Although written over 15 years ago, Carol Burnett's
autobio is an amazing one. It covers just about all
(or seemingly so) of her early years in Texas,
her move to California, and at age 21, her move
to New York where she hit the 'big time'.

Carol obviously didn't have it easy. Her family
was impoverished and her mother and father were
absentee parents. Only because of her grandmother,
Nanny, did Carol pull through. Although neither
of Carol's parents survived to see her success,
Nanny did...and for that I'm sure she'll eternally
be grateful.

Unbeknownst to me before reading the book, her mother had
an illegitimate baby girl, Chrissy, which she kept...and this
was back in the 40's when such things were
scorned mercilessly. Luckily, just before
her mother died prematurely, Carol was able to take Chrissy
back to New York where she finished her formative years.

The coverage stops all too soon...Carol's narrative
is especially inviting. I was hoping that a few
bits about "The Carol Burnett Show" and Harvey, Tim,
Vicki, and Lyle would be included, but it's easy
to see why that element was left out.
Although the structure doesn't really take the
form of a letter, the book claims to be a letter
written for her three daughters. A unique format.
My only complaint is that the book contains tens of
pages of Carol's handwritten letters to a guy
named DeNootie (an old friend of hers). In the paperback
version, they are impossible to read because the
print is overpixelated. Ditto for the section of
photographs...the photos are all way underexposed.

A must-read for any Carol fan. Definitely among
the best bios I've ever read or will read.