5th out of 53 books
—
58 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Call Me Anna: The Autobiography of Patty Duke” as Want to Read:
Call Me Anna: The Autobiography of Patty Duke
by
Patty Duke
,
Kenneth Turan
The Star--The public saw her as a gifted childstar: the youngest actor to win an Oscar for her roleas Helen Keller in
The Miracle Worker
and theyoungest actor to have a prime-time television seriesbearing her own name.
The Nightmare--What thepublic did not see was Anna Marie Duke, a young girlwhose life changed forever at age seven whentyrannical mangers stripped her of ne ...more
The Nightmare--What thepublic did not see was Anna Marie Duke, a young girlwhose life changed forever at age seven whentyrannical mangers stripped her of ne ...more
Paperback
,
311 pages
Published
May 1st 1988
by Bantam
(first published 1987)
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Call Me Anna
,
please sign up
.
Be the first to ask a question about Call Me Anna
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
Oh boy, talk about a life filled with turmoil! Really made me appreciate the non-craziness of my life. Patty/Anna had a rough childhood. Rough! Ok, not Tatum O'Neal rough, but still bad. Her adult life wasn't much better since she was bipolar but not diagnosed until she was nearly 40. That's a long time to have manic episodes. I am actually impressed she managed a career at all, considering all the bridges she burned over the years. Everyone in Hollywood thought she had a drug problem. Maybe tha
...more
"The youngest person to win an Academy Award - for her performance as Helen Keller in 'The Miracle Worker' - and winner also of three Emmys for outstanding dramatic appearances on television, Patty Duke is one of the most honored stars in America, a woman so respected by her fellow actors, she has been elected president of the Screen Actors Guild. With such unanimous public and professional recognition of her talent, Patty Duke would appear to represent the ultimate American success story.
But ap ...more
But ap ...more
Aug 06, 2011
Leeanne
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone
Shelves:
autobiographies
,
non-fiction
I'm torn between 4 stars and 5 stars. I hate to give almost everything I read 5 stars. Makes it seem that a REALLY great book isn't quite so great then... But on to my review.
This was a well-written, poignant story about a very interesting woman! I bought this book at the library from their Friends of the Library "shelf sale". I wasn't sure if I would be interested in it or not, but thought, "Maybe I'll get around to reading it." Once I started it, I couldn't put it down! I had no idea that the ...more
This was a well-written, poignant story about a very interesting woman! I bought this book at the library from their Friends of the Library "shelf sale". I wasn't sure if I would be interested in it or not, but thought, "Maybe I'll get around to reading it." Once I started it, I couldn't put it down! I had no idea that the ...more
I shit you not when I say this book is a masterpiece. Loved it. The anecdotes are riveting (her recounting of The Miracle Worker, in particular). The topics are engaging (family life, manic-depression, self-medicating, sleeping disorders). And the photographs are incredible. This memoir/autobio left a deep and lasting mark. Love.
this is a book about the life and career of patty duke from an award winning child actress, to her life as an adult, her career, her marriages, her relationships with such people as desi arnez jr, , her relationships with her children, and finally her diagnoses with and ongoing battle with bipolar disorder, and her life today
view 1 comment
Patty Duke's harrowing memoir recounting her harrowing, abusive childhood and her long journey to diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Painful but necessary reading.
sad, troubled life.i found it interesting in many ways: the abused child actor past with evil dicksonian managers, serious mental health breakdowns, and her acting career range from child broadway star, oscar, emmy, acting award winner, to her grand flops & cheesy tv. major kudos to patty for being so honest & forthright about her mental illness.
on the down side her author's voice seriously annoyed me & exhibits her lack of writing talent. she writes how she talks using slang terms ...more
on the down side her author's voice seriously annoyed me & exhibits her lack of writing talent. she writes how she talks using slang terms ...more
Jun 28, 2015
Donna Goetter
added it
I first read this book the year my mother died. She was 60 and suddenly I felt the world on my shoulders. I did not want to work, be a mom, wife, listen to sound and stay in the dark. AS a L.P.N. I knew something was not right. One night I saw the Movie with Patty Duke starring and I knew I had to see a psychiatrist right away. This was the beginning of a new life for me and answered so many questions about my personality. Give yourself a gift and purchase this book. God Bless
“In some areas of my life I am totally crazy.” For almost 200 pages Patty Duke with the piercing brilliantly beautiful eyes that I remember from her TV show, ranted and raved about the Ross’s who commandeered her life as a young child and controlled her more mercilessly than any child star’s mother possibly could. I was about to quit at several points, fed up with the childishness.
The Miracle Worker time of her life became more interesting and she finally began to mature and take more independ ...more
The Miracle Worker time of her life became more interesting and she finally began to mature and take more independ ...more
This autobiography is very inspirational and well-written. In the 1960s, Patty Duke was seen as a peppy teenager and a gifted Oscar-Award winning actress. On the outside, it seemed as if she had everything--she was the youngest actress to win an Oscar Award for her performance as Helen Keller in the film adaptation of The Miracle Worker (1962). She was also the youngest actress to star in a TV series bearing her own name (The Patty Duke Show).
