Christopher Ciccone, Life with My Sister Madonna Review

Overall Rating

After hearing Christopher Ciccone read his autobiography, one cannot help wondering why now? Could it be that Christopher has once again hit hard times, due to lack of work and drug use? Or could it simply be that his sister, arguably the most famous woman on Earth (at least to the 80s and 90s generation), has just turned 50, and there has been a secret pact that he couldn't write a book like 'Life With My Sister Madonna' until now? We are not told the reason for the timing, except in a brief opening statement the author assures us that it was written to sort out his thoughts about his sister, and served as a catharsis in finally breaking free into his own identity, because, as he puts it, "I was born my mother's son, but will die my sister's brother." Christopher shared most of his life with Madonna, from a Michigan childhood to a turbulent and emotional struggle in New York, then finally as Madonna's art director and backup dancer on the Blond Ambition and Girly Show tours. In between it all, he worked for Madonna as dresser, decorator, and personal assistant, and became friends with many of her famous friends, including Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Demi Moore. Never able to break free from Madonna's controlling influence into an independent dancer or designer in his own right, Christopher fell victim again and again to mistreatment and verbal abuse, as his sister underpaid him, doling out just enough to keep him tied to her, while she lavished extravagant sums on houses and art. Christopher's battle with drugs was soon to follow, as this behind-the-curtain narrative unfolds with flagrant detail, tarnishing his sister's carefully constructed mythology. A gay man with a deep masculine voice, Christopher adopts an unemotional, matter-of-fact tone in reading the book, which was coauthored by Wendy Leigh. Photos of their life together appear in PDF on an enhanced CD, just as they appear in the print book, but one doesn't get as vital or real a picture reading the print version as in hearing Madonna's own brother dish back. Now Madonna is ironically falling out with Ritchie, yet striking deals to do concerts in Dubai for $25 million. Not without serious flaws himself, the poorer Christopher Ciccone tells a story about the cost of fame from an angle seldom seen, or rather heard. (Simon & Schuster Audio; 5 hours abridged)