Fantasia Barrino Reveals She's Illiterate - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 10-01-2005, 05:37 PM

NEW YORK - "American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino reveals in her memoirs that she is functionally illiterate and had to fake her way through some scripted portions the televised talent show, which she won in 2004.

"You're illiterate to just about everything. You don't want to misspell," Fantasia told ABC's "20/20." "So that, for me, kept me in a box and I didn't, wouldn't come out."

The 21-year-old R&B singer says she's signed record deals and contracts that she didn't read and couldn't understand. But the hardest part, she said, is not being able to read to Zion, her 4-year-old daughter.

"That hurts really bad," she said, adding that she is now learning to read with tutors.

In her memoir, "Life is Not a Fairy Tale," which she dictated to a freelance writer, Fantasia also said she was raped in the ninth grade by a classmate. She says the boy was disciplined, but she blamed herself for the attack.

She dropped out of high school that year and became an unwed mother at 17

Ireneparalegal · 10-01-2005, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

NEW YORK - "American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino reveals in her memoirs that she is functionally illiterate and had to fake her way through some scripted portions the televised talent show, which she won in 2004.

"You're illiterate to just about everything. You don't want to misspell," Fantasia told ABC's "20/20." "So that, for me, kept me in a box and I didn't, wouldn't come out."

The 21-year-old R&B singer says she's signed record deals and contracts that she didn't read and couldn't understand. But the hardest part, she said, is not being able to read to Zion, her 4-year-old daughter.

"That hurts really bad," she said, adding that she is now learning to read with tutors.

In her memoir, "Life is Not a Fairy Tale," which she dictated to a freelance writer, Fantasia also said she was raped in the ninth grade by a classmate. She says the boy was disciplined, but she blamed herself for the attack.

She dropped out of high school that year and became an unwed mother at 17

She also mentioned on last night's 20/20 and I am sure it was also in her book, she was raped at the age of 13 in her school's auditorium.

EmoJoe · 10-01-2005, 06:35 PM

Yeah she had a pretty crappy life. So did Kelly.

¤I Love Clay Aiken¤ · 10-01-2005, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maroon5'd

Yeah she had a pretty crappy life. So did Kelly.

If she cant read, how in the hell did she make it to highschool?

EmoJoe · 10-01-2005, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ¤I Love Clay Aiken¤

If she cant read, how in the hell did she make it to highschool?

LOL I dont know. Good thing she made it on AI

PrettyinPink55 · 10-01-2005, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maroon5'd

LOL I dont know. Good thing she made it on AI

WOW! I had no idea she had such a hard life!

Ireneparalegal · 10-01-2005, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ¤I Love Clay Aiken¤

If she cant read, how in the hell did she make it to highschool?

she was a drop-out. not only that, there are other members of her immediate family who are also illiterate.

Brian Damage · 10-01-2005, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ¤I Love Clay Aiken¤

If she cant read, how in the hell did she make it to highschool?

I don't know where she is from, but that says volumes about that school system.

80sTrivia · 10-01-2005, 10:08 PM

I saw her interview on 20/20 last night with Fantastia, and I must admit I was surprised by her admission that she is functionally illiterate and that she was raped as a teenager. It took great bravery for her to admit to this, and she said she is determined to learn how to read and write before moving on with her career!

Hollow · 10-01-2005, 10:55 PM

why in the hell didn't she learn to read? and HOW in the hell did she get into high school without being able to? that's impossible.

platinumblondelife · 10-02-2005, 01:24 AM

actually no. statistically, a lot of high school graduates go through high school illiterate, especially lower class people. just saying.

consentida · 10-02-2005, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by platinumblondelife

actually no. statistically, a lot of high school graduates go through high school illiterate, especially lower class people. just saying.

Yeah. Some kids fall through the cracks. Not all school systems are up to par with the rest. Look at the inner city schools where there isnt enough funding for textbooks and they cram more kids into a classroom than they have room for. How well do you think those kids are doing in school?

A lot of students probably go unnoticed. There can't be that much time, room or individual attention for every single kid who's having trouble, especially in a flawed system.

Karen* · 10-02-2005, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

I don't know where she is from, but that says volumes about that school system.

She's from North Carolina like fellow AI-er (Season 2) Clay Aiken, but I think they're from different areas.

Anyway, what Fantasia went through is pretty sad.

You gotta give the girl mad props for overcoming her obstacles.

David · 10-02-2005, 02:25 PM

I watched it too. It's so sad

Dumb question, but being illiterate, what exactly does that mean? Like, what are her limits?

Karen* · 10-02-2005, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

I watched it too. It's so sad

Dumb question, but being illiterate, what exactly does that mean? Like, what are her limits?

I don't know exactly if there's a limit. All I know is that if you're illiterate, you can't read at all, period.

Wait, isn't being illiterate the same thing as being DYSLEXIC or are they two completely different things??!

10-01-2005, 05:37 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Fantasia Barrino Reveals She's Illiterate NEW YORK - "American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino reveals in her memoirs that she is functionally illiterate and had to fake her way through some scripted portions the televised talent show, which she won in 2004. "You're illiterate to just about everything. You don't want to misspell," Fantasia told ABC's "20/20." "So that, for me, kept me in a box and I didn't, wouldn't come out." The 21-year-old R&B singer says she's signed record deals and contracts that she didn't read and couldn't understand. But the hardest part, she said, is not being able to read to Zion, her 4-year-old daughter. "That hurts really bad," she said, adding that she is now learning to read with tutors. In her memoir, "Life is Not a Fairy Tale," which she dictated to a freelance writer, Fantasia also said she was raped in the ninth grade by a classmate. She says the boy was disciplined, but she blamed herself for the attack. She dropped out of high school that year and became an unwed mother at 17
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10-01-2005, 06:35 PM	#3
EmoJoe Cool cool cool Forum Addict Join Date: Apr 23, 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 71,478	Yeah she had a pretty crappy life. So did Kelly.
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10-01-2005, 10:08 PM	#9
80sTrivia Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 23, 2002 Posts: 21,714	I saw her interview on 20/20 last night with Fantastia, and I must admit I was surprised by her admission that she is functionally illiterate and that she was raped as a teenager. It took great bravery for her to admit to this, and she said she is determined to learn how to read and write before moving on with her career!
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10-02-2005, 01:24 AM	#11
platinumblondelife smooches. Senior Member Join Date: Aug 14, 2005 Posts: 2,189	actually no. statistically, a lot of high school graduates go through high school illiterate, especially lower class people. just saying.
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10-02-2005, 02:25 PM	#14
David mcphee. Forum Superstar Join Date: Jan 30, 2003 Location: jacksonville, FL. Posts: 28,115	I watched it too. It's so sad Dumb question, but being illiterate, what exactly does that mean? Like, what are her limits?
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10-01-2005, 10:55 PM	#10
Hollow Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Dec 16, 2001 Posts: 30,406	why in the hell didn't she learn to read? and HOW in the hell did she get into high school without being able to? that's impossible.