"Backstreet Mom" Book Review

Backstreet Mom: A Mother's Tale of Backstreet Boy AJ McLean's Rise to Fame, Struggle with Addiction, and Ultimate Triumph by Denise I. McLean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

SPOILERS!


It was a very quick read. It was interesting but not heart-wrenchingly dramatic or very inspiring. It was kind of a play-by-play of events but without a lot of details. It has my respect for that because I don't want to be stuck reading a pity-party book, if you know what I mean. Everything sounded very panicked and crazy and exhausting at times, but it wasn't really put together like a readable novel. While I would befriend Ms. McLean, I wouldn't name her a salable writer.


Don't expect a lot of juicy gossip though. Ms. McLean kept the book about her life and her son's. While management is mentioned and Lou Pearlman was dragged through the mud (as he deserved) and Jive Records was trounced (again, deservedly so) and overly creepy managers were mentioned as well, there isn't a whole lot of the crazy that everyone seems so intent to find out about. Jane Carter is mentioned, I think, twice. The other boys families, girlfriends and bodyguards aren't really mentioned a whole lot. They were always sort of classified as other and not necessary to the story.


The boys were mentioned, obviously, and she seemed to have a real affection for them though at times she seemed very hurt by their lack of respect. I think Nick was mentioned the least, while Kevin was mentioned often. He was the one more likely to have a fight with someone because of his temper and he seemed the most moral of the group. I found that surprising because he seems so stoic most of the time. I also found it surprising that Brian has a temper as well because he's always such a goof and seems so happy all of the time. Howie was the most humble and most likely to not have a fight or have a conflict with anyone and he sounded like everyone's favorite mellow fellow. Alex/AJ was obviously the most mentioned. A few of his girlfriends and bodyguards are mentioned by name and Kevin's girlfriend Kirsten was mentioned once or twice.


The McLeans family was mentioned a lot, because family was very important to them. And sadly, one of them passed away while AJ was at his most vulnerable.


The most emotionally driven part of this book was towards the end when AJ is in rehab. That part was very painful and it showed through the writing.


The ending is a bit corny and it makes me wonder if it was the one time the author decided to stretch the truth in the entire book, but it did make me smile for the McLeans.


Not a favorite book, but interesting.


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