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daniellekat's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
2.75
I mostly enjoyed parts 1 and 3 but hated part 2. This felt disjointed at times and although Blair is an ok writer, there were too many random anecdotes for me (and WAY too much name dropping). This was written in a truly honest voice, but the lack of structure and introspection had me wondering, as a reader, "why do I care?" I also felt like Blair frequently lost sight of her privilege. I think keeping in mind that her chronic illness and lived trauma has likely had a significant effect on her memory recall and perspective of self, helped me get through this without totally hating her. Ultimately, I can appreciate and sympathize with her struggles and hardships, but I can't say I would recommend this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Death of parent
anjasshelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
nonfictionfeminist's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
3.0
This book ultimately left me feeling kind of frustrated. I enjoy Selma as an actress, and love that she is a voice for MS. However, the important sections of this book (the kind of emotional abuse by her mother and her dealings with MS and alcoholism) weren't really expanded upon, and the less important bits (odd anecdotes about boyfriends and friends and directors) took up so many pages without really saying anything. I also feel like she really struggled to admit how privileged her upbringing was. When your mom spends a thousand dollars on a Burberry coat for you, that's an enormous privilege.
This book also ends up being so anecdotal that it would perhaps be better advertised as an autobiography rather than a memoir, which implies a stronger focus on a particular topic.
This book also ends up being so anecdotal that it would perhaps be better advertised as an autobiography rather than a memoir, which implies a stronger focus on a particular topic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
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