The Meaning Of Mariah Carey is the book many Lambs have recommended. Not only have her fans purchased it but so have others that aren’t particularly fond of her, hoping to give her another chance. After reading it myself and seeing as many five stars as there were, I was curious why others rated it so low. The most significant and main concerns with The Meaning Of Mariah Carey stem from these seven reasons.
The Book Was Out Of Order
It’s not the biggest complaint, but it is sure one of the many. It hops from one memory to another and from one age to the next. One reviewer even claimed that some parts of the book didn’t “connect or flow properly.” As accurate as this is, Mariah was aware of that and included a statement at the end of the preface. She said,
“It will move back and forth, up and down, moment to moment, adding up to the meaning of me now.”
The warning is there.
I Didn’t Learn Anything New
Maybe you’re a fan or someone who loves reading about celebrity gossip. Perhaps you’re a fanatic or just curious about Mimi’s life and why she acts as she does. The end result was the same for quite a few people: I didn’t learn anything new. One reviewer states:
Booooooorrrrrring I was excitedly awaited this books release. What a bummer. Nothing we haven’t heard, and the stories go on and on and on. -Amazon Review
People wanted to hear stuff they’d been dying to grab a deeper understanding of for years, like her relationship with Tommy Mattola, for example, or some events that Mariah didn’t mention that others are still waiting for an explanation on. Whatever the case is, Mariah didn’t spill the tea as expected and kept it on a surface-level basis.
She Got A Big Ego and No Detail
This part may be no surprise to anyone who knows her. There’s detail upon detail about the mansions and penthouses she lived in and details about the artists she’s worked with. The only thing she went into great description about is her childhood. All these claims are just about valid, except for her memories with Derek Jeter and encounter with Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, and a few others. One reviewer claims that she was catty throughout the whole book, while another says,
Just a big book of bragging written like a bad Dr. Seuss poem. – Amazon Review
You can see where these people are coming from when she constantly repeats that she brought her mother her house or says comments like, “He may have been the Elvis of the Spanish-speaking world, but when he came to the United States, no offense, but for the most part I was the star of the show.” (Speaking about Luis Miguel.)
Okay…
It’s Not My Fault!
This reason is one of the more prominent complaints about The Meaning Of Mariah Carey. I have reread the book marking down situations to see if she has ever said the magic words: It’s my fault. Or at least something similar. Here’s what I got. There were only two situations where she took the blame from the whole book.
- When she offended Muhammed Ali’s culture with her attire, she says she hopes the family forgives her.
- Mariah admits her marriage to Nick Canon fell apart due to their inflamed egos and emotions.
She victimizes herself throughout the book, leading to reason number five.
Mariah Bashes Her Whole Family
Backhanded compliments are given to her mother, brother, and sister. Cousins, nieces, and nephews her father are left alone for the most part, especially her father. She praises and loves her father to pieces and countless times says she misses him. Mariah respects and loves her mother, but it’s evident from her tone that she feels a betrayal has been done to her. As for her siblings, not much good is said about them, and when there is, it’s always followed by something negative. So when someone says she bashes her family, it’s aimed at those three.
She’s Such A Liar
Is she a liar or not telling the whole truth? I’ve only caught one slip-up in the book where she contradicted herself. That was when she was telling the story of her first racism incident. She was drawing a picture of when her family was whole and at a level of some relative peace, then a couple of chapters later, she claims she has no memory of her parents being together. In that case, the racism incident didn’t happen how she remembers it (if at all), or the latter comment is a lie. Or she’s just confused. There’s a comment from Amazon who knew Mariah and called her out about the book,
“Having known this singer and her mother for 15 years while Mariah was growing up and having shared a home with them, I can tell you this book is nothing but rubbish and lies…It’s all about poor little Mariah and how badly she says she was treated. Really??? She lived and grew up in a nice town on Long Island. She lived in a beach cottage where you walk down the driveway and you are literally at the beach!! How many of you have that? She went to a very good High School…the same one I graduated from. She does not even mention the REAL friends she grew up with…and so on…So many out-and-out lies/ fantasy??? Amazing how she continues to lie to her fans….It’s all pretty sad, and I feel badly for her mother the way she is slammed in this book. Ugh.”
You can form your own conclusion after that.
It Was Boring
That statement is simply an opinion, yet it’s a common opinion I keep running into. All the reasons above, plus a few other personal reasons, are why people stated this. Really there is nothing I can say to defend or back up this protest.
Is It Worth It?
I’m not a Lamb, and I don’t hate Mariah Carey. I love her music, though, and it’s one of the many reasons I purchased the book. Besides all the reasons I said were wrong with it (call me crazy), I still really enjoyed it. The reason being is that I didn’t know anything about her until I read the book. Truth or lies. Victim or not. It let me see the type of person she is, where her mind is, and (my favorite part) learn the stories behind some of my favorite songs.
This book is from Mariah’s perspective, thoughts, and feelings, just like she said it would be. She even puts in the book,
“Though you cannot dispute someone’s lived experience, without doubt, details in this book will differ from the accounts of my family, friends, and plenty of folks who think they know me.”
The warning is there. My mother always taught me there are two sides to the story, and that’s how I read it. Of course, that doesn’t mean I believed in everything she said.
The Meaning Of Mariah Carey was worth it to me for two reasons: Learning about her songs and her mind.
I like d the fact that you wrote with an unbiased opinion, even though this a brutal honest review of the book, you actually make me want to read the book myself so that I can have an opinion on it!