When we think of Tina Turner we tend to think of wild hair, red lipstick and legs that can dance for days. Everyone knows of course about her tumultuous marriage to Ike Turner and how she left with nothing but 36 cents in her pocket. We know some of her greatest hits like “What’s Love Got to Do with It” and “Private Dancer” came out some years later. What most of us don’t know, however, is what happened in the years between her split from Ike and becoming a superstar.

My Love Story is an autobiography about the second half of Tina Turner’s life – the life that began after walking away from her success with Ike.

The beginning of the book does cover Turner’s early days and how Ike controlled every aspect of her career including her name. Born Anna Mae, Ike came up with the stage name Tina, had it trademarked and therefore owned everything she did. It does go into the abuse and how she reached her lowest point before walking out the door. But the majority of the book is about Tina’s resilience. How she remade her career and how she found love again.

The journey starts with her giving up everything she knew. Tina was finally free of her marriage but what else did she have? She was a woman approaching 40 and only known for performing with Ike on stage. She didn’t have the conventional looks of other female artists. She wasn’t curvaceous, her voice was raw rather than sensual and to top it off, she was being sued for breach of contract for the concert dates she missed after leaving Ike.

North America had a hard time accepting Tina Turner as a solo artist. She really did have to start from nothing. At times all she had to rely on was meditation and prayer, which she learned as a student of Buddhism. I found myself devouring page after page of her story as she takes back her life and transforms herself into the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Even if you are not a fan of Tina Turner herself, the book is full of historical events in music including her Las Vegas show with Sammy Davis Jr. and her iconic performance with the Rolling Stones at Live Aid. (She claims to have been the one who taught Mick Jagger his moves).

My Love Story is just that – a love story. Like any story it has a villain, a hero and some romance but most of all it’s a story about loving yourself. It is simply the best!

— Lesley L.