Among My Souvenirs: The Real Story Vol. 1
Connie Francis
Ron Roberts
9780999238936
640 pages
Concetta Literary Corporation
Overview
The Connie Francis Story is an American story. Born into a blue-collar Italian family at the end of the Great Depression, the extraordinary journey of her life saw her experience the highest of peaks and the deepest of valleys - the stuff of both dreams and nightmares. Through her eyes, readers have a front row seat to many of the greatest public and private moments in American history and popular culture. Visiting American Bandstand, the Copacabana, Las Vegas and the Ed Sullivan Show, all at their respective heights, readers will experience the unparalleled achievements in her glorious career. Conquering wildly-enthusiastic audiences throughout the world, Connie's international celebrity, which allowed her to rub elbows with presidents, royalty, the top echelon of the Mob, and every iconic showbiz figure of the era, is one unrivaled by any recording artist to this very day. She is, in fact, the best-selling female artist in history, recording in 12 different languages. She shares with unusual candor the juxtaposition that existed in her personal life. While the love affair with her audience was exhilarating and truly gratifying, fulfilling romantic relationships in her personal life always eluded her...with the exception of her one true love, Bobby Darin - a love destroyed by her domineering father, with whom she had a complicated and often troubling relationship. Though the undisputed architect of her unrivaled career, he was also the source of her greatest personal anguish. Her willingness to expose the most private aspects of her life with extraordinary honesty and often painful reflection is both startling and courageous. She also experienced an endless series of life-altering tragedies. A horrifying rape, the murder of her beloved brother, Georgie, at the hands of the Mafia, four failed and despairing marriages... All are chronicled with unstinting candor, a deep sense of resentment, and even under the most terrifying and unimaginable set of circumstances, her very rare sense of humor shines through. It is truly a joyful, comedic and emotionally disturbing book to read. Far more horrifying than any best-selling writer of fiction would dare to contemplate.
Author Bio
The Connie Francis Story is an American story. Born into a blue-collar Italian family at the end of the Great Depression, the extraordinary journey of her life saw her experience the highest of peaks and the deepest of valleys - the stuff of both dreams and nightmares. Through her eyes, readers have a front row seat to many of the greatest public and private moments in American history and popular culture. Conquering wildly-enthusiastic audiences throughout the world, Connie's international celebrity, which allowed her to rub elbows with presidents, royalty, the top echelon of the Mob, and every iconic showbiz figure of the era, is one unrivaled by any recording artist to this very day. She is, in fact, the best-selling female artist in history, recording in 12 different languages. She shares with unusual candor the juxtaposition that existed in her personal life. While the love affair with her audience was exhilarating and truly gratifying, fulfilling romantic relationships in her personal life always eluded her...with the exception of her one true love, Bobby Darin - a love destroyed by her domineering father, with whom she had a complicated and often troubling relationship. Though the undisputed architect of her unrivaled career, he was also the source of her greatest personal anguish. Her willingness to expose the most private aspects of her life with extraordinary honesty and often painful reflection is both startling and courageous. She also experienced an endless series of life-altering tragedies. A horrifying rape, the murder of her beloved brother, Georgie, at the hands of the Mafia, four failed and despairing marriages... All are chronicled with unstinting candor, a deep sense of resentment, and even under the most terrifying and unimaginable set of circumstances, her very rare sense of humor shines through. It is truly a joyful, comedic and emotionally disturbing book to read. Far more horrifying than any best-selling writer of fiction would dare to contemplate.Ron Roberts, married with three grown-up children, has spent his entire working life in the media. Affiliated to Britain's Daily Express, Sunday Correspondent and Daily Telegraph on a full-time basis, he has also freelanced for the Daily Mail, Guardian, The European and Independent newspapers. Specializing in popular music-related features, his articles have appeared in the Express, Correspondent, Telegraph, London Evening Standard, Record Mirror, Woman's Own, Woman's Realm, CD liners and a number of syndicated titles in all five continents. His favorite interviewees have, pleasingly, reflected the artists most represented in his extensive music collection, and include Connie Francis, Vikki Carr, Alma Cogan, Dolores Gray, Julie Rogers and Julie Budd. He has recently published his first novel, "Nights of the Turntable", and has already drawn outlines of plots for an intended sequel, with the projected title "Daze of the Weak".
