The Truth Is: My Life in Love and Music by Laura Morton and Melissa Etheridge (2001, Hardcover)

Synopsis
Rock singer Melissa Etheridge has been the poster child for celebrity lesbians since she came out in the early 1990s; that her sexual orientation had been an open secret for some time, and that her songs carry a rock-solid, almost traditional Midwestern vibe, enabled her to avoid most of the opprobrium usually dished out to well-known homosexuals. Her career has included Grammy awards, a performance at a gay inaugural ball for President Clinton, and outspoken advocacy for gay rights. From its opening pages, where she reveals the childhood physical and sexual abuse she received from her older sister, THE TRUTH IS... is a sometimes harrowing but always honest account of a life fraught with both difficulty and triumph. Etheridge writes frankly, humorously, and viscerally about her growing awareness of her lesbianism, about how her sexuality informs her songwriting, and about her long relationship with Julie Cypher, with whom she had two children (with sperm donated by none other than singer-songwriter David Crosby), and from whom she separated in 2000. By turns philosophical and realistic, THE TRUTH IS... is a candid recounting of the life of this pioneering singer and personality.

Key Details
Author:	Melissa Etheridge, Laura Morton
Language:	English
Publisher:	Villard Books
Format:	Hardcover
ISBN-10:	0375505997
ISBN-13:	9780375505997

Size
Length:	229 pages
Height:	9.5 in
Width:	6.5 in
Thickness:	0.8 in
Weight:	17.6 oz

Publisher's Note
The popular singer describes her rise to success in the world of rock music and her personal odyssey from her Kansas roots to her revelation of her homosexuality and its aftermath, which has made her an advocate for the gay and lesbian community.

ln the ten years since she burst on to the international music scene, Melissa Etheridge has released six albums that have sold more than 25 million records worldwide, garnering not only public adoration for her uncompromising honesty but numerous critical awards, including two Grammys and the prestigious ASCAP Songwriter of the Year award. She has given the world unforgettable hits such as "Bring Me Some Water," "Similar Features," "Come to My Window," and "I'm the Only One," with lyrics that touch on a universal nerve and the deeply human side of relationships. Her personal journey has been captured over the years through her music, transforming her voice and musicianship into inspiring messages of love, consciousness, hope, longing, desire, and pure passion.

The Truth Is ... is a bold and unflinching account of an extraordinary life, described as only Melissa can: from her Kansas roots through her early love of music to her brilliant rise to stardom, becoming a female superstar in a male-dominated rock world. Melissa will openly discuss the massive impact of her public coming-out, a revelation that only increased her popularity and made her a highly visible spokesperson for the gay and lesbian community. The Truth Is ... shares Melissa Etheridge's fascinating story—sometimes shocking, always inspiring—with unprecedented candor and insight.

Filled with personal insights, the stories behind the music and lyrics, and never-before-seen personal photographs, The Truth Is ... is a poignant, thoughtful, sometimes difficult expression of who Melissa Etheridge has been, who she is, and who she hopes to become.