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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To find this cashing in disgusting?

228 replies

BitOfFun · 16/09/2008 12:32

I am at work in the bookshop at the moment and we have just had a delivery of an auto-biography of JADE GOODY ffs, complete with fears about losing her hair etc. It seems to have been ghostwritten by some hack from Heat magazine, but even so, wouldn't you want to spend time quietly with your family and concentrate on getting well after a cancer diagnosis? All the sleb mags are full of her "exclusive" interviews and pics though, and it seems like one huge money-making opportunity. What is this - well you've seen my kebab, now pay to read about my internal organs ???? I think it's in very poor taste, AIBU?

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 16/09/2008 20:29

even if it is painful, it's important to realise it's a necessary evil, though, and point out that the alternative can be far, far more painful, sad and unpleasant.

i mean, what if Jade hadn't got a chance to have children at all before all this came about?

wahwah · 16/09/2008 20:29

Oh yes, she's a lucky girl. Book, tv and cancer, bet you wish it was you.

Original poster
BitOfFun · 16/09/2008 20:33

Wow, this has turned into a pretty long thread! I guess I will have to conclude that I was being unreasonable then, as at least we are all having this discussion, and it has been quite thought provoking. As someone who can't even remember their last smear test, and has some of the risk factors mentioned here, it has perhaps given me a timely kick up the bum. Still not gonna buy the book tho

OP posts:
cali · 16/09/2008 23:37

No apologies for bumping this thread, read tonight that Jade Goody's survival statistic has gone from 95 to 50 % as the cancer has spread.

You might not like the girl and be highly critical of her motives, but to be 27 years old and the mother of 2 children, facing those sort of odds, does she not deserve some compassion?

I am sure we have all done things in our past that we now wish we hadn't, we are just lucky that we don't live our lives in the public eye.

If she was as intelligent as the some of these posters are on this thread ,then I am sure that we would never have heard of Jade Goody.

But we have and it is just another example of todays society that some peoples lives are lived out in the media circus that we have become so used to.

debzmb62 · 17/09/2008 00:10

she's got cancer for fock sake maybe she's doing this so the book sells god forbid if anything happens to her she,s doing it for her kids come on get real !!you never know whats around the corner !!

ScottishMummy · 17/09/2008 00:27

scared woman facing potential mortality,ease up,any money will go to her children

go ask then what they would want
Book and Money or Mummumy

being a schleb has not given her enhanced life outcomes has it?so stop bellyaching

consider a woman, 2 children all scared all facing CA

Max Clifford,fancy PA,money,book signing.none of that matters when scared and ill

solidgoldbrass · 17/09/2008 00:42
theressomethingaboutmarie · 17/09/2008 09:34

I remember reading a quote which is applicable to this thread about Tori Spelling bringing out a second autobiography.

"So, Tori Spelling has brought out another auto-biography. Just to keep track, that's two from Tori and none from Einstein".

sadandscared · 17/09/2008 10:01

You know if this thread and story (didn't know half of this about Jade until now) has done nothing else... It has promted me to pick up the phone and book the smear test my doctors have been badgering me about (last test 2002 !!)
Expat - I agree with what you said earlier about how silly it is to not have it done. Coming from someone who has been studiosly ignoring it. I can't give you an explanation though. Other than abject terror.
Oh and I do feel sorry for Jade, just as I would any young mom faced with this.

tortoiseshell · 17/09/2008 10:06

sadandscared, I had one too, for the same reason.

DaphneMoon · 17/09/2008 10:17

Going back to the first page on this thread, someone called her a despicable human being. Bit strong don't you think. Hitler - despicable, Myra Hindley despicable, Jade Goody - hardly!

Good luck to the girl, not that keen on her but would not wish C on anyone. Those poor kids.

DaphneMoon · 17/09/2008 10:21

Going back to the first page on this thread, someone called her a despicable human being. Bit strong don't you think. Hitler - despicable, Myra Hindley despicable, Jade Goody - hardly!

