alyssatuininga's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
I have always loved Marlee Matlin as an actress so I was glad to pick up this autobiography. Her life story is fascinating and I really enjoyed hearing about her experiences and history.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Addiction
Minor: Miscarriage
alexh8's review
3.0
I wanted to love this book. I really, really did. Marlee Matlin has always come across as someone who is super talented, super charming and super likeable, and I was excited to get inside her head.
The issue is ... She's not a great writer. The prose can be stilted in parts in a way which could easily have been fixed by a good editor. Plus, unfortunately, you can only read so many anecdotes about hot Hollywood flings and prestigious acting awards before it starts to get repetitive.
Still, her stories about growing up deaf and not letting it hold her back were inspiring. If you're willing to take the good with the bad, you might find something worth salvaging.
The issue is ... She's not a great writer. The prose can be stilted in parts in a way which could easily have been fixed by a good editor. Plus, unfortunately, you can only read so many anecdotes about hot Hollywood flings and prestigious acting awards before it starts to get repetitive.
Still, her stories about growing up deaf and not letting it hold her back were inspiring. If you're willing to take the good with the bad, you might find something worth salvaging.
finesilkflower's review
Rambling celebrity memoir, mostly a name dropped list of celebrities Marlee Matlin has met.
zinelib's review
informative
medium-paced
3.75
Marlee Matlin overcame a lot to get where she is, and I'm not talking about d/Deafness. She had rocky romantic relationships and maybe not the most solid parenting. Still, she really thrived. I imagine there are a lot of feelings about her in Deaf communities. She has other awkward politics, as well, like being married to a cop. I returned the book before grabbing what she wrote about the uprising after Rodney King's abusers were not convicted, but it was definitely...what someone married to someone in law enforcement would say.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Domestic abuse
dja777's review
3.0
She definitely portrays William Hurt as an abusive waste of space. It could have used less name-dropping about all the Hollywood folks she's dated, but it's not bad for a movie star auto-biography.
erinkayata's review
2.0
Oi. I love Marlee Matlin in Switched at Birth and Children of a Lesser God, but this memoir could use some work. More substance, less name dropping! And telling the story in chronological order would be nice. Regardless, still an insightful piece on being deaf in Hollywood.
lautir's review
2.0
She's a good actor, but she's not much of a writer. The book jumped all over the place during certain parts of the story and I got really tired of reading the line "I was so stoned/high!" I was hoping for more from her.
swayzeelliott's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book! I picked up this book because Marlee is Deaf, but I learned that she is so much more! Marlee is funny, strong-willed, and inspiring!
blaarrosir's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so interesting to me. At times it jumped all over the place in reference to what point in time was being talked about, but nevertheless I liked it. I truly enjoyed being able to see into a world I've never experienced and probably never will. Marlee Matlin does a great job of letting us see what it is like for her to be a person who is deaf and what that means to her