ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER post 2

In the first chapter I read this week, Natalie Cole first describes her various Christmases, and then her different performances with her dad when she was eleven. Every year they had a Jewish dinner, and a big Christmas party. She describes a picture where “I’m standing between my father and Louis Armstrong with Ella Fitzgerald seated in the background. The look on my face is entirely so-what” (47). From this statement, one can assume that she didn’t know how lucky she was to grow up with famous people in her life. But, as usual, there’s always a down side to having a famous father. “…everyone knew who my father was, and I often felt as though I was just some representative of his, an extension of him. In the back of my mind, I always felt as though I never knew who my friends were, who my real friends were. I didn’t know whether they liked me for me, or because of who my dad was” (54). From this quote, one can assume that she wanted to find an identity, someone other than “the daughter of Nat King Cole”. She first tried drugs because she wanted to fit in at school. She wanted to be like her friends. I find this sad because if she just realized that drugs weren’t for her, then she wouldn’t have Hepatitis C.
The next chapter I read Cole discussed her father’s death. He was a chain smoker, and died of lung cancer. She was sent to Northfield School for Girls for her high school education. That was the last time she saw her father healthy. When she went home, she almost didn’t recognize him. “I was torn between wanting to run back to school because it was so painful for me to be home, and not wanting to leave at all… Nobody told me he was dying” (61). I think it’s sad that nobody could say that Nat King Cole was dying. Natalie Cole knew he was, but when she was at school she got optimistic letters telling her how well he was doing. I feel that nobody wanted to face the finality of it. He died when she was fifteen years old. “…but I haven’t been back to the grave. I haven’t had any desire to visit that part of my life again… But the face that I never got to say goodbye, never got to tell him one last time how much I loved him, ate at me for years to come” (66). Although, I don’t know what it’s like to lose my dad, I can still sympathize with Cole. My grandma died when I was ten. I hadn’t visited her in two years, and I didn’t go to the funeral. I knew she was going to die, just like Cole did, but I still miss her. When I did go back and visit my grandpa, it felt weird not seeing her there.

Angel on my Shoulder post 1

For this quarter I chose to do Angel on my Shoulder by Natalie Cole. In her book she describes her struggles of drug use in her life. In the introduction of the story she briefly talks about all the ways she thought she was going to die “DAUGHTER OF NAT KING COLE DIES IN VEGAS HILTON INFERNO” (1). “DAUGHTER OF NAT KING COLE, HIGH N LSD, LEAPS FROM 20^TH FLOOR DORM WINDOW… DAUGHTER OF NAT KING COLE ODS ON HEROIN IN TENEMENT DRUG DEN BATHROOM” (2). She believes that every time she should have died, God saved her. I’m sure all the near death experiences would be traumatizing. One particular time proved that an angel was on her side. Cole was in a hotel in Vegas with her body guard Nate. There was a bad fire in the hotel, and they were trapped inside her room. She was about to get light a pipe and get high. She prays, “Now lord if you let me take a hit off this pipe, then that means I’m finished. I’m going to get high, and then I’m going to die…You’re either going to save me, or I’m going to get so high I’m not even going to feel the flames” (8). At that moment, firemen burst in and rescued them. Nate and Cole were rushed to the hospital. Nate had suffered from smoke inhalation and died a few years later. I think this is very sad. Her cousin that also was in the hotel suffered and died from respiratory problems. If this happened to me, I would feel guilty that people who worked with me and related to me died when I did not.

In the next two chapters, Cole describes her childhood. As she was growing up, she was a tomboy and spoiled. The reason why she was a tomboy, though, was very understandable. He wasn’t home very often because singing took up most of his time. When he was home, he just wanted to be a father to his kids. Natalie Cole wanted to be closer to her father, so she liked whatever he liked. Also, hr father wanted a boy really badly, and she filled that position until they adopted a son. One particular story she told, I could relate to. She talked about how one summer, her parents sent her and her sister, Cookie (or Carole) to a camp on Big Bass Lake in Michigan. She begged, “Please come get me! I can’t take this! Please, I want to come home” (35). Her parents told her to stay there for a few more weeks. Of course by the end, Cole didn’t want to leave. I have many experiences when I’m forced to try something, and I end up liking it. When Cole was nine, she traveled to London with Cookie, and her father. They toured Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. Cole describes, “…I could have stayed there all day. I just reveled in all the creepy stuff cause of my love of horror movies. Of course, my favorite part was the torture chamber” (42-43). I find it creepy that a nine year old would like the torture chamber in a wax museum.