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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I really enjoy Mara Wilson and enjoyed this book. I also like reading memoirs by celebrities younger than me and kind of reading about what life was like when they were growing up, something I enjoyed about Lena Dunhams book only I like Mara better. We get inside stories about the acting Mara did when she was younger, but we also learn about her struggles with mental health, losing her mother, and finding herself in a post-Matilda world. Every story is well written, taking the reader on a journey and letting them draw their own conclusions.
emotional
informative
medium-paced
as a person whose self-image at age six basically was matilda, i have always felt a kind of weird kinship with mara wilson. i know from her twitter and her work on wtnv that we share similar taste as adults. now after reading this i'm kind of stunned at how similar we really seem to be, even though our lives have been (obviously) very different. i like mara wilson and this book a lot. i cried, but it was a good cry, like a cry of recognition, especially during the chapter on ocd and depression. a good good book
Mara Wilson kinda loves and kinda hates being known as "the girl from Matilda," and certainly let's you know it in her memoir. This is a great behind-the-scenes looks at what life is like as a child star both during and after the fame. I enjoyed this on audiobook because it's read by the author and she has such a wonderful way of telling stories. A good look at a lesser-known story. It was fun!
I like reading somewhat random memoirs but didn't find I was much interested in this one. The order of the book didn't work for me, exactly. Especially because it started off with her obsession with sex as a child. She's also still pretty young, so if she wrote this book again in 10 years there would be less teenage spin the bottle. She seems like a smart young woman who had an interesting start with her career as a child actor. High points were when she discovered there was a name for how she felt when she read a book about a girl with OCD and finding out that Danny DeVito is really a top notch mensch.
In the spring of this year, I attended the concert for my favorite artist, Mitski. During the concert, someone shouted from the crowd, "You speak to my experience". Mitski, a singer who always was grounded in her boundaries with fans, replied in her usual no-nonsense manner. She said (and I paraphrase badly) that she wasn't speaking to anyone's experience but her own and we just related to that because we were all normal human beings. She said that she used to think she was so weird and no one would ever be able to understand her thoughts or emotions until she produced music and realized that people do understand her because this is the sort of stuff that many people experience. None of us have emotions that are beyond understanding, compassion or empathy. None of us are anything but normal human beings, despite what we have undergone or what diagnoses we carry (this is me extrapolating, she didn't say this in her brief interlude).
This was my experience reading many essays in this book. The one on childhood existential crises particularly resonated with me as I had thought I was a freak for my inability to handle death since I was quite young. Though we ended up with different conclusions (I switched religions after a brief time dabbling in secularism whilst she became an atheist), I felt a kinship with her (cheesy, I know). It was really comforting to realize that even though my friends at that age didn't really talk about it, most kids were terrified of death/the afterlife. Everyone has those weird moments when they realize the absurdity of existence or the impossibility of forever. I wasn't batshit crazy... nice.
This is a humanizing and intimate portrayal that I greatly enjoyed. Wilson has taken the power away from the voyeuristic journalists, the ones who write "where are they now" articles, and returned it to herself. While doing this, she has crafted rich and nuanced narratives that ground her both in and out the celebrity domain. *cue witty closing line about the faceless old woman who lives in your house having many faces (facets?)*
This was my experience reading many essays in this book. The one on childhood existential crises particularly resonated with me as I had thought I was a freak for my inability to handle death since I was quite young. Though we ended up with different conclusions (I switched religions after a brief time dabbling in secularism whilst she became an atheist), I felt a kinship with her (cheesy, I know). It was really comforting to realize that even though my friends at that age didn't really talk about it, most kids were terrified of death/the afterlife. Everyone has those weird moments when they realize the absurdity of existence or the impossibility of forever. I wasn't batshit crazy... nice.
This is a humanizing and intimate portrayal that I greatly enjoyed. Wilson has taken the power away from the voyeuristic journalists, the ones who write "where are they now" articles, and returned it to herself. While doing this, she has crafted rich and nuanced narratives that ground her both in and out the celebrity domain. *cue witty closing line about the faceless old woman who lives in your house having many faces (facets?)*
I think I need to finally admit I don’t do well with audiobooks. I feel like if I had read a physical copy of this it could have gotten 4, even 5 stars. I don’t think my brain was built for audiobooks!!!! Time to finally give them up!!!!!!
inspiring
medium-paced
Why did I buy this book? Nobody knoooooows.....
There were three major highlights to me throughout this book.
Firstly how human Mara is, she is just like you and me: with hopes, dreams and fears.
Secondly her touching reflection on Robin Williams life and death, someone who had a great impact on my life to this day.
And finally her honesty and frankness about mental illness, there are some things only fellow sufferers can understand and I am thankful for telling her story. Her passion to spread the message of the importance of caring for mental health is inspiring. I only wish my neurotic childhood self could have met you Mara, but my adult self is honoured to meet you through your story telling.
Firstly how human Mara is, she is just like you and me: with hopes, dreams and fears.
Secondly her touching reflection on Robin Williams life and death, someone who had a great impact on my life to this day.
And finally her honesty and frankness about mental illness, there are some things only fellow sufferers can understand and I am thankful for telling her story. Her passion to spread the message of the importance of caring for mental health is inspiring. I only wish my neurotic childhood self could have met you Mara, but my adult self is honoured to meet you through your story telling.