# High on Arrival (Mackenzie Phillips)



## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

(Could not get the Kindle link)

I just finished this and it was one of the best reads I've had in a long time. We all know the allegation she made, but this book is so much more than that -- and all the rest of it makes the allegation seem all-the-more plausible. It was a fascinating read. Highly -- er, no pun intended -- recommended.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Here is the link to the Kindle edition:


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Thanks, intinst. About 30% of the time I can't get the Kindle link -- what am I doing wrong?


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I saw the interview with her on Oprah yesterday.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

MichelleR said:


> Thanks, intinst. About 30% of the time I can't get the Kindle link -- what am I doing wrong?


Did you try link maker 1, the original?


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Nope. I always need the newest and the latest.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

MichelleR said:


> Nope. I always need the newest and the latest.


Unfortunately, Amazon has changed their site so that link maker 2.0 does not work for ebooks anymore. It still seems to work for other items.The old original link maker 1.0 will get you there, but it takes a couple of more steps.
Here is a link to a video tutorial for 1.0: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,838.0.html


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

mlewis78 said:


> I saw the interview with her on Oprah yesterday.


She also was on The Today Show:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/24/mackenzie-phillips-defend_n_298427.html


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

MichelleR said:


> (Could not get the Kindle link)
> 
> I just finished this and it was one of the best reads I've had in a long time. We all know the allegation she made, but this book is so much more than that -- and all the rest of it makes the allegation seem all-the-more plausible. It was a fascinating read. Highly -- er, no pun intended -- recommended.


I heard it is a good book. I am going to wait till the kindle verison price goes down.


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## Ruby296 (Nov 1, 2008)

mlewis78 said:


> I saw the interview with her on Oprah yesterday.


I watched it also.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

There was some follow up on Oprah on Friday.  Some of her relatives are not pleased with her putting it all out there.


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

mlewis78 said:


> Some of her relatives are not pleased with her putting it all out there.


I really don't get that. It happened to her - it's her story to tell.


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## louiseb (Mar 2, 2009)

4Katie said:


> I really don't get that. It happened to her - it's her story to tell.


I agree 100%


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

mlewis78 said:


> There was some follow up on Oprah on Friday. Some of her relatives are not pleased with her putting it all out there.




Not too spoilery -- mostly talking about the press/reaction surrounding the book and only lightly -- and in vague terms -- discussing what's in the book. Still, want to do a warning to the hyper-vigilant.

Her stepmothers -- Michelle Phillips and Genevieve Waite -- are accusing her of lying. Chynna Phillips, half-sister and daughter of Michelle, is standing behind her and says Mackenzie told her about 12 years ago. Bijou -- half-sister and daughter of Genevieve -- says she was told when she was thirteen and seems to be angry that (while she says nothing happened to her) that she wasn't protected more.

Denny Doherty's daughter -- he was the other "Papa" -- said her father told her about it years ago, and that it caused a strain between the two men.

I think one of the reasons the book is so good is that it provides context. I've seen skepticism on message boards, but I think a lot of that is about hearing snippets from the talk shows and doing the very human thing of making assumptions as to the nature of the relationship. What the book does is explain just how off kilter the relationship was from the time Mackenzie was a small child -- although it wasn't sexual at that point.

Both of the stepmothers have basically stated, while saying they don't believe her, that John Phillips was a bad father. Of note is that neither is rushing to deny the rest of her book, probably because so much of the craziness was on public display. The only part they're denying or asking her to prove is the part it would be hard for anyone to prove -- the stuff that was behind closed doors.

Genevieve Waite was, and again she's not denied any of this, was just as badly involved with drugs as Mackenzie and John, that's clear from the books. Much of the alleged events happened when Mack and John were on tour -- there is a lot of room for her to be oblivious. I think her public disbelief is also CYA, as a mother of another one of his daughters.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I wonder where MacKenzie's biological mother (John's first wife Susan) was during her childhood.  I was surprised that she didn't mention her in interview with Oprah.  She would talk about times when she visited with her father, which had led me to believe that she lived with her mother.

