HEART AND SOUL: THE EMOTIONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MELISSA BELL, ALEXANDRA BURKE’S MOTHER

Book ID/图书代码： 01930009B34071

English Summary/英文概要： Melissa Bell is the mother of X Factor winner Alexandra Burke. But her own life story is even more remarkable that that of her daughter and is truly inspiring in its own right. From the age of four, music filled every corner of Melissa’s life: she could play the piano, was constantly singing and even ran her own ’radio station’ from the upstairs window of the house, calling out to passers-by and begging them to stop and listen. It was when Melissa saw the 14-year-old Lena Zavaroni performing on Opportunity Knocks that she knew her life’s dream was to be a singer. Her break in the music world came when she was spotted at a talent show at the Hackney Empire. She became the singer in Jazzy B’s group Soul II Soul and her huge talent led to life-changing events such as performing at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert at Wembley, singing with Whitney Houston and performing on stage with Stevie Wonder - as well as going to church with him one Sunday! But the happiness Melissa found in her music was not mirrored in her personal life. Her marriage to childhood sweetheart David Burke fell apart when she discovered that he had been unfaithful to her. Left to bring up four children on her own, times were hard and, when Alex was small, Melissa recalls how they had to delve down the back of the sofa for change to buy bread and milk. The demands of singing and bringing up a young family could not co-exist and Melissa gave up her passion to be there for her kids. Her dreams of stardom were reignited when Alex was successful in getting through to the X Factor finals and was ultimately crowned the winner of the show. Behind the scenes, however, Melissa was dealing with the devastating news that her kidneys were failing. When Alex was on the verge of entering X Factor bootcamp, Melissa collapsed and was rushed to hospital; she then received the devasting news that she would need regular dialysis to stay alive. This is the fascinating and poignant story of a mother who has battled against the odds to give her children the best life possible and afford them the opportunities that she herself had to sacrifice. As Melissa waits to hear if she will be successful in her quest for a kidney donor, she strives to keep her independence, stay strong for her children and help those with similar problems. She is a shining example of a woman for whom giving up is simply not an option.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 梅丽莎贝尔是X因素冠军亚历山大伯克的母亲。但是她本身的故事甚至比她女儿的故事更要非凡而且真实的启迪人。从4岁起，梅丽莎的生活就充满了音乐：她会弹钢琴，唱个不停，甚至边唱边跑上跑下站在房子的窗前，大声向路人叫唤祈求他们停下来听她唱歌。
当梅丽莎看到14岁的丽娜扎瓦罗尼有机会表演，她才明白她的梦想就是要成为一名歌手。当她在哈克尼王国一场秀上被关注时，她的音乐世界打开了。她成为爵士B灵魂II组的歌手，她的巨大天赋直接引导了她生活的改变，诸如在福瑞迪梅酷睿演唱会上表演，与惠特尼休斯顿合唱，和斯蒂文旺得同台演出以及跟他一天上教堂。
但是梅丽莎在音乐中得到的快乐并没有在个人生活中得到。当她发现丈夫不忠，她和儿时恋人大卫伯克的婚姻宣布告终。离开独自抚养4个小孩，日子变得艰难。当亚历克斯还小，梅丽莎回忆他们怎样在沙发下商讨如何拿沙发去换牛奶和面包。
唱歌和抚养家庭不能共存。梅丽莎从此放弃了她对唱歌的热情，好好照顾她的小孩。当亚历克斯成功的通过X因素，最终冠以冠军的称号，梅丽莎的演员梦又有望了。
然而，在台下梅丽莎被告知她的肾脏不行了，噩耗。当亚历克斯就要进入X因素训练营时，梅丽莎崩溃了，被急送进医院，然后她得知她需要定期接受透析才能活下去。
这是一部引人入胜深刻的故事，故事关于一个母亲尽可能的给她的孩子最好的生活以及给他们提供契机。当梅丽莎等着听医生讲她能否成功接受肾脏捐赠，为了她的孩子，她努力保持独立，保持坚强，同时还帮助那些遭遇同样境况的人。她是那些轻言放弃的妇女闪亮的榜样。(XJJ)

Awards/获奖情况：

About the Author/作者介绍： 梅丽莎·贝尔1964年出生在伦敦北部，她的父母是牙买加移民。不可思议的是，她天生有一副当歌手的好嗓子。遭丈夫遗弃后，她独自奋力养大4个孩子，同时还与肾衰做斗争。从她的病床上，她看到了自己一生的辛苦工作及她的梦想实现，当她的小女儿亚历山德拉，赢了X因素，一夜成名。

Melissa Bell was born in North London in 1964 to struggling Jamaican immigrant parents. Blessed with an incredible, soulful voice she achieved cult status as a singer. Deserted by her husband, she fought to bring up her four children on her own while battling with kidney failure. From her hospital bed, she saw a lifetime of hard work and dreams pay off when her youngest daughter, Alexandra, won X Factor and became a star overnight.

Format:HARDCOVER

Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE

Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE

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