cover image Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny

Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny

Nile Rodgers. Random/Spiegel & Grau, $27 (336p) ISBN 9780385529655

Rodgers's page-turning memoir is packed with emotionally charged vignettes of a tumultuous childhood and equally dramatic adulthood that found him awash in cash, cars, and celebrities. Raised and surrounded by junkies and alcoholics, Rodgers was literally shuffled from coast to coast and relative to relative during his formative years. Music was his salvation, and he pursued it with vigor, playing whenever and wherever he could. Those skills would eventually lead him to working with some of the biggest names in music (Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Diana Ross, Madonna), as well as creating his band Chic, with which he had massive hits, such as "Le Freak." Sadly, however, the combination of success and drugs and alcohol spiraled out of control. While the story of velvet ropes and addiction is a common one, Rodgers's version emphasizes the arc of his life, rather than relying on salacious details or name-dropping to provide a narrative. His storytelling skills propel the reader through the book, making the ending all the more jarring. Remarkable for its candor, this rags-to-riches story is on the year's shortlist of celebrity memoirs. (Oct.)