A runaway at age 14, Catherine James experienced a life not even the toughest of souls could imagine. She was not raised with a silver spoon in her mouth, nor with the loving, picturesque family of a Norman Rockwell painting. Catherine James was a girl of the ‘60s whose complex and emotional past would only make her intriguing future among stars and everyday people all the more enthralling.\nIn her new book, “Dandelion: Memoir of a Free Spirit,”, James tells the story of her life thus far. From her bewildered childhood with her dragon-lady of a mother, to raising her son on her own as a teenage mother, James shares it all, even including her dalliances and friendships with famous musicians and artists.\nJames seems to have found her calling with “Dandelion,” her first published work. In just about 200 pages she pulls the reader into her life. She makes her situation relatable and leaves you wanting more. The retelling of her childhood with mother Diana is like a scene straight out of Mommie Dearest - Everything except the wire hangers bit. She was both physically and emotionally abused by her mother, while Mimi, her guardian angel of a grandmother, swept in time and time again to rescue her from her cruel existence.\nWhen her home life became too much to bear, Catherine did what any normal teenage kid looking for answers would do in the 1960s: She ran away to Greenwich Village in New York City. She was inspired by the advice of a young songwriter, Bob Dylan, who told her “It’s only life.”\nFrom there, her adventure only got crazier. She worked with Andy Warhol in his studio, partied with Jimi Hendrix five days before his death, moved across the pond to be with Denny Laine of the Moody Blues, and from him got her angel of a son, Damian. When things didn’t work out with Denny, she lived with Eric Clapton at his country estate, moved in with Mick Jagger and partied with the Beatles.\nA seemingly normal teenage girl, she seemed to always be in the right place at the right time, and when life handed her lemons she made lemonade – lots of it. While at times “Dandelion” may seem like the typical hippie, it-girl story of self-discovery that seems to turn in circles as far as plot twists go, it is James’ charm and unyielding determination to make a better life for herself and her son that really makes the book. The juicy details of her encounters with rock gods and legends make you wish you were in her shoes and make the book an alluring tale of free spirit in the 1960s. In the end she learns to make peace with her turbulent past and finally gets the happy family life she’s always wanted.
-Being a girl who loves the 1960s and everything about classic rock, this was a great read. If you’re sometimes stuck in the ‘60s like me you might also enjoy this book.\n-Grade: A
