Joan Rivers passed away in September of 2014. The
comedian was 81 years old and at a high point in her career. She hosted
a program on E at the time, she had multiple YOUTUBE programs and she
had two bestselling books: 2012's I HATE EVERYONE . . . STARTING WITH ME
and 2014's DIARY OF A MAD DIVA. They were both humor books and very
funny ones at that. While I knew she'd written other best selling
books in her career, I was unaware she'd completed two other humor books
in the decades prior.
1984's
THE LIFE AND HARD TIMES OF HEIDI ABROMOWITZ is a humor book revolving
around the life story of Heidi -- a childhood friend of Joan's who was
known for being a tramp.
Childhood
friend? That's what she writes. I have no idea if Heidi existed -- or
if she was a composite of several women Joan knew -- or if she was
Joan's alter ego.
However,
she existed onstage. Joan was forever telling jokes about Heidi in her
stand up. Heidi also pops up in the best TV movie of all time (my
opinion), 1973's THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO . . . which stars Stockard
Channing and Ed Asner with Susanne Zenor playing Heidi . . . Murphy.
It's the same mentally stunted Heidi.
It's
a funny book, pretending to tell Heidi's story. It even includes a
PLAYBOY interview with Heidi. There are illustrations. You can read it
for Heidi's tale or you can substitute Nicole Shanahan everytime you see Heidi's name and it's just as funny.
More
loosely structured than I HATE EVERYONE . . . STARTING WITH ME, THE
LIFE AND HARD TIMES OF HEIDI ABROMOWITZ is more scatter shot, similar to
DIARY OF A MAD DIVA.
