I kindled this book after seeing Ruth, the deep-voiced Pointer Sister, on Wendy Williams. The book instantly had me hooked with its wild, riveting tales of drinking and drugging.

All of this carrying-on was a surprise to me, because I’ve always thought of the Pointer Sisters, who are daughters of a pastor, as a tame pop act.

Ruth’s story is one of redemption as she cleans up and finds her way back to God. But the book also details the downfall of the stunning, gap-toothed baby sister, June.

June struggled with sexual abuse, drugs and mental illness since she was a teen, and she spent her final years in a house gutted of the accoutrements of her world-class success, surround by sycophants and armed members of the Crips. The parallel stories of Ruth and June depict life as a game of chance marked by tragedy and grace.

But the book is in no way a total downer. One of the funniest anecdotes concerns the Pointer Sisters’ Car Wash co-star Richard Pryor. Once, the Pointer Sisters opened for him at a concert in New Jersey. When Richard took the stage, he said: “How about those fabulous Pointer Sisters? Those girls can sing, can’t they? But they just won’t give me no pussy!”