But nobody really knew of the deep struggles she dea ...more
But nobody really knew of the deep struggles she dea ...more
Even though this book came out some time ago, it is still an excellent read for anyone who is a fan of Patty Duke, whose given name was Anna. I've loved her work for years but had no idea what a difficult and turmoil-filled early life she had. This autobiography tells of her childhood, which was filled with dysfunction, as well as her early career, marriages and also her struggle with undiagnosed manic depression.
I admire her greatly for her courage and wish I had found this book sooner. I plan ...more
I admire her greatly for her courage and wish I had found this book sooner. I plan ...more
The Star--The public saw her as a gifted child star: the youngest actor to win an Oscar for her role as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker and the youngest actor to have a prime-time television series bearing her own name.
The Nightmare--What the public did not see was Anna Marie Duke, a young girl whose life changed forever at age seven when tyrannical mangers stripped her of nearly all that was familiar, beginning with her name. She was deprived of family and friends. Her every word was progra ...more
The Nightmare--What the public did not see was Anna Marie Duke, a young girl whose life changed forever at age seven when tyrannical mangers stripped her of nearly all that was familiar, beginning with her name. She was deprived of family and friends. Her every word was progra ...more
This was a hard read for me. It was interesting how she lived with bi-polar and also was an award winning actress who played the pretend lives of other people.
Patty Duke was a childhood idol of mine so I read her book and I was shocked at what I read. She is even more of a hero to me after reading, Call me Anna.
I read this book for the May challenge on Booklovers General Fiction forum. I always loved the Patty Duke show so I thought why not find out more about her life. After reading this book I saw a troubled young lady fighting to get her life back.
She had abandonment issues, emotional and mental abuse, but she still came out of this fighting. She was treated awful by her managers/surrogate parents. Her own parents had mental illness issues and alcoholism. Patty had these same issues and throw medica ...more
She had abandonment issues, emotional and mental abuse, but she still came out of this fighting. She was treated awful by her managers/surrogate parents. Her own parents had mental illness issues and alcoholism. Patty had these same issues and throw medica ...more
A bit disjointed and rambling, but I enjoyed it. She deserved to be heard, so I am glad she wrote about all she went through.
Interesting read about her younger days in the business and her fight with mental illness.
I read this book when it came out. It was a very good book and I would read it again.
Jul 09, 2014
Bridget Durgin anderson
marked it as to-read
The movie was great too but it was a made for t.v movie I think & can't find it anywhere
Oh my, what is there to say about her unbelievable childhood. Confusing, intense, lonely, and sad. It was hard to read, I wanted all the pain to be over. But it doesn't end there - having no guidance on how to function in the world, she sets off to the messy world of relationships. No matter where she is in her life, though, her ability to ring true and be honest is what saves her. And love, she is very lovable. I wanted to give her hugs as I read her book and say, ""it is ok now."" A wonderfull
...more
A Must Read For Anyone With Manic Depression, Bi-Polar & ADD! Excellent Book!
Really interesting autobiography of Patty Duke. I grew up around same time as she did and always thought of her as lucky and happy. Behind the scenes this was totally untrue. Even as a child drugs and alcohol pushed on her...so sad. As an adult she would have periods of being out control and the drugs, alcohol and binging of many things would define her. She was diagnosed as Bipolar and very brave and strong to come out with this diagnosis, esp. working in Hollywood. Good book, inspiring as well
...more
Duke comprehensively recounts her life experiences from childhood star on. These include fabulously productive periods interspersed with more destructive ones. She can laugh at herself, and I found myself chuckling at some of her antics when she really brought the cray cray. (I couldn't help it; she's a pragmatic narrator, with a good sense of humor.) The book is insightful, honest, and unapologetic. The tone is very matter-of-fact and possesses a clarity of hindsight that's truly inspiring.
A remarkable survivor.
This autobiograhy of Patty Duke was excellently written and lets you into the world of this celebrity that was previously hidden from many. From her childhood trauma's to her struggles with mental illness, it was truly a very inspirational story.
Don't remember exactly when I read this paperback copy, but I do know I had her autograph it personally, when she was the speaker at a local mental health dinner.
Don't remember exactly when I read this paperback copy, but I do know I had her autograph it personally, when she was the speaker at a local mental health dinner.
My first exposure to what we now call bi-polar disorder was through this book. We all knew her as The Star of the Patty Duke show, but at the time many of us had no idea about The Nightmare in which she lived. She tells it all here which is part of what makes her a Triumphant Legend and Force in the theater and movie industries.
Here's how bad my school daze were. For the non-fiction class, I was too lazy to read another book, so I said I read this book, which I had read two years earlier after I saw Duke's TV movie this based on. Very interesting book though. My teacher was never impressed with my non-fiction writing style
I'm proud to have this book in my library - always a fan of Anna Marie's, I learned of her struggles through a difficult yet successful life. I admire her greatly.
She made an error, however; her eldest son now knows who his father is. I'm glad of that.
A good book for anyone who likes biographies.
She made an error, however; her eldest son now knows who his father is. I'm glad of that.
A good book for anyone who likes biographies.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Anna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. First becoming famous as a child star, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16 for the role of Helen Keller in
The Miracle Worker
, and later starring in her self-titled sitcom,
The Patty Duke Show
for three years. She progressed to more adult roles such as Neely O'Hara in the 1967 film
Valley of
...more
More about Patty Duke...
![Valley of the Dolls [VHS]](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1426809106m/25178291.jpg "Valley of the Dolls [VHS]")
