If Only
The superficiality of this book cannot be overstated. Still, it is a useful pop-cultural document. Halliwell was Ginger Spice in the Spice Girls, the Monkees-/Bay City Rollers-/Sex Pistols-style prefab band that rode a carefully crafted "girl power" media assault to fame and fortune. She treats us to page after page of growing up as the perky, undersized issue of a moderately ne'er-do-well Swedish dad from Liverpool and a feisty, Spanish, Catholic-cum-Jehovah's Witness mom. She pays special attention to her slow bust development, reports wanting to marry George Michael, and says that Lady Di's marriage and transformation into Princess Di show that fairy tales do happen. Snippets from her diary appear throughout, and though only a cynic would question whether they are genuine, they reveal the living, breathing, thinking, feeling human being behind the carefully crafted persona of Ginger Spice. It should be noted that Geri says that Ginger Spice is dead and she, Geri, has matured: "Last week in Los Angeles, I tried on a dress that was a little too tight around the bust. The old Geri would have tried to squeeze into the smaller size, but instead I chose the next size up. For me this was an important step toward self-acceptance." So, publicity ploy or soul-baring journal of a contemporary artiste? Anyone familiar with Geri's role model Madonna's legendary inability to realistically assess herself and her "art" should have no trouble answering that one. There is no denying the probable appeal of this parable in pink gauze, but the sugar sensitive should also be alerted to adequately prepare for it.Mike Tribby