david_slack110507's review against another edition
3.75
Before reading this, I had previously known very little about Britney's life other than being one of the most successful artists in the past few decades as well as being in an abusive conservatorship that was eventually exposed to the mass media through the #FreeBritney movement (which Britney acknowledges in this book as being one of the things that kept her going in the fight for full control over her life) so this memoir was very insightful into the tumultuous life of Spears and how it all started from a very young age. Ranging from her family life being unsafe and toxic to using music, dancing, and acting to escape that home life only for those escapes to be poisoned with issues too.
The early and later years in Spears' music career and spotlight in the media really showed how cruel the media can be to those in the spotlight and how this can take various methods from asking deeply personal questions, to sexualising Britney, to harassing her when she was obviously not in the mental space and state to actually deal with everything and much more. Memoirs in particular are very good at exposing how much the media got away with (and continues to do so in some instances) in their treatment of celebrities, particularly women and other minorities, in the earlier years of modern media and I hope that like many other memoirs that spotlight and criticise these issues, Britney's story will help lessen the likelihood for more stories like hers for future stars.
My main issue with this memoir is how it was structured, some parts felt fully explained and in detail while others were less detailed and so there was often a sporadic movement between years that threw me off slightly and made me a little confused as to when a certain event was happening or what family member Spears was referring to due to having only mentioned them at the beginning of the book or a brief description in the midst of a big and important event in her life.
Overall, I'm so glad that Britney is free of her conservatorship and can actually live her life rather than having her life dictated for her like how it was for so long and I wish her all the best when it comes to rebuilding herself slowly from the insurmountable damage caused by her family's control over her. This was such an important story to tell and one that deserved to be told and so I'm glad that Britney finally felt ready to share her story.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Abortion, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Confinement, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Bullying
Minor: Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Drug use, Addiction, and Adult/minor relationship
maregred's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Alcohol, Addiction, Gaslighting, Abortion, Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, and Misogyny
Minor: Medical trauma, Classism, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Bullying, and Child abuse
kristenreids's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Abortion
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
5.0
This poor girl. After reading this, I hate parts of our legal system even more than I already did!
Also, if you love pop culture, especially the music industry in the early 2000s, you’ll be as fascinated by the first half of the book as I was!
This book is just proof that most men suck. Especially rich ones.
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Abortion, Body shaming, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Confinement, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, and Torture
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Medical trauma, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Medical content
therealdeandraa's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Abortion, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Grief
danileah07's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Bullying, and Confinement
Moderate: Gaslighting, Torture, Death, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Abortion, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Cursing
Minor: Addiction
emilyjmasters's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Abortion
justwannareadbooks's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Abortion and Emotional abuse
rhi_'s review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Abortion, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Miscarriage, and Sexism
kelly_e's review against another edition
3.25
Author: Britney Spears
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: October 24, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Brave • Chaotic • Halfhearted
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was a pre-teen when Britney's first album dropped in 1999 and I remember getting the album the following Christmas and listening to it on repeat. However, my interest was short lived and it ended up being the only one of her albums I owned. Despite not following her career closely, I still knew I wanted to read this memoir.
While I can empathize with Britney's story, The Woman in Me lacked depth. She has gone through her fair share of trauma and struggle, revealing some heavy truths within. Yet because she kept thing very surface level, these reveals felt like shock value additions more than a part of the healing process. I can imagine it took tremendous courage putting her story out into the world and I hope it was therapeutic for her. However as a reader, the writing was so chaotic, reading more like a diary than a well-crafted memoir.
With all of that said, what this book did offer me was insight into the behind-the-scenes world of music, as well as the enduring power of music in healing. I also greatly appreciated her devotion to her children, something the mainstream media has certainly left out.
At the end of the day, I am glad to have picked this up and listened to it. However, it was the deep emotional memoir I was so hoping for. I hope the writing process was a healing part of her journey to taking back control of her life. But when I got to the end, I got the sense she still has a long ways to go.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• die-hard Britney fans
• celebrity memoir enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Music stopped the noise, made me feel confident, and took me to a pure place of expressing myself exactly as I wanted to be seen and heard. Singing took me into the presence of the divine."
"If no one is used to you being assertive, they get very freaked out when you start speaking your mind."
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Sexism, Abandonment, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Confinement, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Addiction, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Abortion, Miscarriage, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Bullying, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Cursing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, and Infidelity