Mariah Carey's career has been one of ups and downs. She soared when songs like "Hero" and "Vision of Love" went to number one on the Billboard charts. She got knocked down when the "Glitter" soundtrack and film were seen as a failure. She picked herself back up when she released "The Emancipation of Mimi" and her song "We Belong Together" sent her back to number one.

While her career has been a rollercoaster ride (whose career isn't?), her success has certainly outweighed the flops. The assumption often made about Carey, especially in her early years, is that her story is one of a fairytale.

In her new memoir, "The Meaning of Mariah Carey," out now, she makes it clear that this is not the case.

Carey has often hinted at having a less-than-desirable childhood. Although, the specifics haven't been clear. Often times, Carey would speak vaguely about her upbringing in interviews. With this book, however, the reader is made aware of the source of Carey's pain.

The dysfunction in Carey's household is made loud and clear to the readers. "When my brother was around," she writes, "it was not uncommon for holes to be punched in walls." Carey's use of a weather metaphor to describe how she could sense when the violence was coming helps the reader understand her feelings as a little girl.

Carey's co-author is Michaela Angela Davis, former editor of Essence magazine. It is unclear exactly what Davis' contributions to the book were, but the writing is superb. Its use of metaphors and its descriptiveness results in an impressive ability to keep the reader's attention. Whatever the source, the way Carey's story is told is nothing less than an accomplishment.

There's a moment in the book when Carey writes about being in the car with Tommy Mottola, driving from Manhattan back to their home in Bedford, NY. She writes that as they got further away from the city, the connection to Hot 97 (an NYC hip-hop and R&B radio station) would fade out, and Mottola would then put his music on. It's a brilliant way to illustrate the differences between them and how the life she lived in her first marriage was anything but who she was.

Carey goes into detail about a lot of traumatic events in her life, both as a child and an adult. The chapter regarding her sister is particularly heartbreaking. Carey tells several stories of incidents with her sister, including a time when she threw a boiling hot cup of tea on her, resulting in third-degree burns. Carey also alleges her sister offered her cocaine, drugged her with Valium, and tried to sell her out to a pimp. All of this occurred when Carey was 12 years old.

The pimp was her sister's boyfriend, who forced Carey to kiss him when he was alone with her. Carey explains her sister's downfall is why she often refers to herself as a "prude" and why she continues to say she's "eternally 12." It becomes clear this is not a woman who is afraid of aging. This isn't coming from a place of vanity, this is coming from a woman who is still coping with trauma.

Carey also discusses her mixed-race heritage and how this aspect of her identity made her the victim of severe bullying. She writes about one incident where white girls from her class invited her to a sleepover in the Hamptons, only to corner her in a room and call her the N-word.

These stories, while troubling, will no doubt serve as an inspiration to other mixed-race teenagers going through the same thing. It will also serve as an inspiration to other young people who are bullied for any number of identity issues. In this way, Carey's story is one so many can get something from. You don't have to be a fan (or lamb, as Carey calls them) to enjoy this book. This is more than just a story about a famous singer. This is a story about being mixed race, familial dysfunction, abusive relationships, and so much more.

The stories aren't always harrowing, however. Carey talks at length about her parents, who divorced when she was three.
She tells one particularly amusing story about when she was at her father's house, awaiting dinner. Before she could begin eating, her grandmother sprinkled grated cheese on top of her food. Carey wrote that she ran off, upset that her grandmother "foiled" her meal.

It's important to note that Carey mainly lived with her mother, who was poor, neglectful, and didn't often feed her. This more than makes Carey's sensitivity understandable.

As an Italian myself, however, I think perhaps she should've tried it. It's actually pretty good.

Carey's writing of this book seems to be a way of breaking down a façade she has often put on for the public. In writing about her mother, she makes it clear they weren't "best friends" like she always claimed.

Carey does give her mother credit for encouraging her singing and creative pursuits. However, she also details moments when her mother was rude to her, didn't pay attention to her, and left her alone. Carey writes that she was left home alone "most of the time" as a child.

Carey also details how her mother called the cops on her during an argument, leading her to be taken away in the backseat of a police car in 2001. This wasn't the story Carey told in interviews the following year. She previously claimed her mother called 911 out of fear when she saw Carey pass out.

In prior interviews, Carey painted her mother as a concerned parent, a woman whose home was a place of refuge, away from the business. However, this is also not the case. Prior to the incident at her mother's house, both Carey's mother and brother arrived at a hotel along with her entourage, begging her to shoot a music video.

It's unclear why Carey told a fictitious version of events in interviews at the time. Perhaps, she wanted to take attention away from the so-called "breakdown" and move on with her career. Maybe she felt that if she revealed what actually happened, she would only fuel the flames. Perhaps she was still protecting the toxic people in her life.

Whatever the reason, we may never know, as Carey doesn't explain why in the book. She also doesn't mention her bipolar diagnosis, which she received during this time. Among other things left out of the memoir is her brief engagement with James Packer and her former manager, Stella Bulochnikov.