I read many message in Oprah's message boards last night.  Most of them were supportive of Mac.  Some of them chided Oprah for not being more empathetic with Mac on the show.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Although I'm not going to reveal anything major, I can't discuss the mother without discussing the book, so....



Spoiler



Her mother was divorced from her father fairly early on. Mackenzie has an older brother, too. For her preteen years they lived with her mother, and visited their father on the weekends. During the week there were rules and structure and during the weekend it was the exact opposite. Like most kids, they came to prefer the no rules time with their father. The mother married a man who was abusive. First the brother and then Mackenzie went to live with their dad -- both to escape the rules and to escape their stepfather.

Mackenzie's decision to move in with her father hurt her mother. Her mother also started drinking at about this point. I think they grew apart. Mackenzie did discuss the sexual situation with her, and she seemed to be supportive. At this time, her mother is in assisted living and -- reading between the lines -- probably not in the condition to discuss these issues.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Thanks for posting, Michelle.

One of the things that I found disturbing in the interview was that her father told her that she could get away with things that regular people couldn't and that she didn't need to follow the rules.  I can't imagine being brought up this way.


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

mlewis78 said:


> I wonder where MacKenzie's biological mother (John's first wife Susan) was during her childhood. I was surprised that she didn't mention her in interview with Oprah. She would talk about times when she visited with her father, which had led me to believe that she lived with her mother.


Sometimes the mother is right there all along - either oblivious or in denial. Not everyone has June Cleaver for a mother.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

^^ you said a mouthful.  There are some women who do not have the courage, knowledge, whatever, to stand up for their children.  It's sad, but all too often true.
deb


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

4Katie said:


> Sometimes the mother is right there all along - either oblivious or in denial. Not everyone has June Cleaver for a mother.


In the spoiler tag above I explain where she was, but you're right that the woman is often present -- sometimes as a participant, often with her head turned the other way.


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

MichelleR said:


> In the spoiler tag above I explain where she was, but you're right that the woman is often present -- sometimes as a participant, often with her head turned the other way.


Indeed.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Trish Kinney article in Huff Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/trish-kinney/oprah-mackenzie-and-the-f_b_301650.html


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## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

I read the book, and agree with the OP that it was good. I'm not going to get into any of the media scandal or interviews. I haven't watched any of them. I did see the Oprah commercial that came on while I was watching something else and as per usual for talk shows they play up the sex without the full context. Not that I condone what happened between her and her father at all. Just saying the her story is in print if anyone wants to read it. I must say that she appears to really have a good grasp of her past, and is mature about taking ownership of her own mistakes. The sex gets all the press but the book isn't really about that, it's only a small part.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Well said, Rasputina. I don't even think you can fully understand the sex anyhow, unless you know the rest of it.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

That reminds me of the publicity surrounding Elizabeth Edwards' book being all about her husband's infidelity.  I read the book and very little of her book was about that!


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## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

MichelleR said:


> Well said, Rasputina. I don't even think you can fully understand the sex anyhow, unless you know the rest of it.


Even having read the book, and she does make it clear the context in how it came to pass I still can't wrap my head around it really. And I'm just going to leave it at that because I don't want to open this discussion up into the realm of how it can and does. I'm just saying that I don't think that anyone would be able to make it make sense to me, even at the same time I understand that she was able to make a sort of sense of it. I understand her take on it and accept her explanation. At the same time a part of me still doesn't understand how such a thing is possible. Because it's so outside my realm of understanding. Probably because I'm not an addict. I don't know.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

What I mean is that so much of the coverage makes it seem like it was this choice on her part, that it was this romantic relationship, and that she was with him on the plan to move to Fiji. What I think you get from the book is how damaged this whole family is and how John Phillips, intentionally or not, groomed his daughter to be seek his approval and to be in a position to accept things that are for most people unacceptable.


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## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

Yes, I agree with you. 

I can only comment on the Oprah commercial, because I haven't seen any other media coverage nor any of her interviews. On the Oprah commercial, Oprah says how the sex turned "consentual". And Phillips does use that term in the book. But on the commercial there is no context of consentual so you are left with the idea that they had some sort of open, relatively sober romantic relationship like you said above. But that is the antithesis of what is described in the book.


