Zurealsoon said:
The book was a very good "read"-even better than the movie.
Interesting is Christina's claim that Joan wanted Twins, so her Doctor(who arranged all the adoptions, just found two baby girls of similar age and claimed they were "twins".
This is an excerpt from the website that I posted above:
"In May of 2004, I had the opportunity to meet Casey LaLonde, who is the grandson of Joan Crawford, who was visiting Hollywood, and stumbled on my tour bus. He was a very friendly man, and interested in clearing up any discrepancies regarding his grandmother. He made himself available for questions, and had been generous with his responses. The following comes directly from Casey:
I will not speak on how Joan "acquired" Christina and Christopher, but my mother (Cathy) and (Cindy) were legally adopted in Tennessee. Through research, my mother and Aunt Cindy actually found their birth parents in Tennessee. We first visited the birth family in 1989. They were in fact fraternal twins, and their mother died several days after giving birth. We met their birth father in 1989 and he passed away in the mid-1990's. Christina has made many claims against these facts and she is wrong. I will forward you some information on this topic.
As for Uncle Christopher, I can't even recall the last time I saw him in person. I am thirty two, so I must have been five or so. My most embarrassing experience concerning Christopher was in 1987 (high school), when his family appeared on a talk show, making a public plea to their father to contact them. Christopher had abandoned the family. As for Christopher, from what I understand, he has always had some type of dependency problem. His family mentioned it during their television appearance. I did some research a few years ago, and found a New York Times article stating that authorities had labeled Christopher a "delinquent" after shooting out some street lights on Long Island in 1958.
I had not seen my Aunt Christina since about the same time. My mother (Cathy) refused to have any contact with her following the publication of Mommie Dearest. I do not blame my mother. The book is filled with Christina's lies and mangled childhood perceptions. My mother had such wonderful memories of Joan that she couldn't reconcile Christina's hate.
I do not know precisely what I would do if I encountered Christina. She single handedly ruined my grandmother's reputation. Joan's successful transition from silent to sound movies, many decades of reinventing herself for new audiences, and winning an Oscar for Mildred Pierce were all scuttled for a time because of a child's faulty memories.
Here are two links regarding the "adoption" issue.
Let me be honest with you. Due to the destruction Aunt Christina did to my grandmother's reputation, I have been hiding my connection to her for years. Only close friends and family know my grandmother's identity.
Casey was in town visiting his Aunt Betty, who was Joan's personal assistant for decades. I asked if Betty was the inspiration for the Carol Ann character in Mommie Dearest
I asked Betty many questions about herself including how she came to work for my grandmother. Betty stated that she worked as one of five personal secretaries to Howard Hughes at RKO for several years. However, Hughes wanted to move to Vegas, so Betty and one other secretary stayed behind in Hollywood. She then went to work for Joan in 1955 and was her personal secretary until Joan's death in 1977.
As for the Carol Ann character in Mommie Dearest, I suggest it is a stand-in for Aunt Betty. The filmmakers were good about eliminating real people from the film who wanted nothing to do with the project. I suspect the producers were afraid of libel suits from those still living. Due to complete frustration with my Aunt Christina, I have never taken the time to read Mommie Dearest. I doubt I will ever find the time. My visit with Betty Barker this May helped me become proud again of grandmother's contributions and star power she brought to Hollywood. There has been so much negativity over the years, that it is time for a new era of appreciation for Joan Crawford.
As we lived north of Allentown, PA since 1972, visiting NYC was a snap and we did it often. Occasionally, my mom and dad would go out to lunch or dinner and Joan would baby-sit me and my sister. She would never leave her apartment, especially near the end of her life. As you can imagine, my grandmother didn't like "grandma" or "grammy" or even "grandmother." She preferred to be called JoJo. So that's what we called her until she passed away.
My biggest regret in my life is not knowing her more. I was too young to fully realize her greatness as a star and the contributions she made to Hollywood. At my young age, she was just JoJo, my grandmother.
What do you remember of her New York home?
I was five when she passed away, but I vividly remember her apartment. I recall climbing up onto the window ledges (sealed windows, of course) and looking down on the city. Cool as you can imagine! I remember her famous plastic slip covered furniture too.
Betty confirmed that she died from cancer. She wouldn't elaborate, except to say she was sick for a long time and did not seek medical help. She was a Christian Scientist, and I believe she just accepted her own mortality.
Thank you Casey.
Everyone knows that Joan cut Christina and Christopher out of her will, "For reasons which are well known to them." According to Casey and others, Joan knew about the tell all book Christina was writing, and that would be the "reasons." They contested the will, and got a settlement for $55,000. Christina penned the book, Mommie Dearest, in 1978. It was eventually made into a film starring Faye Dunaway, who deserved an Oscar for the performance of her life. Joans other adopted children came out publicly and said that Christina was full of ****. I wonder if she was. Still, what a great story. I remember when Christina was doing the talk show circuit back then. Some woman in the audience stood up and said (basically), "Ive been a fan of Joan Crawfords for years, and I do not believe her being capable of such evil things, blah blah blah blah." Christinas reply was, "Lady, I was there." I love it. Christinas brother Christopher says of his sister, "Tina cared about that *****. She still does."
She comes after us with the "no more wire hangers" bit--so it's all fair. 
