December 3, 2012
Part memoir, part self-help, Parton's book shares her life philosophies and the guiding principles behind her Dollywood Foundation, which provides free books to children through the Imagination Library program. Her drive and propensity for "dreaming big" took her from a life of poverty in a small Tennessee mountain town, where she practiced singing to the chickens, to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry and beyond. Parton's style is folksy and winsomely charming. Discussing how to handle the down times in life, she writes, "People always say, 'But you always look so happy.' Well, that's Bo-tox! Nobody's happy all the time." Parton (Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business) remembers struggling through classes in a one-room schoolhouse as a child, only to later return to her hometown as a successful performer and provide students with scholarships. Parton goes on to outline the practices that made her a successful businesswoman, notably taking commitment seriously and choosing the right people to commit to, and share her earnest sense of faith. Fans will particularly enjoy "The Wit & Wisdom of the Dolly-Mama," which contains Dolly-isms like "I'm just the girl next door, provided you live next door to an amusement park," and "Home is where I hang my hair."