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## Eclectic Reader (Oct 28, 2008)

Yesss!  I've been wanting to read this book since I heard all the buzz.  But I was unwilling to pay the original $14.92, or the cheaper $11.43.  Just checked the price again, and it's down to $9.99.  I downloaded the book, and will start reading it on my lunch hour today.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

Eclectic Reader said:


> Yesss! I've been wanting to read this book since I heard all the buzz. But I was unwilling to pay the original $14.92, or the cheaper $11.43. Just checked the price again, and it's down to $9.99. I downloaded the book, and will start reading it on my lunch hour today.


 I have been waiting for the price to come down too. I will not pay over $9.99 for a e-book.


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## KindleMom (Dec 11, 2008)

mlewis78 said:


> That reminds me of the publicity surrounding Elizabeth Edwards' book being all about her husband's infidelity. I read the book and very little of her book was about that!


I wonder if Elizabeth Edwards is going to write a new book.  So much has changed since her book came out.

I'm strongly refraining from posting my opinion right now. Stop. fingers.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

I don't know that I will read the book. Having said that; I have read a Papa John book from back in the day; and I can say major major drugs, week long binges, blackouts, violence, orgies...you name it. Mac was left to fend for herself for days on end; and most of this went on in front of her. Can you imagine?

*Mac has had to pull herself up by the bootstraps more than anyone should have to.* 
Shame on John and for those who did nothing to protect the child. ****Case in point:* Jaycee Dugard who was abducted and forcibly had two children with the jerk (one when she was only 14) and his *WIFE knew...how wrong is that? *


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

MichelleR said:


> Thanks, intinst. About 30% of the time I can't get the Kindle link -- what am I doing wrong?


Thanks for the info about High on Arrival. I was wondering what the book was like, and I'm having a lot of trouble getting links these days too. It used to work fine for me, but the last 4 or 5 tries over the past month have failed.


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## tnafbrat (Oct 2, 2009)

Thanks for the "reviews".  It's been on my mind to get the book but I wasn't sure it would be anything more than just an expose.  It's now on my download list!


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## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

Have you read the sample? I always get the sample first. I wasn't sure I would want to read this book, but the sample is what sold me.


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## tnafbrat (Oct 2, 2009)

sample is now downloaded     I'm still getting used to that wonderful "sample" heeeeheee


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## Wunderkind (Jan 14, 2009)

I was also waiting for the book price to come down; initially I had no plan at all to read the book but based on the comments I saw here I re-thought that. I bought the book yesterday after I saw it had come down to $9.99 and I am about 80% through. It's not a happy story but it is insightful and interesting. I wish it did a better job of tying events together that happen at or around the same time (there were several instances where two different situations were described on the same page that could not have occurred at the same time -- couldn't be in New York or LA at the same time for example -- but there was no transition to get the person from one place to another) but overall it is interesting.


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## KindleMom (Dec 11, 2008)

Wunderkind said:


> I was also waiting for the book price to come down; initially I had no plan at all to read the book but based on the comments I saw here I re-thought that. I bought the book yesterday after I saw it had come down to $9.99 and I am about 80% through. It's not a happy story but it is insightful and interesting. I wish it did a better job of tying events together that happen at or around the same time (there were several instances where two different situations were described on the same page that could not have occurred at the same time -- couldn't be in New York or LA at the same time for example -- but there was no transition to get the person from one place to another) but overall it is interesting.


The benefits of a great editor vs. a good one. So many people think they are editors when so few are truly great at it.


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

Rasputina said:


> Have you read the sample? I always get the sample first. I wasn't sure I would want to read this book, but the sample is what sold me.


I've never used the sample feature - this might be my first time!


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Wow, you've never used the sample feature.  That's one of my favorite features.  
deb


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I am so far behind in reading samples.


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## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

So did any of you feel a little hung over after reading it? I know I did.


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## tnafbrat (Oct 2, 2009)

drenee said:


> Wow, you've never used the sample feature. That's one of my favorite features.
> deb


It's a good thing they don't limit me on my number of downloaded samples


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