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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
I'm not one for self-help but maybe I'm in the right frame of mind to hear about Zach's struggles and triumphs. He's relatable and funny. He struggles and is brutally honest about it.
I needed what he was dishing out. I was here for every page.
I needed what he was dishing out. I was here for every page.
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I first saw Zachary Levi on Chuck. I adored the show and loved his character. However, it wasn't until I happened to stumble across a NerdHQ Youtube video, that I became a huge fan of Zach himself. So, when I discovered he had written a book addressing his mental health struggles, I was all in. Unlike some, I know that fame, money, and success does not insulate people from trauma. I can appreciate that he, like every other human being, has had a past that has impacted his mental and emotional development.
I thought this book was so well done. He was open and vulnerable about his very real struggles with depression and anxiety. I imagine there was some struggle when it came to exposing his parents' flaws and their impacts on not only their lives but his. The urge to protect them despite the damage they had done to him was likely still a very real urge. Yet, his story could not be told without them and their roles in his life. He did credit them with loving him despite their own emotional and mental problems, which I found refreshing. They were not evil. They were flawed humans, just like the rest of us. This acknowledgment made a huge difference in how he talked about them.
I also found his willingness to talk about his faith and its role in his mental health journey. He was not heavy-handed or preachy.
I thought this book was so well done. He was open and vulnerable about his very real struggles with depression and anxiety. I imagine there was some struggle when it came to exposing his parents' flaws and their impacts on not only their lives but his. The urge to protect them despite the damage they had done to him was likely still a very real urge. Yet, his story could not be told without them and their roles in his life. He did credit them with loving him despite their own emotional and mental problems, which I found refreshing. They were not evil. They were flawed humans, just like the rest of us. This acknowledgment made a huge difference in how he talked about them.
I also found his willingness to talk about his faith and its role in his mental health journey. He was not heavy-handed or preachy.
This book details more of this mother’s life than his. It’s a sad read full of blame and resentment. It’s a bit of a one-tone story more than a memoir.
Like I so often do with audiobooks, I picked this one as I enjoy to listen to celebrity memoirs, and the message of mental health struck me of interest. I wasn’t prepared for how honest and raw Levi gets about his personal experiences being raised as the child of a mentally ill mother and his battle with his own mental illness. It feels as though this book is a way for him to lay it all out to say this is what I went through and what I learned and I want to destigmatize mental illness. And he does just all of this in a great way. He is a man of faith but never do I feel his religion should be mine. I took a great deal away from this as I have had my own emotional trauma to manage through and this inspired me to really dig in and do the work, as I’ve been trying but I know I haven’t dug as deep as I need to go. I am grateful to those who use their celebrity to bring awareness and normalize different abilities.
One of my favorite, underrated actors. This was so good, so raw, and so relatable at far too many points. Childhood trauma sucks, mental illness sucks, and the struggle to love yourself is a long and hard one. 5 stars from me for doing the work and writing a whole book about it too <3
Enjoyed his take on the mental health journey. Also, I miss Chuck.
I LOVED this book. If I could buy a copy for everyone that I know, I would. But unfortunately, I’m poor so I’ll have to just make this review and tell everyone to go to their local library. For real. It was an amazing book.