Sharon Osbourne Extreme: My Autobiography 
asked by vcedwards on November 4, 2006 1:09 PM
As the daughter of notorious rock manager Don Arden, Sharon Osbournes childhood was an unruly mix of glamour and violence. In her late 20s, Sharon finally made the painful decision to break with her family. Always irrepressible, Sharon flourished, creating a loving family of her own while becoming a legendary manager and rockband promoter. In rock star Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon found her soul mate, yet Ozzys drug and drink-fuelled excesseswhich culminated in his attempt to strangle hermade their marriage a whiteknuckle ride from the start; only her devotion to their three children gave her the will to survive. From the tremendous highs of the hit show The Osbournes to the lows of Ozzys near-fatal quad-bike accident and her own bout with colon cancer, Sharons tenacity, honesty, and humour have triumphed again and again.
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While I realize it may not be a universal sentiment, I love Sharon Osbourne. I have since she first appeared on reality TV (MTV), reigning over home, children, pets, and her aging, somewhat-befuddled, rock star husband, Ozzy. She is a role model of a strong, smart, outspoken, funny, unconventional, feisty redhead -- all that, with a great haircut and a snappy English accent, too.
The audio version of EXTREME is entertaining, compelling and controversial; fascinating, at the same time, disturbing. This is a woman who has really come into her own, beyond the success and privilege of her husband's fame. She is a woman deserving of good fortune and peace in her life, after suffering and surviving years of abuse by her father and her husband. However, she is no angel, maybe not even a completely sympathetic victim: This is a woman, when she gets angry, who tends to seek revenge and lash out. She cheerfully admits to urinating in someone's drink on more than one occasion, and expressing her dissatisfaction, on numerous occasions, with human excrement.
She is unapologetic, but forgiving, of herself and those around her, including her father and her husband. Her story is fascinating, from her hard scrabble childhood in England, through the ups and downs (always to the extreme) as the daughter of a very controlling, powerful man in the music industry and later as the wife of an abusive, self-destructive rock legend. This is the story behind the stories played out on reality TV and in the tabloids.
The truth according to Sharon Osbourne.
I still love her -- I certainly would never want to piss her off!!
-- Sherri Caldwell, Humor Columnist & Reviewer at [...]
Co-Author, The Rebel Housewife Rules: To Heck With Domestic Bliss!
The audio version of EXTREME is entertaining, compelling and controversial; fascinating, at the same time, disturbing. This is a woman who has really come into her own, beyond the success and privilege of her husband's fame. She is a woman deserving of good fortune and peace in her life, after suffering and surviving years of abuse by her father and her husband. However, she is no angel, maybe not even a completely sympathetic victim: This is a woman, when she gets angry, who tends to seek revenge and lash out. She cheerfully admits to urinating in someone's drink on more than one occasion, and expressing her dissatisfaction, on numerous occasions, with human excrement.
She is unapologetic, but forgiving, of herself and those around her, including her father and her husband. Her story is fascinating, from her hard scrabble childhood in England, through the ups and downs (always to the extreme) as the daughter of a very controlling, powerful man in the music industry and later as the wife of an abusive, self-destructive rock legend. This is the story behind the stories played out on reality TV and in the tabloids.
The truth according to Sharon Osbourne.
I still love her -- I certainly would never want to piss her off!!
-- Sherri Caldwell, Humor Columnist & Reviewer at [...]
Co-Author, The Rebel Housewife Rules: To Heck With Domestic Bliss!
reviewed by macfan on November 13, 2006 3:59 AM
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Sharon Osbourne's autobiography is not for the faint of heart. She's been to hell and back in her life. Her audio book is exceptionally well read with fantastic inflection, enormous wit, great humor and the three swear words that Brits always string together like an introduction.
If you think Sharon Osbourne is just Ozzy Osbourne's wife, you're wrong, she's an interesting, accomplished person in her own right. She grew up as the daughter of Don Arden, who did variety, or as it's called in the States, vaudeville.
Her father turned to band promotion in the 1970s. When Sharon was of age she started rock group management, beginning with ELO. After Arden signed Ozzy, Sharon was sent on tour with him. Ozzy was married with three children and almost ten years her senior. Their romance blossomed and Sharon was taken off the Ozzy account per Ozzy and his then wife, Thelma's, request. Months later, Ozzy called Sharon and told her that his marriage was over and asked her to come back on tour with him.
She's been the brain behind Ozzy's career, OzFest, Lita Ford's career and the shining star on the British "The X Factor" television show. As she states, she's been polar extremes, raised by a Jewish father and an Irish Catholic mother, yoyo-dieting sometimes weighing 160 stone, now weighing 70 stone, a woman in a man's business, because as she said, "The music business is a big boy's club filled with coke and sex."
After years of hard work, the Osbourne's were invited to the White House and
subsequently thereafter Ozzy played at the Queen's Golden Jubilee at Buckingham Palace. Sharon was surprised, because she said that everyone always said about her and Ozzy, "She's from that gangster father and he's in that heavy metal band." But Sharon Osbourne shows how one can overcome obesity, cancer, abuse, victimization and other issues while raising three children.
