You Gotta Have Heart

For composer-lyricist Adler, success came early, with The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. But after the death of his partner, Jerry Ross, finding it impossible to write musicals without a collaborator, he turned from Broadway to a diversified career as a writer of jingles, organizer of White House galas and composer of concert music. Adler has been involved with the most glamorous names in show business, and they, as well as his numerous wives and lovers, all appear in this autobiography, written with David ( Of George We Sing ). The roster reads like a Who's Who of the entertainment world. The latter section of the book is the most interesting, however, with recollections of the impulses that led Adler to compose symphonic music; his relationship with his son, Christopher, who died of cancer in 1984; his own struggle with cancer; and his spiritual transformation through Siddha Yoga. (Aug.)