Review: A determined women that overcame much
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2013
This comprehensive account of Lucille Ball will allow the reader the inside story as to how her life helped shape who she became including her inner drive and indomitable will to succeed.  Born in Jamestown, NY her early life was marked with trauma and continual uprooting for the first decade of her life.  Her father's untimely death, mother's remarriage, and grandmother's illness would be paramount events that would affect her both positively and negatively.Lucille's mother and grandfather helped instill a bright outlook on her life and her grandfather's early exposure of her to Vaudeville comedies would permanently trace a passion in her heart that would burn brightly in her career as an actress in comedy.  She began acting at age 12 and, although her initial New York City acting school attempt didn't prove favorable, she would later return, leaving high school without a diploma.Desperate to succeed, she would vacillate from modeling to MGM and RKO studios.  Branded with a label of a B movie actress, though eventually given bigger roles, she would not find her niche in cinema production, but rather in television.  Her marriage to Desi Arnaz in 1940 would also result in them both working together on I Love Lucy with the push from Lucille on producers and with their production company before a live audience.  By 1955 the show became the most watched program in America.  Their popularity in television rose because the audience was able to connect with the characters through identifying similar real-life problems they too experienced.  According to Lori Landay "Lucy essentially became an avatar for the burgeoning sitcom culture and shift in American taste from cinema to television.". Lucille Ball's longevity extended to The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy.Throughout this popularity came also private pain Lucy would endure from Desi known as a womanizer, functioning alcoholic, and quick temper.  The marriage would dissolve in 1960.  Her career expanded through the mid 80's but when Life With Lucy lost popularity and was cancelled, it not only ended Lucille's career but would result in deep depression.  Her identity, it appears, came entirely based on how well she performed.This e-book will trace her childhood through her television fame and private life as well.  You will see her as never before and grow to understand that her ability to overcome tragedy acquired as a young child prepared her for her show business career more than any manner of formal training could have provided.