This book will embarrass the reader, as it is written in such a juvenile manner. All info in it is erroneously written as if it were told directly to the author by Mae West, when in reality it is a simple combination of research taken from several other Mae West bios. The author claims to have been a close personal friend and secretary of Mae Wests, which has since been wildly refuted by readers and many of Wests real secretaries of the time. Some very rare photos, but most can be found in any store on Hollywood Blvd. The book is incredibly over priced as well.

This lavishly printed coffee table picture book was put together with great care by Tim Malachosky, Mae West's personal secretary of over 10 years. Tim draws upon his conversations with Miss West and keeps his comments on the upbeat and positive side. There are no startling or profound observations to be found here, however Tim has reproduced several photographs that have never been published before. The photographs alone are worth the purchase price of the book. While Ms West had several other "personal" secretaries over the years - all male, there are many other stories that can be told and ultimately will. However, until they are, this pictorial tribute to the memory of Miss West will keep fans and West fanatacs happy. Reviewed By R. Mark Desjardins marknorthwest@hotmail.com

I have read a lot of Mae West books. Obviously, that means I am a Mae West fan--and a big one. I found this book difficult to read, what I mean is-difficult to finish. It is boring, long-winded and the author seems to feel Mae had black roots. This is the writer's whole theme, and it is just groundless. On and on and on...enough already. This bio of Mae adds nothing to earlier works.

No White woman could get as sexy as Mae West. A white actress got as sexy as Clara Bow, Joan Blondell, Tallulah Bankhead or Jean Harlow. So its easy for me to tell she inherited it some Blackness, not learned. I hear Mae West really wasn't as sex-crazed as she is onscreen, men were even disappointed later when they found out she wasn't behind closed doors. It easy to pretend to something your not. I'm sure she was full of sex, but people fail to realize she had a little prude and decency. But she gave the public what they wanted to see. A lot of people say she was before her time, but really she wouldn't do half the stuff people do today, she was sexy but left something to the imagination, she left an illusion. So she was right for her time. Women weren't as free as we like to think or because what we see on screen especially in those pre-code Hollywood moveis when women were considered overly sexy. Because women weren't as free to expose their sexuality in the real world, so they gave out on screen and stage, they showed their racy, risque, naught, sexy image that they had in them. Women today don't even come close.

I can tell some of these reviews are from white people. My Grandmother was a Enterainer in The Harlem Years in the 20s and 30s, she remembered when Mae West would come up and watch them, even pay some Blacks too show her how to do some of the dances and sing like them, and teach her how to come up with those wisecracks. She had a lot of Black Friends, she even put some in her movies, she even had them pose as a maid, so people wouldn't be supicious. My Grandmother she frequently she would visited Black clubs and have black friends and date black men openly, my grandmother asked her once, White folks will detest of this, then she said Mae West said, Awww don't worry I'm one of you(she didn't know if she was playing or not). They just can't believe Mae West could have a little black in her, you never know. I never seen a white woman imitate a black woman so good, I don't care how much you listen to the Blues or watch Blacks. I've seen many imitations, but fall by a long shot. I know Mae West was too sexy for a white woman, I always looked at her as a image of a black woman onscreen, if you look at Black actresses of the time, Blacks did those things, not white women, even they couldn't imitate Mae. Nina Mae McKinney the first Black actress onscreen who made her debut in Hallelujah, was the first to put her hands on her hips and have sexy wisecracks before Mae West. Most Blacks did at that time, even the maid parts. Look at some of the Black independent movies. Nothing Mae did was new to Black people, maybe to whites. She could of had some "Negro" blood in her from the past. Don't have a stroke whie people. Remember in that time, there were a lot of Blacks who looked white, even passed. Knowing Mae West she probably wanted best of both worlds. Had white skin, but a Black image, she played on it. Mae West is a clever woman, she never said anything about it, because she couldn't have become a big star, but she's showing us in her films that she may got a little "Black soul" in her. White people didn't pay it no mind, because they looked at her as a funny comedian. If Mae West would of acted "white", I would of still seen the Blackness in her. She sure doesn't have any of the white features, whites are known for. I see a few black features on Mae West. She acknowledged Blacks image onscreen, talk like Blacks, acted like Blacks, walked like Blacks, sung like Blacks. She even brought Blacks on the screen, got Blacks jobs on her movies. They seemed to be the only one who understood her at the time. Mae West was good at hiding her private life, even though she had a public life, no one really knew the true her. This was a image she made up and enjoyed.

This book is full of speculation (among other things) from cover to cover. The author is obsessed with the notion that Mae West was a man. This was written just after she passed away, and clearly Mr. Cashin wanted to "cash-in". Not recommended.

This is a fairly ridiculous, heavy handed attempt at analyzing the appeal of one of the greatest movie stars ever. This writer sees everything about Mae as "camp" (wait til you read her detailed analysis of La West's appearance on MISTER ED!!) and although she seems pro-West, apparently sees her mainly as someone who gays to copy and idolize, not as a serious pop culture icon for the mainstream public. Super silly and very heavy handed. Beulah, peel me a raspberry!!!