Book Review of Jade - Fighting to the End
British Reality TV Star Jade Goody Tells Her Life Story
May 11, 2009
Goody, from Bermondsey, south London, England, first gained fame as a contestant on the British reality TV show Big Brother, and later as a celebrity fighting cervical cancer. Jade - Fighting to the End: My Autobiography, published on March 23, 2009, by John Blake Publishing Ltd (ISBN No.: 978-1844548132) recounts the story of Goody’s life from her early days up until about March 2008.
Goody was just 27 when she died at her home in Essex from the disease on March 22, 2009, leaving behind two little boys, Bobby and Freddy, her mom, Jackiey, and husband, Jack Tweed. Jade - Fighting to the End: My Autobiography, opens with Jade’s Final Chapter, a combination of a tribute and summary of Goody’s life after Big Brother, written by Lucy Cave. Cave delves more into Goody’s cancer battle than the autobiography (Goody writes about it in the prologue).
Following the chapter written by Cave, Dr. Emma Naylor, tells of the number of women who have sought pap smears after learning about Goody’s condition, and Big Brother executive producer Phil Edgar Jones raises his hat to Goody’s courage in his own words.
Jade Goody's Early Years
Goody begins Jade - Fighting to the End: My Autobiography, with an introduction, talking about being in The Priory, a rehab facility, for anxiety and depression, where she faced issues that have had a huge impact on her life, such as her mother’s drug addiction. Goody reveals her emotional struggle at trying to prevent her mother from taking drugs, taking care of her at a young age after she lost the use of her left arm in an accident, and basically being the parent in the relationship.
As an adult, Goody’s relationship with her mom improved, and Jackiey got off drugs, as well. How those early years, enveloped in fear and frustration, affected Goody is apparent in her relationships with men. Her most volatile relationship has been with Jack Tweed. Goody has admitted to physically lashing out at him.
Jade Goody's Relationships
Jade - Fighting to the End: My Autobiography reveals a dishonest start to Goody and Tweed’s relationship. He lied to her about his age when they first met (he was 18, not 22), and she found out by reading about it in the paper. Rumours of Tweed’s infidelity reached Goody, and the couple broke up and reunited more than once. Eventually, they did marry, a month before Goody died.
Goody became a mom in her early 20s and admits she didn’t want to have the baby when she found out she was pregnant by Jeff Brazier, with whom she had a two-year relationship. She had the baby, a boy named Bobby, and another son with Brazier, Freddy. Their relationship deteriorated after two years, with Goody attributing jealousy as a cause of its demise.
Jade Goody's Personal Life
Jade - Fighting to the End: My Autobiography also takes readers through Goody being accused of racism on Celebrity Big Brother, her stint in The Priory, and her struggle with her weight (which included abusing diet pills). It’s touching to read about her describing physical symptoms, which were likely associated with her cervical cancer, but she didn’t know she had the disease at the time.
Jade - Fighting to the End: My Autobiography is a funny and honest look at the packed life of a young woman who could be anyone’s best friend. She wasn’t perfect but she was genuine. Jade - Fighting to the End: My Autobiography is a fast, easy and engaging read, and colour photos show Goody as a youngster, with her loved ones, and at work. Goody was like a comet - a brief life that burned brightly.
