By Catherine Sodano
Lynne Spears debuted her new book “Through the Storm” in September 2008. After the long awaited release, a lot of people were surprised to see that the novel was not a tell-all about her famous daughter, Britney’s, career. The book commences with a brief narration of how she was brought up on a small Southern farm with heavy English and Maltese influences. She explained how she had known her former husband, Jamie Spears, since she was a young girl, and that he was the only man she had ever dated. After her first two children, Jamie Lynn was born. Lynne and Jamie had not planned on having another child, but she insists, “The most unexpected things in life are hidden blessings from God.” Turmoil seems to be a frequent presence in the life of the Spears family. Death, bankruptcy, alcoholism, suicide, even accidental manslaughter were all a part of the trials and tribulations the family had to endure. Through Lynne’s crumbling marriage with alcoholic husband Jamie, she faced a stressful evening that turned into a nightmarish one. Her brother was deeply cut at work and bleeding incessantly. In the midst of driving her brother to the emergency room on a rainy evening in Louisiana, she accidentally struck and killed a 12-year-old boy who was riding his bike. She says that instance has stayed with her throughout her life and is something that will haunt her forever. Mental illness runs on Jamie’s side of the family, and his mother Emma committed suicide when she was 32 years old. But despite all of these obstacles, Lynne has always been able to pull through with the help of God. Lynne says that she would never have been able to get through any of these life-altering experiences without her faith. After Britney had left her stint in Cedars Sinai Medical Center, in California, Lynne thought that things were looking up. Jamie Spears stepped in as Britney’s soul conservator looking after everything Britney did; supervising where she was going, how she left the house and whom she was going with. With the help of her newly sober father in the picture, Britney’s career is on the path back to triumph, and she is recording a new album to be released on Dec. 2. However, it was during this time that Lynne learned the heart-wrenching news that her 15-year-old daughter Jamie Lynn, was pregnant. She was at first mortified and thought it was a joke, but soon came to realize she was serious. After months of anticipation, she saw her daughter give birth to a healthy and happy baby girl, Maddie Briann. She said that she truly believes that is what helped Britney realize that family is so important and that there is a world outside of the famed life she knew.
Believe it or not, the book was more about the hardships the family had to face, such as bankruptcy, and intimate family problems that led them to be strong and brazen throughout the negative publicity they have been notorious for receiving. Overall, it changed the outlooks of a lot of people who formerly judged Lynn Spears, and led audiences to view her with an utmost respect for being the rock and driving force through all the family problems. Considering all the negative predicaments she found herself in, she always pushed forward, and in the book she cleared up rumors that she was a stage mother that pushed both of her children into the business that arguably destroyed her eldest daughter. She stated that she never had any intention to even put Britney in show business, but she would never shoot down a driven, dream inspired daughter, and always supported the wants and needs of her children. She wanted to help them achieve their dreams, and never discouraged them from doing so. The book also contains poetry that she wrote in her darkest of hours, which aided in her personal and spiritual recovery. “Through the Storm,” also included never before seen photos of the Spears family. This book is definitely worth the read if you want to see the truth behind a family that has been subject to many salacious and also false rumors.

(amazon.com)