Most famous as Anita in West Side Story, Moreno, now 81, shares her life story in this candid memoir spanning her unceremonious childhood arrival from Puerto Rico to her decades-long career in show business. Born Rosita Alverio in Juncos, Puerto Rico, Moreno gets a rude awakening when in 1936 her single mother moves her to New York City. She finds a passion for singing and dancing while her mother looks for a new husband. Soon, Hollywood knocks on her door. Moreno gives the "Old Hollywood" studio system a long, honest look: she receives her stage name from a studio executive, she is regularly sent out on arranged "dates" with young actors, is made to attend a "troll-and-starlet" mixer with studio funders, and romances several celebrities of her time. In an era when actresses were rampantly "pretending to be ethnicities they obviously not," Moreno is cast again and again as the "hot Latin spitfire" when she was a "reliable, hardworking actor always in search of a better part." There is no question that Moreno's career wound its way through an interesting era; the memoir is a capably composed, entertaining read for anyone with a pre-existing interest in Moreno or 1950s Hollywood. (Apr.)

It's clear Rita Moreno was a pioneer in every aspect of her life.”—The Huffington Post

“Sure to inspire and empower, straight from our very own living legend and the original triple threat:  Rita Moreno.”—Being Latino
 

Actress Moreno’s memoir begins with dreamy recollections of her early childhood in Puerto Rico, and then proceeds in a more straightforward fashion, sometimes with the air of someone consulting a well-preserved date book to remind herself of events that need to be covered. Moreno’s life has had significant high points, including having won Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, and Tony awards—known as an EGOT—which she mentions several times, yet she doesn’t flinch at examining low points, such as her suicide attempt or the “roller coaster ride” of her career. She dishes, sometimes intimately, on Hollywood associates, both at length (Marlon Brando, Elvis Presley) and in brief tidbits (e.g., Mario Lanza, Donald O’Connor, Gene Kelly, John Kennedy, Rory Calhoun, Ann Miller, and many others). Though Moreno at times complains of being typecast as an ethnic spitfire, she would also emphasize her accent or exotic looks for laughs or to get a part. Perseverance is a theme throughout.

Verdict This readable and sometimes moving story of Moreno’s life in movies, on television, stage, and screen is surrounded by details of her politics and personal life.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley Sch., Fort Worth, TX
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One of a handful of performers to have achieved EGOT status (by having won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards), Moreno here presents a story that evolves from her hardships as a young Puerto Rican woman in New York in the 1930s to her struggle for fulfilling roles in the Hollywood of the 1950s and finally to success, as well as a happy marriage and motherhood. Moreno describes her frustrations with roles as a "general ethnic" early in her career, the sexism of Eisenhower's America, her sometimes tempestuous romances with Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper, Elvis Presley, and critic Kenneth Tynan, and brief but insightful portraits of many of the luminaries with whom she has worked, such as choreographer-director Jerome Robbins. Moreno provides a dramatic, heartfelt reading, underscoring the pathos and joys of her highs and lows. VERDICT Highly recommended for all collections, especially those concerned with immigrant experiences and women's studies. [The Celebra: Penguin hc was a New York Times best seller.—Ed.]—Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. Lib.

Very few creative performers have won Tony, Grammy, Emmy, and Academy Awards—Moreno is one of those few. Born in Puerto Rico and arriving destitute in the Bronx at age 5, Moreno reflects on the struggles and victories associated with her long-term affair with Marlon Brando, her work with MGM and other major studios, and her successful marriage to physician Leonard Gordon. At the beginning of the memoir, Moreno uses a little-girl voice that quickly becomes annoying as it’s used at such significant length. Otherwise, her narration is as sultry as her role in WEST SIDE STORY. It’s also fairly monotonous in tone and phrasing despite the fascinating details of her life. This is, without question, an insider’s look, but listening will require patience. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine