Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I’m sharing my review of Cher: The Memoir: Part One by… well, Cher.

Cher: The Memoir: Part One was published in November 2024 by Harper Collins and is 413 pages long.

What’s it About
This is the first instalment of two telling the pop icon Cher’s life story, and taking readers from her early years through the seismic cultural shifts of the 1960s and into the years of her burgeoning superstardom. This volume ends just as she begins to assert herself as a solo force—onstage, onscreen, and off.

Characters
The book is primarily about Cher herself, being that it’s her memoir. However, she does let us in on her relationships with her mother, Georgia, who had quite the life herself, her father, Johnnie Sarkisian, her husband, Sonny Bono, as well as industry insiders and her extended family.

There really is quite a cast of characters here, many of whom have their own intriguing stories.

Writing Style
The memoir is written in quite a conversational style; as you read, you can certainly hear Cher’s voice in your head, which is quite the feat, being that it’s a ghostwritten memoir. Cher has said herself that she was heavily involved in writing the book, and it shows.

The anecdotes throughout are compelling, and before you know it, you’ve lost hours reading about Cher’s turbulent childhood and her beginnings in the music industry. I got entirely lost in the vastness of Cher’s life.

The book is unfiltered and honest, sharing details of the poverty and even abuse Cher endured in her life, but it’s not all doom and gloom. In fact, there’s quite a bit of humour within those pages, given in Cher’s classic dry style.

This isn’t just a story about a famous person—it’s about a woman’s journey to carve out her own space in the world, to create an identity that’s all her own.

Some have said that the book is overloaded, or that it meanders a bit, but I think that just adds to the immersion. You feel as if you’re being invited into a world few ever get to see. Sure, the chapters are long, but there’s so much of Cher’s life to fit in. I’m surprised that it’s only going to take two volumes to tell this story, and I await volume two with bated breath.

Final Thoughts
Cher: The Memoir: Part One is an intimate, entertaining, and unfiltered account that reveals a side of Cher deeper than her public persona. It’s the story of someone who reshaped struggle into stardom, told in her own unapologetic voice.

If you’re a Cher fan or interested in 60s–’70s showbiz, then this is definitely a book worth reading.

I’m giving Cher: The Memoir: Part One 10/10.

Have you read Cher’s story so far? What did you think?

Thank you, as ever, for reading this week’s review.

Until next time,

George

© 2025 GLT

Categories: Book Reviews, Reading

Tags: 60s, 70s, book review, Cher, family, memoir, music, review