EW Reviews LTS

Clay Aiken is far more intersting a person than a popstar and, God bless him, he's smart enough to know it. The 2003 American Idol runner-up dispenses with his experiences on the show (including, Claymates will be happy to know, the infamous "Grease" incident) in a few vague chapters toward the end. The bulk of the book/brand extension details his working-class North Carolina upbringing - including his abusive, alcoholic birth father and his fascinating, steel magnolia of a mother, a source of comfort, inspiration, and holy terror. (We suggest a sequel: Mama Clay Tells All!) Behind the polite narration emerges a complex guy with a folksy sense of humor ("I was teased by other kids like it was their job") and an endearing ambivalence about his own insta-celebrity. B-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: B- is considerably good, considering many books, CD's and movies get C's and D's and even F's from EW.