Customer Reviews:
 Trying to Be Herself December 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It seems that the lives of former child stars end up alone the road of ruin; case in point Dana Plato, among others. You have to wonder why this is the case. Too much fame too soon? Little guidance? The dysfunction of being confused with your alter ego constantly? Whatever the case may be, Maureen McCormick's story will be added to the cacophony of such tales with her new book "Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice".
In this book, penned by Maureen herself, she tells the tale of her life, her years of drug abuse, and a litany of family problems that have plagued her. Written with brevity, the book offers very little as far as revelations with the making of the Brady Bunch. In fact, her recounting of the five seasons of making the show (which, to be honest, is the reason I picked up the book to begin with) is brief indeed (for those of you fans wanting a more insiders look at the making of the show, I highly recommend Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg, Special Collector's Edition as an excellent source of information). Marcia recounts most stories already told about making this quiet landmark show, and before you know it, it's over.
She then launches into recounting her drug-induced career, which lasts for chapters and doesn't seem to add up to much. With the help of a fellow "Brady Bride" costar, Maureen gets involved with a church that eventually will transform her life. Her marriage comes as a welcome relief, as does her child, but it would be a few more years before the drug issue would come under her control.
The most surprising element in the book is her personal family story, which comes to fruition towards the end. Any fan of Dr. Phil knows that she solicited his help with her brother and father, who had separated from the family and were living a life headed for ruin. Her telling of this very personal story perhaps is the strongest part of the book. Maureen, as a person struggling with family issues and a writer, comes across more fully herself and more real.
It's ironic that for years, Maureen tried to ditch her Marcia persona, when it's because of that this book, and her career exists. It's a double-edged sword, I'm sure. What makes her famous deigns her for her life. "Here's the Story" is yet another child star book to add to the pile, and you find yourself rooting for Maureen to survive it all along.
Entertaining and interesting December 13, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I gave this 3 stars because I felt it was a good, quick read, but nothing I'd read over and over again or have a need to own. I was impressed with most of her writing; there was nothing fancy about it but she didn't try to pretend to be some experienced writer and I liked that.
What I really liked is that she gets to the interesting stuff right away. So often, biographies start so far back and take forever to get to the part where things start to get interesting. Instead, McCormick really only spends a short chapter giving a background on her family and then weaves them into the picture throughout the book as necessary, until they become the focus later on.
She's had some of the already-seen struggles of a child celebrity such as bulimia and cocaine addiction. In fact, be forewarned if you're hoping to find Marcia Brady inside Maureen McCormick. The good girl you saw on the small screen is a bad girl off-screen for much of her 20s. Her plain-spoken manner lends itself well to the story, and aside from being a celebrity, she actually comes across as pretty down-to-earth (minus the heavy-duty vices she elaborates on in the book).
Later, though, she talks about challenges of claims of elder abuse by her psychotic brother and her senile father, and it goes into a pitiful account of her struggles with that. Knowing some of her struggles may keep others as interested as I was in my eagerness to keep reading more. Still, she seems powerless in a lot of situations and it's hard to always pick up from her writing just how she got to be that way.
The parts about the Bradys were the best, and if that's what you're looking for, then this is a worthwhile venture. For a die-hard Brady collector, this is a good book to have, and it's certainly deeper than Barry Williams book (although in fairness hers concentrates on a lifetime of celebrity and struggles whereas his book centered specifically on the Bradys). She recounts some juicy details and she didn't waste time getting to them, which was a real plus. Like I said, 3 stars because it was entertaining; I just reserve the higher ratings for something I'd be entertained by reading multiple times and maybe even owning.
 Enjoyed the Reading..... December 11, 2008
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
Well, I was on a long flight to Portland, Maine and picked up Marcia Brady's book :) at the airport during a lay-over in Chicago. I hate flying, but reading this lite-hearted and funny book, made the time go by very quickly, and it was a very pleasant flight.
 Another One Bites the Dust December 9, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Though she may now be at her personal pinnacle of self-awareness and emotional growth, Maureen McCormick's career in entertainment (including the book industry) most definitely peaked with her role as Marsha Brady. It's not in any way bad that she has made it through the things she has gone through, but the problem is that her recount of her self-inflicted "adversity" makes me want to self-inflict, because it's so obvious that she could have avoided the majority of her problems with the application of a medium amount of common sense and a smidgen of maturity. Drugs, prostitution, the typical superstar "sob story;" It's all very trivial.
Almost all of the chapters read like they belong in a supermarket gossip rag, and those that don't, sound as if they're straight from the 1991 Christmas edition of the Reader's Digest. This book is like Jeffrey Dahmer, it will eat your body and let your brain stagnate in the freezer.
It may be true that she was America's sweetheart, and that's fine and dandy, but there are only a few remotely stimulating moments contained within Here's the Story, and of those, none of them are unique to her life. It's essentially the same experience as turning the TV on and watching True Hollywood Story with the Lifetime channel on the picture-in-picture. Mind-numbing is the first description that comes to mind.
 Finally Growing up Brady December 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Maureen McCormick was one of the most popular child stars to grace the small screen during the early 1970's. We watched her grow up before our eyes. She played the beautiful and popular oldest daughter of a blended family, and was often in the middle of the sappy morality plays that played out each Friday night. Still, the show was one of the most enduring of the shows of that era and has lingered in our collective consciousness.
But here is the rub...the child star has to grow up. Ms. McCormick had difficulty making peace with her alter-ego, Marcia Brady, and went on a harrowing journey through her twenties and beyond.
Her candor is often breath-taking, and this says as much about the readers as it does about the author. We are a society of voyeurs, and to read about Ms. McCormick descent into the hell of cocaine addiction, promiscuity, and two abortions and trying to leverage those images against the saccharin sweetness of Marcia Brady is a transposition of the senses.
There is some excellent backstage tell-all in this book. Florence Henderson was a closet sex kitten, who would often walk around topless in mixed company, and try to arouse Robert Reed under the covers. Reed was gay, and Ms. Henderson had well-rounded mamaries. Eve Plumb, who played Jan, was a strong minded free spirit who spoke French in the dressing room and enjoyed farting in closed quarters.
But this book is about Ms. McCormick who has come to terms with her past, accepted herself, and looks to move on to the rest of her life as a contented person. This is her seminal triumph. She carries more baggage than most, but seems to be a lovely person at this time in her life.
Marcia Brady, it seems has not always been the role model we all thought she was, but as Ms. McCormick, she is taking some bold steps in that direction.
This is a highly recommended book.
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