THROUGH THE STORM by Lynne Spears

Does anybody really know what they're getting into when fame comes flying through the door? Probably not. In her book Through the Storm, (cowritten by Lorilee Craker) Lynne Spears recounts her life from being a simple southern girl, to being a simple southern young wife and mother, to becoming the mother of one of the biggest names in pop music.

Lynne starts off by telling you what this book isn't: it's not a parenting book, and it's not a tell all. And for the most part, she sticks to that. Let me say that I think at heart, Lynne Spears is a woman who loves her children, loves the Lord, and wants the best for her family. But... she seems (to me) like a woman living in a level of denial.

This first struck me when she recounts the story of driving her injured brother to an emergency room. It was raining, she rounded a corner, there were two boys riding bikes on the side of the road. "I had a sick sensation that I would hit one of them, that it was impossible not to..." and finally, "One boy managed to get his bike out of the way, but his friend, a twelve-year-old boy whose house was right by the scene of the accident, was hit." Was hit? What an odd way to put it. She says very little else about this boy, how she felt after hitting this child. The boy died at the emergency room, the same one Lynn took her brother to. She says that the screams of the mother will haunt her. But then, she adds, "God's providence permitted that boy's mother to lose her son, while I was allowed to keep mine, watching him grow to manhood." And this pretty much sums it up for me: things keep happening to Lynne Spears. It's all about how it affects her.

Talking about Britney's early days in the limelight, one theme is repeated: I didn't know. More than once she says that she figured the industry professionals would know better than her, since she's just a simple southern gal. That may be so, but she's not stupid. So here's a mother who wants the best for her kids. I can relate to that. And I can understand how things could escalate and get out of control before she realized... the first time. But I start to wonder when things happen over and over and over. Case in point: When a Rolling Stone photographer and crew cram into your teenage daughter's room and close the door for a private photo shoot, something is wrong! This was the scenario for the infamous Rolling Stone cover of Britney lounging on her bed in a bra and itty-bitty boy shorts.

Let me get to the point of this review. I think Lynne Spears is a good woman who wanted to help her children achieve their dreams. Whether through simple-southern-girl naivete, or denial of what was really happening, Lynne lost control. When she talks about her faith, and how God has carried her through the storms of her life, I believe her. So, if you're looking for an expose and some hot gossip about Britney or Jamie Lynn that you don't already know, this is not the book for that. But, if you want a glimpse into the life and psyche of one of America's most well-known mothers, pick up Through the Storm. To be fair to Lynn, it's hard to know if any of us would have done any better in her position.

Go here to preview the book.