Shania Twain: On My Way

Tamara Jones is Production Stage Manager/Operations Supervisor,
Entertainment Department, Paramount Canada’s Wonderland.

This uninspired biography of the rebel and rule-breaker of the country
music industry, Shania Twain, makes no pretence of objectivity. It reads
like a defensive reaction to the hype that has surrounded Twain, who
began life as Eileen Edwards. The author feels compelled to justify her
rise to country superstar status, to placate both Canadian and American
interests, and to address the attacks on Twain’s background and Native
heritage. His response to the criticisms is not entirely satisfying. At
one point, he admits that she lied about herself (“this fabrication
... makes her actions all the more damning”) but quickly shifts to
other, more palatable, matters.

As an icon, Twain has become a package whose fame derives in part from
the fact that she looks and acts the part. This is the story that
Williams glosses over as he tries to deal with everything that’s
occurred in his subject’s extraordinary life.