When Brooke Shields read her mother’s obituary in the New York Times, she was upset by the way the writer portrayed Teri, who, even Brooke admits, made many mistakes along the way. As a result, Brooke has penned THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL to set the record straight and tell her story her way. Thankfully, she doesn’t pull any punches or sugarcoat the details of life with an alcoholic mother.

Brooke has accomplished a great deal in her lifetime. She has been a model, the star in commercials, a Broadway performer, an actress on TV and in the movies, an author, a wife (twice) and a mother (twice). Her most important role, though, may have been assuming the responsibilities of caring for her alcoholic mother. At a time when a young girl needs her mother for support, Brooke found the roles reversed as she spent years essentially being a caretaker to Teri.

"Thanks to THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL, I feel like I have a much better understanding of [Brooke]...through her relationship with her beloved mother, whose spirit will live on forever in Brooke’s heart."

Despite such a major obstacle, Brooke has led an interesting life. Her father, Frank, came from a privileged and aristocratic background, while her mother was born and raised in a poor family in Newark, New Jersey. Her parents were married briefly, but divorced before Brooke’s first birthday. Brooke lived with Teri but visited her father quite often. Frank remarried, and she formed a bond with her stepfamily. The contrast between the lifestyles of her parents was enormous. While her father’s family lived in luxury in the South Hamptons, she and her mother struggled in a small apartment in New York. But somehow Brooke managed to feel comfortable in both environments.

Things improved when Brooke was able to earn more money through her acting roles. But she continued to cope with her mother’s illness, and did so until Teri’s death in 2012. She still struggles with the memories and the “what ifs.”

I was eager to read Brooke Shields’ story as she was a mega-popular celebrity when I was a teenager and we’re just a couple of years apart. I clearly remember her starring role in Blue Lagoon, as well as some of her Calvin Klein commercials. Though she tends to ramble a bit, Brooke boasts an easy-to-read writing style. Thanks to THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL, I feel like I have a much better understanding of her --- the life she has led and the showbiz career she has enjoyed --- through her relationship with her beloved mother, whose spirit will live on forever in Brooke’s heart.