Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up by Selma Blair

4 reviews

lexa's review

5.0

Emotional and raw and heartbreaking and beautiful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

kelly_e's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

Title: Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up
Author: Selma Blair
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: May 17, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Vulnerable • Straightforward • Fitful

📖 S Y N O P S I S

The first story Selma Blair Beitner ever heard about herself is that she was a mean, mean baby. With her mouth pulled in a perpetual snarl and a head so furry it had to be rubbed to make way for her forehead, Selma spent years living up to her terrible reputation: biting her sisters, lying spontaneously, getting drunk from Passover wine at the age of seven, and behaving dramatically so that she would be the center of attention.

Although Selma went on to become a celebrated Hollywood actress and model, she could never quite shake the periods of darkness that overtook her, the certainty that there was a great mystery at the heart of her life. She often felt like her arms might be on fire, a sensation not unlike electric shocks, and she secretly drank to escape.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I've been on a celebrity memoir kick lately, and Selma Blair's was up next on the docket. Going in, I knew very little about the author aside from having seen her in a few movies (most notably Legally Blond - a favourite of mine). And I must say Mean Baby didn't wow me like some celebrity memoirs have.

Selma narrates her story in a non-linear manner, touching on her childhood - particularly her strained relationship with her parents, - her alcoholism and depression, her MS diagnosis, and life with her son. The first half has a fair amount of name dropping and superficial meandering, when in fact there could have been a lot more reflection and emotion. The strength of this memoir lies in her opening up about her MS diagnosis and living with a chronic illness. Yet even here there could have been a lot more depth.

I can't pinpoint exactly what this memoir was missing, but I know it was lacking something. It didn't pack the emotional punch I'd been anticipating, despite some extremely difficult and heartbreaking circumstances. It's Selma's right to remain very surface level in telling her story - but as a reader I wanted so much more depth.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• celebrity memoir fanatics
• readers wishing to learn a bit about MS

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Someone once told me that grief is love you can no longer express."

"I learned how it feels when someone else’s thoughts touch a part of you that you haven’t felt before."

"Books also taught me how to notice things, how a moment can be a whole story." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Cursing, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

caseythereader's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.25

 - I didn't know much about Selma Blair before starting this book, other than having seen her in a few movies and knowing about her MS diagnosis. Her memoir takes readers inside what has so far been a fairly private life, and I'll remember it forever.
- This book is a hard read. Blair has been through a lot in her life. I also read the audiobook, read by Blair herself, and she breaks into tears at many points in the story.
- However, MEAN BABY also delivers on the celebrity front. Blair name drops with abandon, and takes us with her to fancy award show parties, photo shoots, and to hang out with the likes of Carrie Fisher and Karl Lagerfeld. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

tiredtori's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy