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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
funny
medium-paced
I don't think there's a single kid in my generation who didn't want to be Mara Wilson at some point, even if you were older than she was--though that could just have been because we wanted to be a cute little smart-ass like she was in Mrs. Doubtfire or we all really, really just want to be Matilda.
Though I always wondered why she decided to leave acting when she was so young, now I am glad she did; she's a skilled writer, and in the age of Twitter, entertaining in a way that people who grew up in that sort of interrim time between being an 80s kid and a millennial can relate to (and anyone with a standing feud with E.L. James gets a gold star in my book always and forever).
I'm glad that she got to finally tell her own story on her own terms, and that her childhood as a star was such that it allowed her to keep her agency over her own life (as much as possible, anyway). I'm glad she had a chance to document her own struggles with OCD and anxiety when she was prepared to, and really...I just hope she's doing okay and wish her the best, just as I did when I was a kid and stopped seeing her name on TV or in movies.
I mean, I'm sure she is, but you never really know, do you? I mean, I never realized what she went through when she was younger. Oddly, it really made me think about the fact that we don't know about the struggles of others, especially when they're famous; or the talents we miss out on because all we ever see of people often are their careers.
All that aside, it's a solid memoir with an accessible style that I quite liked a lot.
Though I always wondered why she decided to leave acting when she was so young, now I am glad she did; she's a skilled writer, and in the age of Twitter, entertaining in a way that people who grew up in that sort of interrim time between being an 80s kid and a millennial can relate to (and anyone with a standing feud with E.L. James gets a gold star in my book always and forever).
I'm glad that she got to finally tell her own story on her own terms, and that her childhood as a star was such that it allowed her to keep her agency over her own life (as much as possible, anyway). I'm glad she had a chance to document her own struggles with OCD and anxiety when she was prepared to, and really...I just hope she's doing okay and wish her the best, just as I did when I was a kid and stopped seeing her name on TV or in movies.
I mean, I'm sure she is, but you never really know, do you? I mean, I never realized what she went through when she was younger. Oddly, it really made me think about the fact that we don't know about the struggles of others, especially when they're famous; or the talents we miss out on because all we ever see of people often are their careers.
All that aside, it's a solid memoir with an accessible style that I quite liked a lot.
Definitely one of the better celebrity memoirs I've read. I devoured it in a day.
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
Where Am I Now? felt more like a series of autobiographic essays than a memoir per se. I like Mara Wilson, I follow her on Twitter and all, and thus I was super excited to read about her life—we tend to do that, don't we? We always want to know more about a stranger's life. Where Am I Now? was, in this aspect, more or less exactly what I expected. In this book, she tells us about her career, her family, her OCD, Robin Williams. I feel closer to Mara now, in a way, and I still like her very much, now both as an actress/pseudo-famous person and as a writer.
I was disappointed, though, that she did not mention her bisexuality, not even once, focusing instead on some of her heterosexual relationships. She evens calls herself a straight woman in some instances—which, of course, is what she believed she was at the time, but it felt weird all the same.
Where Am I Now? felt more like a series of autobiographic essays than a memoir per se. I like Mara Wilson, I follow her on Twitter and all, and thus I was super excited to read about her life—we tend to do that, don't we? We always want to know more about a stranger's life. Where Am I Now? was, in this aspect, more or less exactly what I expected. In this book, she tells us about her career, her family, her OCD, Robin Williams. I feel closer to Mara now, in a way, and I still like her very much, now both as an actress/pseudo-famous person and as a writer.
I was disappointed, though, that she did not mention her bisexuality, not even once, focusing instead on some of her heterosexual relationships. She evens calls herself a straight woman in some instances—which, of course, is what she believed she was at the time, but it felt weird all the same.
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
I was expecting a lot of inside stories on the making of Matilda, which is one of my favorite movies. There is one chapter completely devoted to Matilda, and I loved that chapter, but I was a little disappointed with the rest of the book. Just lots of random stories with not many connections. She's a good writer though, so it was still an easy read.
I met Mara Wilson once in college and was intimidated. But this memoir is anything but intimidating. I was amused by her choice to start with sex as a topic for the first chapter, but it works. The rest of the book jumps around in time a fair bit, but in a way that still leaves the overall structure cohesive. I resonated with Wilson's post-college ennui, and felt proud of her for finding the space to do - what would it be called? - performance storytelling. I have another friend from our era of NYU who fell into the same kind of self-expression, so reading about the former child actor's jaunt into it made me feel like I almost knew her.
The ending lines were a little trite, but that's a sticking point for millennial memoirs in general, I'm guessing. We just don't know how to wrap things up when it comes to a life story that's still in progress.
The ending lines were a little trite, but that's a sticking point for millennial memoirs in general, I'm guessing. We just don't know how to wrap things up when it comes to a life story that's still in progress.
I felt like I was reading into a mirror. Is that a thing?
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
I wanted to love this book because I loved Mara Wilson as an actress...however, I found myself saddened for her and ready for the book to end. Her book is written well, but her life story is kind of a mess due to the world of performance she was exposed to at such a tender age. Honestly, the main positive I got from this book is being granted a newfound thankfulness that I had too much stage fright to pursue my dream of professionally going into musical theater!