Carey does mention her infamous New Year's Eve performance in 2017, noting that "all debacles are not created equal." Maybe she felt those moments and people weren't important to include. Regardless, it is one minor flaw the memoir suffers from.

What Carey does excel at, is detailing the marriage to Tommy Mottola, former head of Sony Music. For years, her descriptions of said marriage have often been vague, without even mentioning Mottola's name. There still seemed to be a fear associated with him and the power he had in the industry.

In this book, however, it certainly sounds like Carey is conquering those fears. Not only does she mention his name, but she gives readers an idea of what her life was like. Carey details how security cameras were set up all over the house and how security guards (who were employed by Mottola) had to accompany her wherever she went. The only place she wasn't being watched, she says, was her bathroom.

Carey writes that the security would report back to Mottola and he would become enraged if she "misbehaved." His anger and outbursts were also detailed in the book, including a humorous moment when he exclaimed, "Thanksgiving is canceled!" Carey also recounts a moment when Mottolla held a butter knife to her face at dinner, in front of guests.

Carey also talks about when Mottola and his "spies" (as she calls them) found out she would be sampling "Firecracker" by Yellow Magic Orchestra in her song "Loverboy" from the "Glitter" soundtrack. The sample was used on the Jennifer Lopez song, "I'm Real," which came out before Carey's song. Lopes was signed to Epic Records, a division of Sony.

Carey doesn't refer to Lopez by name, instead referring to her as "another female entertainer on Sony (whom I don't know)." Perhaps this is to not place blame on Lopez, since she may not have known about Mottola's motives.

Regardless, the fact that Carey has exposed the kind of shady behavior that allegedly goes on in the music business in her memoir, is remarkable. The fact that she can write about this and release it into the world should make everyone extremely proud of her. This is an example of someone reclaiming power from those who abuse it.

Despite all this, Carey's book isn't your typical "celebrity tell-all." Carey seems much more interested in telling her own story than littering her memoir with juicy gossip that will get people talking. And thank God for it. She does describe one moment at Diva's Live, when she claims Celine Dion tried to out sing Aretha Franklin. But, like with Jennifer Lopez, she doesn't name her. Perhaps Carey thinks that gives her a pass? Regardless, Carey doesn't come across as mean spirited in the chapter, writing, "we love everybody."

If anything, Carey writes very complimentary about several male public figures such as Prince, Stevie Wonder, Nelson Mandela, and Karl Lagerfeld in a chapter titled, "A Little Bit About a Few Good Men." In the "Divas" chapter, Carey writes about her experiences with fellow divas Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, and Diana Ross. She also writes about her idol, Marylin Monroe, whom she references several times throughout the book.

Another way Carey reclaims her power is by exposing how her family has tried to get money from her. Some of these incidents have been obvious, like when her siblings have gone to the tabloids over the years. However, some of them, have remained unknown until now.

Carey writes about one troubling incident when her brother called her to their mother's house after she signed her first record deal. Carey's mother was married at the time and her brother asked Carey for $5,000 to "fuck him up."

Carey obviously refused and was understandably shaken, especially since her mother was just sitting there, going along with it. It makes Carey look like a literal saint when she later buys her mother a house and continues to take care of her, despite all of this.

Readers also get a good view of Carey's relationship with her late father, whose discipline and order was a stark contrast to her mother's "bohemian" lifestyle. He's portrayed as someone who never asked her for money, so it's unclear why he wasn't someone Carey could turn to during those troubling times in 2001. This is another area it would have been nice to see Carey explore further in the book.

Other goodies are anecdotes about her family history and creative collaborations over the years. She discusses why she and Ben Margulies didn't work together after her debut and mentions the late, great David Cole. There's even a mention of David Morales and their incredible house remixes. She also mentions her friends Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat, and Trey Lorenz, who have all had a significant presence in her music.

She doesn't, however, delve deep into her partnership with Walter Afanasieff or the reason they stopped working together. Afanasieff was Carey's writing partner for most of her albums in the nineties, including "Emotions," "Music Box," "Daydream," and "Butterfly." He's given a mere mention without much else.

It would have been nice if Carey went into more detail regarding her creative process. She does discuss her process writing songs like "Close My Eyes," "My All," and "The Roof." However, she mostly glosses over the details, instead, she incorporates her lyrics into her life story, when appropriate. This isn't a bad thing, as it signifies the personal nature of Carey's work. Her lambs would have benefited, however, if the memoir had more of a balance between the personal and professional.

All in all, however, Carey's memoir is a clear look at someone who succeeded in life, even though many forces could've pushed her in the opposite direction. One pivotal moment in the book comes when describing trips she would take with her family into Manhattan. She writes about riding home in the car while looking at the city skyline, hoping she would have a Manhattan apartment with that view. Cut to 2020, and Mariah does have that view from her very own Manhattan penthouse.

This is a story that should serve as an inspiration to anyone who reads it. Mariah Carey not only had the talent but worked very hard to get where she is today. Hers is a story of trauma, power play, familial dysfunction, and most importantly, faith. Her story is not one of a fairytale. Hers is a story of survival and resilience.