Scan barcode
kawooreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
I grew up a child of the 90s in a white, working-class family, so of course I watched Roseanne. I thought the Conners were such a lively and relatable bunch who may have squabbled and experienced hard times, but developed thick skin and a sense of humor. Before I became an adult and saw the problematic behavior of Roseanne Barr, I thought she was an amazing TV mom. So when I got an opportunity to read Barr's daughter's memoir, I was excited. Finally, a look behind the scenes of a show and person who was such a big part of my childhood. Turns out, Roseanne Barr is a lot different than Roseanne Connor. While Pentland does an adequate job of conveying her strong relationship with her mother, the stories of fad dieting, toxic relationships, parental abandonment, and attempts to radically assimilate children through psychologically and physically abusive institutions and "camps", were quite disheartening. Pentland writes she feels her mother "did the best she could" in a time when she was a rising star who battled for creative control over her own life, but I can't help but feel angry and disappointed that the empathy and compassion I saw in one of my favorite TV moms was not echoed in reality by the woman who created her. I have never read a memoir by someone celebrity-adjacent, such as a child, and now I'm not sure I want to read more. Still, there is a lot of nostalgia, both good and bad, in this book and that should count for something. Also, the unforgivable actions of Tom Arnold, just ugh!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, and Body shaming
Moderate: Addiction and Abandonment
More...