Summary

While Toni Braxton may appear to be living a charmed life, hers is in fact a tumultuous story: a tale of personal triumph after a public unraveling. In her heartfelt memoir, the six-time Grammy Award-winning singer and star of WE tv's hit reality series Braxton Family Values is unapologetically honest in revealing the intimate details of her journey.

Toni and the entire Braxton clan have become America's favorite musical family, but what fans may not know is the intense guilt Toni once felt when she accepted a recording deal that excluded her sisters. That decision would haunt Toni for years to come, tainting the enormous fame she experienced as a popular female vocalist at the top of the charts. Despite her early accomplishments, Toni's world crumbled when she was forced to file for bankruptcy twice and was left all alone to pick up the pieces.

Always the consummate professional, Toni rebuilt her life but then found herself in the midst of more heartache. The mother of an autistic child, Toni had long feared that her son's condition might be karmic retribution for some of the life choices that left her filled with remorse. Later, when heart ailments began plaguing her at the age of forty-one and she was diagnosed with lupus, Toni knew she had to move beyond the self-recrimination and take charge of her own healing—physically and spiritually.

Unbreak My Heart is more than the story of Toni's difficult past and glittering success: it is a story of hope, of healing, and, ultimately, of redemption.

Review

I tend to shy away from celebrity memoirs because I find them so out of touch on a whole. To my pleasant surprise, I was extremely moved and impressed with Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart. This was a very candid, honest outline framing the life of one of music industry's most beautiful singers. Unlike many other celebrities, there's a magnetic intimacy with musicians that people cling to that stimulate a bond as if we feel know them personally. On the surface we perceive a certain lifestyle but behind the scenes, life is completely different.

My only knowledge of Toni over the years is of being a fan of her music. I didn't know anything more of her personal life until I read the book which I found very interesting. The book broadly captures her strict upbringing as a young girl through the highs and lows of her personal & professional career. What I found extremely moving about the book was her openness with the details of her experiences which allows you into her life and connect with her. There is something about a person who has a story that has been broken to the core that finds hope through their despair that is always worth listening to. So, if you are a fan of Toni Braxton, I'd definitely grab a copy.

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles