Cyndi Lauper’s memoir is very much like her personality–all over the place. Writer Jancee Dunn manages to capture Lauper’s voice and style in her writing. The narrative jumps around a bit, and she digresses, just as Lauper does…you can practically hear her distinctive voice jumping off the page.

She seemed to have a reasonably happy childhood and she was loved by her mom and siblings, but she never really fit in. She ran away when she was in high school because of a lecherous stepfather.  What I admire the most about her is her crazy sense of self-confidence and self-assurance, even at a young age. She took herself off camping in Canada completely alone as a young woman–the only companion she had was her dog Sparkles. She has always been passionately committed to her ideals of justice, and she’s also been committed to making great art–both musically and visually.

When she started to get successful and make records (after some awful experiences with some of her initial bands, including once when she was raped by her former bandmates), she was screwed over by record company executives, who wanted to make her into someone else–more marketable and less assertive.

At times, the book digressed into the details of each record production, and I began scanning…but I enjoyed reading about how she met her husband David and had her son, Declyn, after struggling with bad endiometriosis.

She has become a passionate advocate for LGBT justice, beginning with her friendship with Gregory, or “Boy Blue,” who died of AIDS in the 1980s. Her beloved sister Elen also is a lesbian. I also learned that she has a strong connection to Japan, and she landed in Japan right after the big earthquake and tsunami and stayed there to give back to the Japanese people, who were mourning the devastation in their country.

I have a much bigger appreciation for Cyndi Lauper’s music now…and I’m glad I read this book. Steer clear if you don’t like salty language!