Book Review-----LIFE IS A BALL: MY FRIENDSHIP WITH LUCILLE BALL by Michael Z Stern

I have read several unauthorized Biographies about America's favorite Redhead, Lucille Ball.  I have also read Lucy's autobiography that was published after her death.  But my favorite book about Lucy is I LOVED LUCY: MY FRIENDSHIP WITH LUCILLE BALL by Lee Tannen.  It gives great insight on Lucy in her later years thru the eyes of one of her male companions.  This new book called I HAD A BALL: MY FRIENDSHIP WITH LUCILLE BALL by Michael Z Stern isn't as fascinating as the Lee Tannen book, probably because the Tannen story was the first published, but it is a wonderful recollection from a man who first met Lucy when he was a teenager and remained her friend until her passing.  Reading the book, there were a few times when I was grateful that Stern did his pursuit of Lucy in the mid 70's, because in 2012 he would be considered a Stalker and probably put behind bars.  He was relentless in his love for Lucy and went out of his way to make sure that she knew it.  This was a time when movie stars lived in California in homes that you could walk up to the front door and ring the bell.  No iron gates, no security guards.  Stern became friends with Lucy by attending tapings of her final CBS Show, HERE'S LUCY.  Eventually getting chummy with Lucy's mother, DeeDee introduced Michael to his idol and the rest is history.  Lucy and her family considered Michael to truly be her "#1 Fan" and allowed him to attend any and all Events honoring Lucy.  Michael also became very close to Lucie Arnaz and is still close friends with her to this day.  The main difference between the Tannen book and the Stern book is that Lee Tannen truly became a confidante to Lucy.  They were inseparable and Lucy considered Lee to be one of her closest friends.  The relationship between Lucy and Michael Stern is one of respect and flattery, but I never got the sense that Lucy truly let Stern into her inner circle the way she did with Lee.  Both books are must reads for any Lucy fans as they both give insight into a great Star's later years.  What I came away with from both books, especially Stern's, is that Lucy knew how to make her fans happy and went out of her way to make sure that they always knew that they were important to her.  She was absolutely one of a kind.