One More Time

Burnett's frank, moving account of growing up in squalor has the air of a bestseller. At 53, the popular performer looks back at the years of poverty and insecurity of her Hollywood childhood, sharing a one-room apartment with her maternal grandmother, Nanny. Burnett's parents were divorced, and both were alcoholics. Readers feel the deep love with which she recalls her father, mother and Nanny (a woman endearing despite her conniving and other terrible traits). In an unforgettable scene, Burnett describes her mother going alone to a hospital to bear her illegitimate daughter Chrissie, who is Burnett's best friend. This memoir is a Cinderella tale by a woman stronger than her family and perhaps luckier. She built a career with grit and a little help from friends she thanks in her zesty story. Photos not seen by PW. First serial to Ladies' Home Journal; Literary Guild dual main selection; author tour. (October 21)