Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
This book was shocking, confronting and simply impossible to put down. I found myself thinking "she's an absolute psycho" so many times. I'm happy Portia's got her life together now, she seems much happier. I'd highly recommend this one, especially if you're curious about the human mind and eating disorders.
The book just made me feel really sad. Sad that Portia was so sad and sad that she thought so little of herself to write this all down. Poor Portia.
I picked this up because it was getting really good reviews and because I thought it would be helpful for a paper I was writing. I was a little hesitant towards it since it was celebrity turned writer and those can be iffy sometimes, but I'm now happy to say I was pleasantly suprised.
Portia is a really talented writer, the story could have been told in simpler words but I found myself caught up in the writing style easily and it made the whole thing more enjoyable (Besides feeling crappy about reading about her suffering). I've read my share of eating disorder narratives and Portia's is one of the most honest and brutal re-tellings about such a traumatic period of her life.
Portia is a really talented writer, the story could have been told in simpler words but I found myself caught up in the writing style easily and it made the whole thing more enjoyable (Besides feeling crappy about reading about her suffering). I've read my share of eating disorder narratives and Portia's is one of the most honest and brutal re-tellings about such a traumatic period of her life.
This is a raw memoir documenting Portia's fight with eating disorders and accepting her sexuality. It was a bit painful to read - seeing Portia and Ellen on TV, they seem like such beautiful, compassionate people. It's not fun to see how one struggled and nearly died because she didn't see herself as worthy.
The only reason I give this four stars instead of five is it was often difficult to know right away when I was being transported from "present" to farther in the past. And it did read a touch amateurishly at first, with long sentences almost becoming run-ons. I feel horrible for saying it like that, but I don't know a less judgmental way of describing how the writing sometimes felt to me. But overall it is well-written, heartbreaking, and heart-warming.
The only reason I give this four stars instead of five is it was often difficult to know right away when I was being transported from "present" to farther in the past. And it did read a touch amateurishly at first, with long sentences almost becoming run-ons. I feel horrible for saying it like that, but I don't know a less judgmental way of describing how the writing sometimes felt to me. But overall it is well-written, heartbreaking, and heart-warming.
This was at times difficult to read because of the nature of the contents. De Rossi was very graphic in her methods to obtain the "perfect" body and the inner dialogue she faced. Finishing the books leaves much to be desired, for she only talked about her life in recovery for a handful of pages. This did not leave much hope for the reader after spending almost 300 pages in the throws of her describing her binging, purging, and anorexic behaviors.
This is such a powerful book... Sometimes it kind of hurt to read, but oh my, it's so good. Lots of people would learn a lot from reading this.
Portia, you're so brave!
Portia, you're so brave!
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I bought this book partly because I was interested in this topic and partly because I remembered Portia from Ally McBeal. I didn't know anything about her as a person before I read this book. This wasn't the worst book I have ever read, by far, but it was also not the best one that I have read on this topic. I bet a lot of people, especially those in the celebrity world, suffer from eating disorders and body image issues. Thinking of that is tragic. Society is very critical of other people and the way they look, and it must be a lot of pressure to try to get roles and keep people in the media from being negative toward you. It is a thought provoking book in that respect.
See full review here!
Oh wow. How awful. Portia de Rossi's story is so eye-opening and honest. It made me feel less alone and slightly neurotic. Now, I don't have anorexia, but I do have a serious love/hate relationship with food. It's been a battle for years, and I'm currently "dieting." Hearing her story right when I probably needed it the most has been enlightening.
I'm not going to lie, I was hoping for more about her and Ellen. I don't read book descriptions so I had NO clue that this book was about her battle with eating disorders. But all wasn't lost - not in the least. I was so engrossed with her life story, taking in all I could about how rationally she talked about her mindset, that I hardly remembered the Ellen part of her life. Her thoughts were more than preposterous, but she talks about it all like she's the sane one. It's incredible what these diseases do to a person, physically and mentally.
Trying to convince herself that she wasn't gay, Portia de Rossi created a diversion and focused on her body. 115 pounds was her goal weight at 5'7", but, being a newly famous actress, that turned out not to be good enough. Bottoming out at 82 pounds (!!!!), de Rossi finally reached her breaking point when her body wouldn't comply with her mind's wishes. It's astounding that she managed to eat so little and do so much!!
I basically loved listening to her story, heartbreaking as it is. She narrates this herself, so everything is spoken just as she means it. Our culture these days doesn't seem to make a big deal about eating disorders anymore, but it's serious business. de Rossi is so brave for sharing her story in hopes to help anyone who struggles with the daily ins and outs of eating and maintaining good health at the same time. As someone who deals with this every day, I so appreciate this story. It makes me feel brave to just enjoy being who I am, knowing that I'm not alone, and to make peace with the fact that health will come with a good balance in my life. THANK YOU.
Oh wow. How awful. Portia de Rossi's story is so eye-opening and honest. It made me feel less alone and slightly neurotic. Now, I don't have anorexia, but I do have a serious love/hate relationship with food. It's been a battle for years, and I'm currently "dieting." Hearing her story right when I probably needed it the most has been enlightening.
I'm not going to lie, I was hoping for more about her and Ellen. I don't read book descriptions so I had NO clue that this book was about her battle with eating disorders. But all wasn't lost - not in the least. I was so engrossed with her life story, taking in all I could about how rationally she talked about her mindset, that I hardly remembered the Ellen part of her life. Her thoughts were more than preposterous, but she talks about it all like she's the sane one. It's incredible what these diseases do to a person, physically and mentally.
Trying to convince herself that she wasn't gay, Portia de Rossi created a diversion and focused on her body. 115 pounds was her goal weight at 5'7", but, being a newly famous actress, that turned out not to be good enough. Bottoming out at 82 pounds (!!!!), de Rossi finally reached her breaking point when her body wouldn't comply with her mind's wishes. It's astounding that she managed to eat so little and do so much!!
I basically loved listening to her story, heartbreaking as it is. She narrates this herself, so everything is spoken just as she means it. Our culture these days doesn't seem to make a big deal about eating disorders anymore, but it's serious business. de Rossi is so brave for sharing her story in hopes to help anyone who struggles with the daily ins and outs of eating and maintaining good health at the same time. As someone who deals with this every day, I so appreciate this story. It makes me feel brave to just enjoy being who I am, knowing that I'm not alone, and to make peace with the fact that health will come with a good balance in my life. THANK YOU.