This autobiography is a must read as an interesting, dynamic, funny, crass, albeit sometimes tragically sad, story.
Armchair Interviews says: The audio book is enjoyable, punctuated with satire, wit and honesty.
If you think Sharon Osbourne is just Ozzy Osbourne's wife, you're wrong, she's an interesting, accomplished person in her own right. She grew up as the daughter of Don Arden, who did variety, or as it's called in the States, vaudeville.
Her father turned to band promotion in the 1970s. When Sharon was of age she started rock group management, beginning with ELO. After Arden signed Ozzy, Sharon was sent on tour with him. Ozzy was married with three children and almost ten years her senior. Their romance blossomed and Sharon was taken off the Ozzy account per Ozzy and his then wife, Thelma's, request. Months later, Ozzy called Sharon and told her that his marriage was over and asked her to come back on tour with him.
She's been the brain behind Ozzy's career, OzFest, Lita Ford's career and the shining star on the British "The X Factor" television show. As she states, she's been polar extremes, raised by a Jewish father and an Irish Catholic mother, yoyo-dieting sometimes weighing 160 stone, now weighing 70 stone, a woman in a man's business, because as she said, "The music business is a big boy's club filled with coke and sex."
After years of hard work, the Osbourne's were invited to the White House and
subsequently thereafter Ozzy played at the Queen's Golden Jubilee at Buckingham Palace. Sharon was surprised, because she said that everyone always said about her and Ozzy, "She's from that gangster father and he's in that heavy metal band." But Sharon Osbourne shows how one can overcome obesity, cancer, abuse, victimization and other issues while raising three children.
This autobiography is a must read as an interesting, dynamic, funny, crass, albeit sometimes tragically sad, story.
Armchair Interviews says: The audio book is enjoyable, punctuated with satire, wit and honesty.
reviewed by redryder on November 14, 2006 10:17 AM
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In this book Sharon is nothing if not honest.
I simply couldn't put this book down! It's heartbreaking, funny, loving and above all a damn good read!
I simply couldn't put this book down! It's heartbreaking, funny, loving and above all a damn good read!
reviewed by costa on November 27, 2006 10:39 AM
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While watching The Osbournes on MTV, we learnt that Sharon is someone who speaks her mind, definately not shy and retiring but still a very loving mother who has the respect of her husband and children. She holds that family together.
In Great Britain this book was released months and months ago and it's sold a crazy amount of copies, so much so that she won an award for the biggest selling autobiography in the UK ever!! Maybe that is due to the fact that she is an interesting person and the book is also very very interesting and eye opening and thoroughly enjoyable.
She writes honestly and in depth about life with her parents (to give us a good insight to her background). Her father stole from his artists (he was a promoter) and was on the FBI most wanted list. She writes about how she didn't love her mother. She never had a good bond with her. She also talks about meeting Ozzy and the drugs and the cheating and how there was some abuse. Even after he was arresting for strangling her, she took him back. And obviously she also writes about her children. There are stories about her gastric surgury and her health issues, her compulsion for buying dogs - you name it; it's in here.
While I found this book very interesting and enjoyable, I think there was a lot of extra info that almost dragged. She is a fascinating woman, but it is a little long winded. There are some great pictures in here and you get the sense that your life is more normall than you think when you're done with this. I liked this.
In Great Britain this book was released months and months ago and it's sold a crazy amount of copies, so much so that she won an award for the biggest selling autobiography in the UK ever!! Maybe that is due to the fact that she is an interesting person and the book is also very very interesting and eye opening and thoroughly enjoyable.
She writes honestly and in depth about life with her parents (to give us a good insight to her background). Her father stole from his artists (he was a promoter) and was on the FBI most wanted list. She writes about how she didn't love her mother. She never had a good bond with her. She also talks about meeting Ozzy and the drugs and the cheating and how there was some abuse. Even after he was arresting for strangling her, she took him back. And obviously she also writes about her children. There are stories about her gastric surgury and her health issues, her compulsion for buying dogs - you name it; it's in here.
While I found this book very interesting and enjoyable, I think there was a lot of extra info that almost dragged. She is a fascinating woman, but it is a little long winded. There are some great pictures in here and you get the sense that your life is more normall than you think when you're done with this. I liked this.
reviewed by shirley49 on November 29, 2006 3:05 AM
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I really enjoyed this book. Sharon has a fascinating life with both the sweets and sours of success. While some people might not be as open about their misfortunes, Sharon doesn't sugar coat anything. She tells it all. The book was well written and very personal. The reality show just doesn't paint a real picture of who Sharon is as a person, nor does it really do justice to what she went through with cancer.
I've read Ordinary People (excellent as well), and the stories of Ozzy's drug induced behavior never cease to amaze me. I'm glad to have read this book because it shows that people are people no matter how much fame and fortune they have. It's easy to forget that when you see them on television.
I've read Ordinary People (excellent as well), and the stories of Ozzy's drug induced behavior never cease to amaze me. I'm glad to have read this book because it shows that people are people no matter how much fame and fortune they have. It's easy to forget that when you see them on television.
reviewed by shawn on November 29, 2006 5:14 PM