Cliff Jahr

Detour is the shocking and sad autobiography of Stephen Crane and Lana Turner's only child, Cheryl. Told from her own perspective, starting when she was old enough to recall snippets of her odd childhood, Cheryl candidly speaks of a nightmarish upbringing filled with nannies, step-fathers, an absentee Hollywood Star mother, and abuse at the hands of all of them. Back in the 1930s and 1940s, when the studios recruited and cultivated teenagers with "Star" appeal, the unforgettable faces we all love on the big screen were, in reality, narcissistic, spoiled monsters with no moral compasses. When they had children, it was often a disaster for the kids. Cheryl's story is horrifying in every respect, and it's a miracle she lived through it. Filled with her encounters along the way with other star-babies, Cheryl relives her rape at age ten by Lex Baxter—an actor that played Tarzan—the accidental murder of Johnny Stompanato—a small-time gangster—who was dating her mother, and her court-controlled incarceration for years until she was eighteen. Interesting and well-documented, this is a story that will curl your toes.… (meer)

Cheryl Crane, the only child of actress, Lana Turner, grew up without her parents really taking a true interest in her for their own careers always came first. If they could pawn her off to some private school or to some nanny or relative, they were satisfied. Crane became infamous for killing her Mother's lover, Johnny Stampanato. Because she was protecting her Mother from an assault, she was found not guilty of murder but because of her parents' poor parenting practices, she was put under the protection of the courts. A misspent youth included drugs, runaways, and detention kept her name in the press. Only after realizing she was gay and finding an understanding life partner did her life turn around. This autobiography leaves one wondering how much of this story is true and how much is self serving. The gossip about the many celebrates she knew growing up is fun to read. She went to school with several actors' children including Christine Crawford another Hollywood child who suffered crude parenting practices and wrote her own book about it.… (meer)