Good luck to the girl, not that keen on her but would not wish C on anyone. Those poor kids.

solidgoldbrass · 17/09/2008 10:45

Littlebella asked this earlier and no one answered so I'm asking again: Do those of you who despise Goody for 'cashing in on cancer' feel the same way about John Diamond? Ruth Picardie? Or how about Justine Picardie, who didn;t have cancer but has got two or three books out of her sister's death.
Or are they OK because they are middle class and you might have seen them shopping in Waitrose, well, before they (apart from Justine) carked it?

Slashtrophe · 17/09/2008 10:50

Good point solid. I have only just skim read this but feel like pitching in. Personally I would say to the lot of them: sod off and die quietly, middle class or not. Its a variation on misery memoirs. However, if Jade needs some cash, why not? I can't stand Justine. At least stick to writing about your own death, not vulture someone else's.

daftpunk · 17/09/2008 10:51

so true solidgoldbrass.

sadandscared · 17/09/2008 10:59

There are always opinions on any books brought out be they by celebs or not.
Books on Hitler/Myra Hindley etc - some people say that such evil people shouldn't be immortalised or that people who read them are sick
Fictional books by celebs a la Katie Price/Naomi Cambell - People say they have no business writing fiction and should stick with being models etc
Books about experiences - well we've seen the reactions on here.
At the end of the day literature (yes I know maybe Jade's book may not be 'high' literature) offers different things to different people. People read and write for different reasons. Let people get on with it - each to their own and all that.
With regard to Solid Gold/Littlebellas question - Were I to be in the unfortunate position of suffering from cancer/death of a relative etc I think I would probably pick up the book by the 'common' folk as it were. I think I would be hoping for a simpler take on it - something I'd be more likely to identify with and possibly think - yes I may have this but at least I didn't have such a bad childhood . . . . If I were to just be reading it out of interest (highly unlikely mind you) I would be more likely to pick up the 'middle class' one. But that is just the way my bizarre little mind works.

solidgoldbrass · 17/09/2008 11:19

I must admit I alwasy rather fancied reading Chris Morris' parody of the Death Diaries after there was a glut of them in the 90s - his was 'I am miserable so I will kill myself in six months if the readers of the newspaper don't show me enough love' - but several other hacks, including Justine Picardie, made a huge fuss and got it shut down after 2 episodes.

zookeeper · 17/09/2008 11:20

lol lol at "sod off and die quietly middle class or not" slastrophe

Slashtrophe · 17/09/2008 11:26

Oh I love Chris Morris, when did he do that? What was it called?

Thanks zoo

Original poster
BitOfFun · 17/09/2008 15:14

There's a great piss-take misery memoir out at the moment called My Godawful Life...but that's an aside. To SGB, no, I didn't read the others you mentioned either. I hate middle class twitterings about life experiences like Liz Jones et al. Maybe I would read them if I had cancer (well, not Liz Jones, but you know what I mean). My only point about the Jade book was the timing of it - she only found out five minutes ago as far as we know. It just seems like unseemly band-wagon jumping to me, even though I appreciate people's points on here about money for the kids etc. It can only be a cobbled together pile o' crap for voyeurs to waste their cash on as far as I can tell.

OP posts:
Claire236 · 17/09/2008 15:25

I prefer Jade Goody to Liz Jones that's for sure. What planet does that woman live on?

StewiesMom · 17/09/2008 15:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

zippitippitoes · 17/09/2008 15:28

so she could have waited until she was dead?

she was writing/having abook written and then she had this news

obviously you bring the book out when it is going to sell

so with a clebrity you and your affairs have a short shelf life so it has to be quick to beneift

nooka · 17/09/2008 15:52

I'd ready mis lit written by Chris Morris, but otherwise no no no no. I mean why? Why would you want to read something almost certainly badly written about someone who's only claim to fame is that they have had an unhappy life? And on the sleb front, why waste your time reading about someone of such little interest that given a few years (or even months for some slebs) you will have completely forgotten. There are so many interesting people to read about who have made a real impact with how they have lived or what they have done. Read to be inspired not to wallow.

zippitippitoes · 17/09/2008 15:55

im not interested in any of these celebrity typoes or these books whoever writes them but i wouldnt complain about people having the right to publish them