Right from the first line, you know this is a frank and personal book. Katie Puckrik's autobiography describes a life that is as manic as she appears on TV and radio. Naturally, nothing less than my Pink Panther book mark would do.
The writing style is the same as her TV and radio appearances, only this time she's telling us about the weirdness of her own life. For example, we find an explanation for her red hair seen on The Word. This wasn't an affectation for television. Her fondness of dressing up goes right back to her childhood. In fact, we see an example of this on the book's cover, as a young cowgirl with a water pistol. We also learn how she got that scar above one eye.
Extracts from her diary journals show us how the familiar style began at an early age. The loud yank confidence is revealed as a mask for a more insecure personality, struggling to make new friends at each new school. Her father's job ensured that the family were frequently moving from one place to another, including Moscow and London, and being the youngest child by quite a few years probably didn't help much.
Eventually the world of Rock 'n' Roll beckoned, and several years as a girlfriend to a British musician took her back to England. It's a long journey from Pennsylvania cowgirl to international journalist, and the twists and turns sound to me like a rite of passage, enough for a series of them. Even in Katie's fast forward style, this is a frank and intimate account of a life.
Finishing this book felt like saying farewell to a close friend.
"When I was three, I wanted a penis."
Katie Puckrik