( 8 reviews )
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Posted: Jul 21 2009
the book covers 50 years, through some interesting, turbulent times, but the writer is more or less a passive observer, letting other people shape her life, and yet throughout the book she bemoans the lack of personal identity. i think the more interesting parts of her book were in her discussions of her revered father. and to a lesser extent, her mother. surrounded by powerful people, she's a lightweight, in comparison. i guess what i come away with is, if your own life is not that interesting, or you're not a deep thinker, then you're a more entertaining author if you're delving a little more into the lives of the people you meet along the way. she spent way too much time on her idiotic relationship with sly stone, and then more time on her other idiotic relationship with sri chinmoy and his group (cult?). yikes. i was ready to be deprogrammed after reading through that tripe. reading about both of these toxic relationships, i kept asking 'how long does it take you to smarten up? please hurry!' and yet, carlos clearly got tired of chinmoy long before she did, but she doesn't even seem to notice, let alone explain it. maybe she has an agreement not to discuss much about carlos other than very superficial stuff, but all you get is a glimpse of him here. too bad, because i think after 30 years with someone, it would have been easy for her to give a little more insight into his genius. she provides a much smaller glimpse of Bill Graham, another extremely interesting man, and a very one dimensional glimpse of mahavishnu, or whatever he calls himself now. but it's not about them - it's about her. too bad. now i hear that she's planning a sequel to this book? i know i seem harsh, so in fairness, i found deborah to be a decent, likeable woman. if carlos finds/ found joy in her, then there must be more to her than she can explain. but i was bored to death with her.
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Posted: May 9 2008
I did something I rarely do: read a book in one sitting. I started around ten p.m. and ended up staying up until the wee hours of the morning. I was curious to read a book written by the wife of Carlos Santana. I remembered reading in the news that Deborah Santana (born Deborah King in 1951) had filed for divorce last fall - after the book was published. My curiosity however was mostly sparked by the desire to read about the life of a woman that I confess I knew nothing about until I picked up this book. It's said that behind every great man is a great woman. After reading this book, it's clear that Carlos is one lucky man - Deborah is quite a woman. (Most likely his infidelities was the reason for the seperation and - last I heard - impending divorce.) I give the book four stars because for the most part it's a brave, eloquent tale of a woman's life. It doesn't matter that she was with two famous men (Sly Stone, then Carlos Santana) - I could easily identify with her feelings and her struggle as a woman who is still finding her way. At times her writing is lyrical and moving - other times it veers into New Age & Pop Phychology Land, but thankfully she gets back on track before losing the reader (this reader anyhow). I obviously would not have stayed up late with a book I didn't like and I highly recommend it. (She also writes about the subject of being a biracial child). In all fairness it would be interesting to read a bio by Carlos himself in which we hear about the same years shared, but from his POV. Not that the infidelities didn't happen - he has not denied them - but still, it would make for great reading to hear his side of the story. Alas, I doubt we're going to see that book anytime soon. Together since around 1972 and married since 1973 and with three children, one wishes they could have made it. NOTE: Deborah's parents, her black musician father Saunders King and her white (Irish-American) mother Jo Frances were married for many years (he lived to be 91) and had what sounds like a very happy marriage. The passages about her parents made me want to read a book solely about her their life and marriage. It is when she writes about her father that her prose is the strongest - very "Alice Walkeresque". Maybe that will be Deborah's next book?
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Posted: Jan 7 2008
I enjoyed this very candid memoir by Deborah Santana. I found myself experiencing her joys, pains and understanding her need for a spiritual connection. I cried during her disappointments and smiled as she experienced a re-birth or a self-discovery if you will. I related to her loyal and committed spirit to those she loved and her family values. I truly appreciate Deborah Santana as an accomplished writer. This is a very well written piece of work and a great read.
