Rita Marley puts her feelings, her story and her life down on paper. Told in chronological order, this touching autobiography offers a fresh look at the troubled relationships between Bob Marley, Rita and the Wailers, even if it brings no new information.
This 240-page autobiography is not only a chance to revisit the story of the Wailers, of the Soulettes, or of the 1976 attack. Above all it is the point of view of a woman who was always at Bob Marley's side, going so far as to efface herself more than any wife would ever have accepted. From the very first pages, Rita presents herself as a strong, independent woman who wants to become somebody. But we also take the measure of the weight of her burden: being Mrs Marley.
A highly controversial figure since her husband's death, Rita Marley takes the opportunity here to answer the many criticisms levelled at her. Without falling into the trap of "settling scores" with her detractors, the author tells her version of events in a deliberately naive and innocent style. Though she never says "I would like to reply to so-and-so on this subject", the author manages to counter her critics, notably by dwelling on the swindles of Lee Perry and Danny Sims, or on the proven hostility of Peter and Bunny in the wake of Bob's death. Accused at times of forging a will or squandering the Marley inheritance, she raises the problems linked to the estate very early on, justifying herself more than necessary over the Bob Marley Foundation's spending, striving to prove her innocence. She does not mince her words, and even holds the Twelve Tribes organisation responsible (to a certain extent) for Bob's death.
An autobiography rather than a mea culpa
Without ever admitting the slightest mistake along the way, Rita prefers to explain her life choices, taking care never to go too far in criticising her husband. Phrases such as "the frustrations and the insults that Bob put me through were killing me slowly" must in no case be taken out of context, and prove justified in view of the marital relations between Bob and Rita. Over the pages we also catch sight of a few of Bob's conquests (Esther Anderson, Diane Jobson, Cindy Breakspeare…). Some will be hated, others will become friends of Rita. If we note that Bob and his wife only rarely shared the same bedroom, we nonetheless understand the strength of the bond that united them. Bob is constantly described as an exemplary father, forgetting his couple and his health but never his family. We will also notice that the author likes to recall her unshakeable faith in Jah. Another way of making herself beyond reproach?
Written in a simple style, the French translation (and its many typos) unfortunately contribute to making the reading a little tiresome. One would have liked Rita Marley to go further in questioning herself, but this book is an autobiography before it is a mea culpa. A story that seems sincere, an interesting angle, the story of a woman who describes herself as simple and passionate, today at the head of a veritable Empire.
