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But Enough About Me    by Jancee Dunn Amazon.com order for
But Enough About Me
by Jancee Dunn
Order:  USA  Can
HarperCollins, 2007 (2007)
Hardcover
* * *   Reviewed by Hilary Daninhirsch

Reading Jancee Dunn's memoir feels like reading the tabloids but without the guilt. The author offers an unusual twist on a memoir: she meshes her personal life story with hugely entertaining tales about some of the world's most famous stars whom she interviewed during her career as a reporter with Rolling Stone Magazine.

Some of these stories include: a failed homemade fudge experiment with Loretta Lynn; being mistaken for Ben Affleck's girlfriend; being wooed by Barry White; and mutely watching Brad Pitt play an air guitar. Interspersed with her personal stories regarding her sisters, her parents, and failed relationships are humorously entitled chapters about her interviewing techniques, such as Booze: At Least as Important as Your Tape Recorder; None for Me, Thanks: Gracefully Refusing Your Host's Kind Offer of Heroin; How to Control the Panic When Your Subject is Absurdly Famous; and, my favorite, How to Approach an R & B Artist When You're the Whitest Person in the Western World.

Throughout the book, Duncee tries to reconcile her inner nerd with her desire to become Rock Chick. A family-oriented Jersey girl through and through, Dunn struggles with love relationships, a little too much drinking, and one bad experience with drugs. Yes, there are juicy tidbits about how she handled her panic when she met Madonna and her regret at turning down an opportunity to stay in Stevie Nicks' guestroom, but beneath the surface, this is akin to a coming of age or discovering myself book.

Dunn combines an equal blend of humor and pathos in her writing. If you have time to squeeze in a beach vacation during these remaining weeks of summer, take But Enough About Me with you.

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