Watkins, along with two girlfriends from her Atlanta neighborhood, founded the hugely popular group, TLC. This is her memoir.

I applaud her tenacity and drive to succeed. She had the additional challenge of dealing with a form of sickle cell disease that not only caused her great pain but required frequent trips to the hospital from the time she was a young child.

However, I was appalled by some of the youthful “high jinx” she recounted. Food fights and wanton destruction “for fun” just does not float my boat. Violence committed in fits of anger also disturbs me. And some of the “pranks” she and her friends pulled were downright mean and hurtful to others. I think that she eventually outgrew such immature behavior, but I wonder how many young people might read this memoir and think this is okay behavior since she seemingly never faced any consequences from these episodes. ( )

A Sick Life: TLC ‘n Me: Stories from On and Off the Stage

I Picked Up This Book Because: I’m a fan of the band.

The Story:

A very “meh” book for me. It would probably have been better read off the page instead of an audiobook as I just didn’t like the narration. Content wise this book was interesting. We learn of course about T-Boz’s early years and how the band came together. We heard a lot about their struggles with their management and label. We also learn about disputes within the band and how they grew apart at times. On thing that struck me as wrong during the book is there is a lot, and I mean a LOT, of talk about things between T-Boz and Lisa “Left Eye” and it was off putting for me partly because Lisa isn’t here to talk about her side of the story but also there was very little conversation about Chilli. When she is mentioned it’s almost as an afterthought. I guess T-Boz didn’t want to put works into Chilli’s mouth but it felt very lopsided. The writing felt very amature. There was a lot of I, I, I and me me me and I know it’s a memoir but I read a lot of memoirs and I do not often feel like this. I mean it’s your book about you, everything doesn’t have to start with I did this, I did that, I’m this way. I did really like how open she was about her illness. I have an autoimmune disease myself and I appreciate some of the frustrations she expressed her illness cause and a lot of the motivation she expressed with not letting it hold her back .

So yeah, this was very up and down for me.

The Random Thoughts:

2 ¾ Stars ( )

If you are looking for real behind the scenes information, you will surely be disappointed. This book was a carefully crafted PR move to control the narrative of her celebrity. She was tired of being defined by TLC and the gossip rags, so this book was to tell you want she wants to know about her.
Except Tionne didn’t reveal anything worth hearing other than how Left Eye got her mark where she wore the black paint like a football player.

This audiobook was so boring and lacking anything I haven’t heard from magazines and reading. ( )

Great read! Interesting journey about what it means to have sickle cell anemia.Really compelling. Highly positive person. The kind of person you would like to have as a friend--lots of wisdom based on experience--which she fully shares in the book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who reads biographies of any genre..or fans. ( )

A Sick Life: TLC n Me: Stories From On & Off The Stage 🍒🍒🍒🍒
By Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins
2017

Des Moines to Atlanta.....local music scene to superstar.....diagnosed with sickle cell disease to advocate for this painful debilitating disease. ....and more...this book brings us stories of strength, courage, true grit and determination. I feel such admiration and respect for this woman and her struggles with her health, with her career and being a mother to her child while going through it all. I loved this, and liked her honesty, her writing style and her humor. This is one you gotta read.
Some intetesting quotes from the book:

P.106
"People can be pretty self - involved. Some think only about their own stories, not about the stories around them. I'd always worried about what people would think if they knew I was sick."
P. 215
"You can decide what it is for yourself that keeps you going. There's always something. There's always a motive to get up and try. You'll always have a reason to stay here."
P.217
"So now, I'd survived a brain tumor, the death of a close friend, the death of a cousin, the death of my grandmothet, the death of an aunt, a bad divorce, and life with sickle cell disease. What now? Well, just like with anything, I had to keep living. And if you're born to entertain like me, you have to keep performing."
P. 233
We've always been a band who makes universal music that can reach any listener. We don't limit that, and I've never agreed when people have tried to lump us in as rap or R&B. Our music crosses generations and genres, and it's for everyone." ( )