Amy.. My Daughter by Mitch Winehouse

Not an easy book to read even though it is written in a chatty rather familiar style, this book depicts the rise and rather quick fall of one of the most talent singers to hit our universe in a long, long time.It is not however an unremittingly gloomy book, there is so much love and joy, so much goodness and kindness, so much talent, wonderment and awe and a family that loves so unconditionally yet equally tries so hard to break a terrible pattern and the hold that the disease of alcoholism held over a precious child, daughter, sister and friend.
It was a fact that Amy for all her beauty and talent could be stubborn and strong willed, characteristics that she evidenced from a young age to the point of ruin, lost opportunities run through this book like a river.The something  that caused Amy to lose her away so spectacularly was without doubt Blake Fielder-Civil who introduced her to hard drugs and his family who frankly were as nuts as and who used Amy without hesitation, in many ways it is this part of the book that is so riveting, the behaviour of those who didn`t wish Amy well is laid out with little embellishment and yet much to his credit Mitch doesn`t hesitate to acknowledge Amy`s own responsibility, her weaknesses and her vulnerability, her ability to make wise choices was severely compromised at the best of times, yet she got off the drugs and stayed off them.
Never does Winehouse hesitate to acknowledge his own frustrations with his daughter, he is very blunt with her at times and never does he stop being there for her and trying so desperately hard to heal her. Amy used rehabs like hotels, it quite baffled me when I put the book down at one rehab and then found she upped sticks and gone to another, it was like a revolving door, one really doesn`t know how Mitch ever survived it.While it is his story, other family members are included in the telling, little of Amy`s mother Janis and her reactions and feelings come through, this may be by design, she may write her own book.
Mitch Winehouse has done is little girl who so liked a cuddle even as an adult a great service by writing this book. I would recommend it to all Amy Winehouse fans and for anyone who enjoys this type of book as there is quite alot of the glitz and the glamour and also a lot of the rich and famous in it.There is also a lot of humour and an awful lot of kindness!
This book is available at all good booksellers.