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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
See my review for this book (and others) at http://yearofreads.blogspot.com !
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts
I love to play armchair therapist. Books about addiction and recovery are a personal favorite of mine. It's fascinating to hear what drives others to the decisions they make, and to try to figure out what caused it all. In Portia de Rossi's case, it seems to be a destructive cocktail of her father dying at an early age, her drive for acceptance through modeling and acting, and hiding the fact that she is a lesbian, with a side dish of her feeling her mother wanted her to be perfect, pretty, and straight. Whether this is actually true or just what she heard internally, we can't really be sure, but she seems to have worked through most of it. I found myself wanting to sit her down and tell her that who she is will be enough, and to just enjoy life.
I first discovered Portia de Rossi on Arrested Development, one of my all-time favorite shows. I was never a fan of Ally McBeal so I had never watched her on it, and had only heard with half an ear about her struggles with her weight in the tabloids. To me, she will always be Lindsey Bluth. It was interesting to read about her descent into the depths of her eating disorder and how she finally came to terms with being who she really is, although hopefully she understands that's a journey that never ends, and she will be in recovery for the rest of her life. A well-written account of the struggles with an eating disorder. WARNING: some of her stories may trigger behaviors if you have struggled with ED in the past, so be careful.
I first discovered Portia de Rossi on Arrested Development, one of my all-time favorite shows. I was never a fan of Ally McBeal so I had never watched her on it, and had only heard with half an ear about her struggles with her weight in the tabloids. To me, she will always be Lindsey Bluth. It was interesting to read about her descent into the depths of her eating disorder and how she finally came to terms with being who she really is, although hopefully she understands that's a journey that never ends, and she will be in recovery for the rest of her life. A well-written account of the struggles with an eating disorder. WARNING: some of her stories may trigger behaviors if you have struggled with ED in the past, so be careful.
The first 300 pages were about her journey from 130 pounds to 82 pounds. I think the last 10 pages of her journey from 82 pounds to 168 pounds was the best part of this book.
An interesting read - mostly because I remember watching her on Ally McBeal & (especially) on Arrested Development & thinking she was so beautiful (and funny). To read about how she felt about herself during that time and what she was doing to herself (both to be skinny and to deal with being gay) was really interesting. It's well written, especially for a book from a "celebrity".
I've read a lot of fictional accounts of reading disorders but this real life depiction is darker than anything I've ever read in fiction. It's very dark but also very light abs beautiful all at the same time
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
really relatable and honest but lacking in heart. kind of just the same thing through the whole thing, i still love it though
I started this memoir and was strangely sucked into her story although I was so disgusted by her life choices. Whenever I read eating disorder books, I get really weirded out and this was one of the worst. I kept thinking "thank God that I have never struggled with this." A truly sad existence- all the time and energy and agony spent obsessing about something as simple as food and body image. Goodness! I'm so glad to know that these poor people do overcome their struggles (sometimes).
"Anorexia was my first love...Through its eyes, I saw the world differently. It taught me how to feel good about myself, how to improve myself, and how to hink. Through it all, it never left my side...as long as I didn't ignore it, it never left me alone. Losing anorexia was painful - like losing your sense of purpose. I no longer knew what to do without it to consider."
A powerful memoir detailing Portia de Rossi's struggles with an eating disorder, quickly spiralling out of control as she gains more fame as an actress. The story begins at age 12, as she embarks upon being a model, and between traveling to auditions and walking the runway, she takes on the management of her weight. After joining the cast of Ally McBeal, the commanding voice in her head tells her to go further, leading to daily rituals of calorie-counting every meal, whittling everything down to numbers as she negotiates her diet down to achieve a lower weight. The paranoia is further magnified as her fear of being outed would ruin her career.
It's brutally honest. One of the many scenes that has stayed with me, was Portia punishing herself for finishing a pack of gum. The hunger was impossible to ignore and in an impulse, she followed her allotted amount of one stick with another, and another. After the initial rush of euphoria at having consumed calories (the unrecorded ones that she were afraid of quietly gaining weight for her), panic overtook her and she immediately resorted to taking the stairs, running to burn off the calories from the candy. One trip was not enough, and she took the elevator down to make the uphill climb again. And again. This went on until it got dark enough for dinner, as eating too late would not allow her to digest her food properly before bed. I was on the verge of tears reading certain parts of this book, fearful for how far things went.
I'd definitely recommend this - a shocking but inspirational read.
A powerful memoir detailing Portia de Rossi's struggles with an eating disorder, quickly spiralling out of control as she gains more fame as an actress. The story begins at age 12, as she embarks upon being a model, and between traveling to auditions and walking the runway, she takes on the management of her weight. After joining the cast of Ally McBeal, the commanding voice in her head tells her to go further, leading to daily rituals of calorie-counting every meal, whittling everything down to numbers as she negotiates her diet down to achieve a lower weight. The paranoia is further magnified as her fear of being outed would ruin her career.
It's brutally honest. One of the many scenes that has stayed with me, was Portia punishing herself for finishing a pack of gum. The hunger was impossible to ignore and in an impulse, she followed her allotted amount of one stick with another, and another. After the initial rush of euphoria at having consumed calories (the unrecorded ones that she were afraid of quietly gaining weight for her), panic overtook her and she immediately resorted to taking the stairs, running to burn off the calories from the candy. One trip was not enough, and she took the elevator down to make the uphill climb again. And again. This went on until it got dark enough for dinner, as eating too late would not allow her to digest her food properly before bed. I was on the verge of tears reading certain parts of this book, fearful for how far things went.
I'd definitely recommend this - a shocking but inspirational read.