The Album That Changed My Life
Ken Tucker recently reviewed the 1976 movie album “Sparkle.” He summed it up by calling it “a rich, risk-taking collection.” This record¾and the film¾figured prominently in my transition from a rule following people pleasing fourteen-year-old to a fly in the face of authority delinquent. It appeared in more than one scene of my book. Perhaps you don’t believe that kids model what they see on the screen. But for Patty and me, “Sparkle” became a guidebook. We were selective though. We latched onto Sister, the doomed female character. Talented and beautiful, vibrating with potential, she nevertheless becomes enamored with Satin, a known drug dealer and pimp. Ultimately, she died of an overdose. We girls left the theater determined to emulate Sister in whatever ways we could. Thinking about how closely
