"To Selena, With Love"

As mentioned last week, Chris Perez, Selena's husband, had released not necessarily a tell all book, more of "His" side of the story that has compelled many of us Selena fans around the nation!

Being that I work quite a bit these days, I wasn't able to follow the press surrounding the book, like the interviews Chris had given on both Spanish and English Televison, although thank goodness for the power of YouTube! I was able to catch up and follow the interviews, stats and reactions to the book.

First, let me give you my review:

Again, as a Selena fan for years, ever since I first saw her on The Johnny Canales show back in 1991, I was intrigued and loved Selena Y Los Dinos...they were fresh and had catchy Spanish music, thanks to my Mom, aka, Mommy Dearest, I grew up listening to it as much as she did.

When Selena passed away in 1995, it was almost as if that great large percentage of Spanish music literally went away along with her. Sure we had Gloria Estefan, Jon Secada, Paulina Rubio and countless others, yet, to this day, there was no one like Selena! She possessed humbleness, sexuality, and confidence onstage and off, and the importance of being that role model you just looked up to, whether you were a male or female. We ALL knew who Selena was, that is, Selena the Entertainer and person on camera. 

"To Selena, With Love" gives more than a glimpse into the entertainment life of Selena, it gives a detailed and TRUE encounter of the young girl and woman behind the Entertainer that right before her untimely passing, drew a crowd of more than 65,000 fans in the Houston Astrodome in Houston, TX. Chris Perez, her husband and lead guitarist of her band Los Dinos transports the reader into the year he had first heard of Selena Y Los Dinos, admitting that he loved the music, and rarely paid attention to Selena, unlike many other men at the time.  Like most of our relationships in our lives start, Selena and Chris become friends and grow from one another as musicians and as people, it was only a matter of time before they were to develop feelings for eachother, being as Chris puts it, they were the youngest members of the group.

His details in the book include him and Selena hiding their relationship for a while from the other band members, including her Father/Manager Abraham. The day Selena didn't show up for a scheduled performance to make the decision to marry Chris due to their increasing love for eachother. At one point Selena had even rode a motorcycle!! That was a funny yet scary story!! Also, a time even when her fame grew more and more popular, how she couldn't catch a break between running her boutiques, her music career and her home life. The balance at times was unstable and at one point, Selena and Chris even thought about taking some time apart, the pressures of life can even get to the BIGGEST of entertainers.

 So many more details are revealed to name them all, although one in particular caught my eye as I was reading the book, and it was the days leading up to the fateful day of March 31st, 1995. Selena had been recording her English album, running her 2 boutiques/salons and getting ready to open a third in Mexico, accomplishing her performing dates with her band and was in negotiations for a perfume line. All the while she was only 23 years of age. If that wasn't enough, she was dealing with the double crossing of one of her best friends and confidant that had been there for her for years.  

Chris reveals incidents where Selena was trusting enough that it never crossed her mind that anyone would cause her physical harm. He describes that day of March 31st, 1995 as the very last day he saw  and spoke to Selena in the early morning, and she had called him at least a half hour prior to the fateful incident happening. In the end, we ALL know what happens, and it had me in tears reliving those memories when I had heard that she had passed away when I was 11 years of age. If I felt that way, I can't imagine how Chris feels to this day, especially with his memory being so vivid still.

I read the book in 3 days, I was trying to make every page count and absorb Chris' story as best as I could, and for those 3 days, I was falling asleep around 2-3 am reading. Days after I finished the book, I couldn't shake the thought and feeling of how abrupt Selena and Chris' love was just over in a matter of seconds. It literally bugged me how LIFE can be at times! They fought so hard to fall and stay in love, yet it almost seems that we ask ourselves.."For What?"...well, Chris reveals how he grew from his experience, how with the motivation from his friends and family he was able to move on, although, it came at a cost for him. 

I give this book a 5 star rating, it was very well written and had great detail from a very close point of view, a source that was TRUE, HONEST, and FORTHCOMING. Chris, THANK YOU for this token of LOVE, the LOVE that you still feel for Selena and us her fans. May GOD bless you and your family and know you will ALWAYS have Busy Little Queen's support 100%! The media has also been in full support of Chris and admire him for releasing these intimate moments that are so dear to him. The reviews on the book are positive from fans all over the spectrum!  

Way to go Chris!

 In 2005, I myself was blessed to have had my entertainment hairtstyling career started by Suzette and Abraham of The Quintanilla family, I was given a chance and I took it. I will never forget the HONESTY and LOVE Suzette has shown me for my craft and her appealing eye for perfection. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and I thank them for a lot, for now I've been able to move on even further in my career and I've met some amazing friends along the way.
Even though I never got to meet Selena herself,
I'm now able to put the puzzle pieces together : )

Selena VIVE!