Donny the Author
Today, Donny Osmond's life is just what he is making it. He has a loving family with wife Debbie and their five sons, found success on the musical stage and TV talk show set, and now in his latest endeavor, can claim authorship of a hot-selling autobiography. He is in the driver's seat of his life and is, as the title suggests, just getting started.
This latest accomplishment, an autobiography that chronicles his experiences in the entertainment industry from childhood to present-day, provides fans with an intimate look at his life. The book reveals a story that fans were never privy to, a story that fills in many blanks and answers many questions about why Donny Osmond is the man he is today and how he came to be so. One discovers just how his life evolved from one that was made for him to one that is now being made by him.
Each of the turns Donny's life took influenced him in some way. His years on Andy Williams' show contributed both to his professionalism and to an unrealistic level of perfectionism that would haunt him in later years. Discipline, expectations, and responsibilities replaced days of carefree play. Rehearsals, setting up and breaking down stages, keeping up with studies through home schooling - these became his childhood endeavors. Traveling from one end of the country to the other, and later, from one continent to another became routine for the youngster and eventual teen idol. Donny recognizes both the advantages and disadvantages of all the travel and contact with so many people. In fact, he pays respectful tribute to his fans and many of the famous personalities with whom he and his family rubbed elbows.
Fans who grew up with him will almost certainly get a feeling of "deja-vu" as they read about familiar events. So many stories told in teen magazines, reported in newspapers and interviews, or written about in fan club newsletters gave just a glimpse but rarely a whole picture of those events. Here, details are filled in for the reader that help paint a more complete view of Donny's experiences. From his appendectomy to his appearance on the cover of "Rolling Stone" magazine, from the family's first hit record to the end of the "Donny and Marie" show, the story behind the story is told. It is enlightening, fun reading, and one gains a greater appreciation for the struggles he endured as well as the successes he achieved.
Placed midway through the book is a wonderful collection of photographs. It is easy to see how Donny's charismatic young face made him a popular member of the group right from the beginning on the "Andy Williams" show and later, how his maturing features as a teenager brought fans screaming to their feet. It is the pictures from his adult years, however, that show how Donny was affected by the events in his life. The look of relaxed happiness on his face at the opening night party for "Joseph" is in stark contrast to the 80's Donny looking pensively off in the distance, to an uncertain future.
A picture says a thousand words and these speak volumes.
That time period when "things went south" for Donny brought home some hard realities about the business he was in. Mentioned are the devastating effect the closing of "Little Johnny Jones" had on him and the even greater frustration he felt when abandoned and ignored by entities in the music industry. Struggling to provide for his growing family while facing an uncertain future, it is clear that these events in turn helped bring about in him a greater determination to once again find a place for himself in the industry.
The extent to which Donny had to work to gain control of his life was illustrated with a description of a severe and debilitating bout with panic disorder. At that time, it was as though all the frustration and lack of control over his destiny for so many years finally came to a head. Surprisingly, as Donny points out in the book, it came at a time when things were going his way for the first time in many years. As he shares how he managed to understand his problem and gain control of it, one gains an appreciation for the stresses a performer endures when they are faced with both imagined and real expectations of so many people.
Donny's autobiography is a lesson in endurance and persistence. Regardless of his setbacks, it is clear he is a survivor. "Life Is Just What You Make It..." is a most appropriate title and one can be assured that whatever the future holds, Donny Osmond will land on his feet as he makes the best of any situation that may lie ahead for him.
The "Life is Just What You Make It" Tour - June 1999
The eagerly anticipated autobiography by Donny,
Life Is Just What You Make It -- My Story So Far, began arriving in bookstores
in late May across the country. Fans of all ages snapped up the book, quickly putting it on the New York Time's Top 25 Best Seller List.
Shortly after its placement on bookstore shelves, Donny set out on a book tour that had him criscrossing the country during the month of June. He sat and autographed copy after copy of his autobiography in each of the cities he visited. His tour brought him close to his fans and they responded enthusiastically. Although several locations diminished the experience by rushing people through, fans never-the-less reported that the opportunity to come face-to- face with Donny made up for the less than perfect conditions. And, regardless of the coast he was on, the numbers of fans and the level of excitement remained high throughout the entire tour.
Reports on the earlier signings from DOIN members and fans on the internet provided helpful hints to others for future signings. It was apparent the cooperation of fans lent itself to the signings themselves for as the crowds may have grown in number, fans spent the time getting to know each other and enjoying the experience in spite of the long wait at some locations.
Utah's "native son" also enjoyed some hometown attention as he spent part of the latter days of the tour signing books in Provo, Orem, and Salt Lake City. Scores of fans showed up to see their "neighbor" and get an autograph before Donny headed out of state once again to complete the last legs of his journey. Minneapolis and Chicago would find him finishing up his tour with fans just as excited to see him as those at the start of the tour.
The tour also brought an almost never-ending stream of news articles, radio appearances and visits to TV programs where talk show host Donny found himself on the receiving end of the questioning. Ranging from the irreverent and humorous to the insightful and respectful, the publicity he received brought new readers to the pages of his book and allowed him a chance to explore several of the book's events in more details with his hosts. He handled questions from reporters representing Howard Stern and Time Magazine with panache, and proved entertaining on the "View" and "Politically Incorrect."
Reading the book has given people another view of Donny. When asked during an online chat on AOL what would surprise people most in reading the book, Donny's answer was, "How honest I am with what I've been through in the last 36 years of being in show business."
Donny wishes to thank everyone who came out to see him and support him during his book tour!
