiquin'.

So, we hit up what is locally known as "the antique district," about four or five huge shops in a row, full of everything you can imagine (and lots of things that you can't).

In every single one of these stores was at least one copy of Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, Dolly Parton's autobiography. I'm not kidding. EVERY SINGLE ONE.

Not only that, there were Dolly dolls, Dolly posters, show more Dolly cardboard cutouts, and Dolly PLATES. My immediate reaction was to laugh.

And, of course, to take pictures so that people would believe me.

Never before had I realized what an important role Dolly plays in Southern culture, especially in Tennessee. She grew up in the Tennessee mountains, dirt poor, struggling to make it day to day - just like my own grandmother. In Tennessee, she's not just "Dolly," she's "OUR Dolly."

But then, had I forgotten what an important role Dolly played in my own childhood? I had a framed, autographed (and personalized!) poster of her over my bed. I dressed up like her (complete with the pillows in the dress) almost daily. I recorded her TV specials on the VCR. One of my very first memories is me, in our kitchen, wearing tap shoes, dancing to "9 to 5" and "Here You Come Again." To me, Dolly represented everything glamorous - beauty, confidence, talent, femininity, womanhood. Cinderella Schminderella - give me Dolly!

How strange to find myself at 23 wanting to emulate her all over again.

We've all heard some of her infamous quotes - about how it costs a lot of money to look so cheap, how she left the mountains but took two mountains with her. I admit, I approached her autobiography with some reservations, fearing it would be sentence after sentence of gags like this (not that I don't appreciate a good gag). But I was so pleasantly surprised to find that in those pages, and in the heart of this woman, you find wisdom, humility, genuine love for others, and talent.

This is a woman who knows who she is and isn't afraid to be exactly that. Who knows her strengths, knows her flaws, and isn't afraid to be blunt and honest about either. Who is so passionate about what she does that every single ounce of her energy is dedicated to honoring, furthering, and perfecting her craft. To put it bluntly, this is a woman with big boobs and even bigger balls.

I found out that all of those things that I believed to be true about her when I was 4 are - shocker - actually true. How many celebrities can we say that about? If nothing else, the book is worth reading just to hear her talk about calling Sylvester Stallone an, and I quote, "ungrateful son of a bitch," when he wouldn't help a homeless man who was cold and hungry. Later, after Dolly's talkin-to, Stallone went back to the man, gave him some food and some money, and told Dolly, "you were right."

Putting Rambo in his place!? What did I tell you - BALLS!

Now, at 23, I want to be like Dolly more than ever before. And you can bet that I regret not buying that Dolly plate when I had the chance. show less

I just finished this and I've got to admit it that I expected a little more maybe because she is the Queen of Country. Having said that, while some of the book was dryly written, there were also parts of the novel that made me laugh out loud and smile poignantly. It is refreshing to read about a star that has never forgotten their roots or where they come from. In some retrospects it made me enjoy her music and who she is so much more.

Worth a read.

I read this in a day! My mother in law received a copy for Christmas and I read it while we were there celebrating the holiday. It was interesting enough. One thing I noticed was that the only picture of her husband was far away and blurry. As my mom said - See, he doesn't really exist!

She's charming, but the book is so choppy. Some anecdotes are a paragraph long, without enough through line. Could have used a tougher editor.

This book is what got me interested in Dolly. I picked it up from the library thinking I would skim through it, but I was amazed at what a remarkable person she is after reading this. Dolly Parton does amazing charity work and seems like an all around great lady. after reading this book I started listening to her music and became interested in her as a person. I highly recommend checking this out.