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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
DNF the audio book version. I loved the show Friends, I found Matthew to be a self absorbed jerk from his retelling of his experiences.
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
fast-paced
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This was a hard book to read but I'm glad I read it.
Yes, there is backlash about the unnecessarily mean-spirited comments he made about Keanu Reeves, and that is a perfectly valid reason to not read this book. But in my opinion, it is important to note that he has apologized. This is not his first mistake in the public eye and certainly won't be his last.
I am thoroughly impressed by his writing skill, his level of self-awareness about his shame-inducing struggles, and his ability to articulate his experiences in a vulnerable and honest way. However, the writing is not entirely consistent throughout the book. There are portions that are beautifully written and articulated, with remarkable insight, while other parts come across as more amateur, colloquial, and self-centered.
It seems like Matthew Perry never quite got out of the "fun" phase of his life, or some may call it an attempt to escape reality. His primary concerns were to evade feelings of loneliness and inadequacy by numbing his emotions with drugs and alcohol and pursuing women in droves. He hurt others and himself in the process until it was almost too late.
Throughout the process of telling his difficult story, the quick-witted sense of humor that defined Chandler Bing still pervades the narrative and we get a glimpse of his fun-loving personality aside from his demons. This memoir is him in a nutshell, the good and the bad, all of the different facets put out on display. He can be unapologetic, narcissistic, and a complete asshole to people he cares about, but he is also vulnerable and bracingly candid about his pitfalls and inadequacies. He's not the most likable or empathetic character, but he's also not pretending to be anything he's not. Like most people, his childhood experiences played a big role in shaping his fears and flaws.
His life has been centered around his addiction, a disease that he cannot escape, even with an endless supply of money and resources. As diehard fans of Friends will tell you, it was evident that Matthew Perry was struggling. And it's refreshing to finally hear the real story behind the Chandler persona that we saw on our TVs every week. I don't really like Matthew Perry more after reading this book, but I do understand better how imprisoned he was by his addictions and what a vicious cycle it is to break out of.
Bookish serendipity is a real thing. I just finished reading [b:Transcendent Kingdom|48570454|Transcendent Kingdom|Yaa Gyasi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571925550l/48570454._SY75_.jpg|73528567] by [a:Yaa Gyasi|14493315|Yaa Gyasi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1597671521p2/14493315.jpg], which also speaks at length about the devastating effects of addiction, particularly opiates. Through these two books, it is evident that this is a crisis that cannot be prevented by fame, money, or success. It affects not only the user, but everyone around them, and its hold is exceedingly fierce. I'm grateful for this learning opportunity about an affliction that is rampant and disastrous and for developing empathy for those who have been caught in its grasp.
I am thoroughly impressed by his writing skill, his level of self-awareness about his shame-inducing struggles, and his ability to articulate his experiences in a vulnerable and honest way. However, the writing is not entirely consistent throughout the book. There are portions that are beautifully written and articulated, with remarkable insight, while other parts come across as more amateur, colloquial, and self-centered.
It seems like Matthew Perry never quite got out of the "fun" phase of his life, or some may call it an attempt to escape reality. His primary concerns were to evade feelings of loneliness and inadequacy by numbing his emotions with drugs and alcohol and pursuing women in droves. He hurt others and himself in the process until it was almost too late.
Throughout the process of telling his difficult story, the quick-witted sense of humor that defined Chandler Bing still pervades the narrative and we get a glimpse of his fun-loving personality aside from his demons. This memoir is him in a nutshell, the good and the bad, all of the different facets put out on display. He can be unapologetic, narcissistic, and a complete asshole to people he cares about, but he is also vulnerable and bracingly candid about his pitfalls and inadequacies. He's not the most likable or empathetic character, but he's also not pretending to be anything he's not. Like most people, his childhood experiences played a big role in shaping his fears and flaws.
His life has been centered around his addiction, a disease that he cannot escape, even with an endless supply of money and resources. As diehard fans of Friends will tell you, it was evident that Matthew Perry was struggling. And it's refreshing to finally hear the real story behind the Chandler persona that we saw on our TVs every week. I don't really like Matthew Perry more after reading this book, but I do understand better how imprisoned he was by his addictions and what a vicious cycle it is to break out of.
Bookish serendipity is a real thing. I just finished reading [b:Transcendent Kingdom|48570454|Transcendent Kingdom|Yaa Gyasi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571925550l/48570454._SY75_.jpg|73528567] by [a:Yaa Gyasi|14493315|Yaa Gyasi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1597671521p2/14493315.jpg], which also speaks at length about the devastating effects of addiction, particularly opiates. Through these two books, it is evident that this is a crisis that cannot be prevented by fame, money, or success. It affects not only the user, but everyone around them, and its hold is exceedingly fierce. I'm grateful for this learning opportunity about an affliction that is rampant and disastrous and for developing empathy for those who have been caught in its grasp.
To be clear, I will almost always rate a biography/autobiography/etc. 5 stars as I don't believe it's my job to critique a person's actual life, the way they lived it, or the way they chose to express it. If for some reason this changes in the future, I will try to explain the reason behind the rating.