cover image The Way I Am [With DVD]

The Way I Am [With DVD]

Eminem. Dutton Books, $40 (201pp) ISBN 978-0-525-95032-5

9781597775960 Eminem with Sacha Jenkins. The Way I Am. Dutton. 2008. 216p. illus. ISBN 978-0-525-95032-5. $40 with DVD.Nelson, Debbie with Annette Witheridge. My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem: Setting the Record Straight on My Life as Eminem's Mother. Phoenix. Nov. 2008. c.288p. illus. ISBN 978-1-59777-596-0. $25.95. MUSIC~Verdict: In time to bank on the publicity of Eminem's new memoir and forthcoming album, his mother, Nelson, releases her side of the story in an autobiography that is not a necessary purchase. Eminem himself, however, offers an illuminating look into his writing process that is highly recommended for popular music collections in public and high school libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/08.] Background: Marshall Mathers III, aka Eminem, has produced a richly illustrated account of his life and career, complete with never-before-seen photographs and stunning reproductions of his lyric sheets, which offer a revealing look at his frenzied imagination. The DVD features unreleased footage with Eminem's narration. Nelson, infamous for filing a $10 million defamation lawsuit against her son, offers her version of their fraught family history. She derides those who cling to Eminem's coattails hoping for a little reflected fame and easy money without acknowledging that with this book, she has joined their ranks.-Bill Baars, Lake Oswego P.L., OR.