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3.12 AVERAGE
3.12 AVERAGE
Very well-written, powerful memoir of a person who overcame abuse and neglect to write about her experiences and shed light on the more problematic aspects of Playboy and the facade that was put forth to the public to make the company/mansion seem like a dream. Reading about Hollywood and the failures in parenting of children who grow up in rich and famous families is both sad and interesting in ways that I can't articulate.
This book was trashy beyond belief, but oddly compelling. From the cover (where Ben Affleck throws in his two cents) to the end, you are left wondering how our society has allowed the Playboy Mansion and all of its ramifications to become a near role model for children.
exploitative, fetishistic and braggadocious… kept waiting for the book to redeem itself and for the author to show some introspection or critical reflection but it never came. also just poorly written.
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Eating disorder, Trafficking, Alcohol
Takes the cake for the weirdest book I’ve ever read for a bookclub
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
slow-paced
This girl had one insane, messed-up childhood. In a lot of ways, Saginor’s book reminded me of the more recent Consent by Vanessa Springora - I didn’t think this one was quite as well-written (hence 4 stars instead of 5), but they’re both girls who were groomed, grew up far too quickly, and have long-lasting issues because of it.
I don’t even know how to sum it up beyond that, so the TLDR: fucked-up, but fascinating.
I don’t even know how to sum it up beyond that, so the TLDR: fucked-up, but fascinating.
I’ve read and watched a lot about the Playboy institution, but by far this book was one of the hardest to stomach. Come for the retro celebrity drama and stay for the emotional, and sometimes just blatant, incest. This book was also the best look at the secret side mansion sex rings that went on and how much more horrible they could get when you’re not under the protective veil of those bunny ears. Reading about Jennifer trying to navigate the world through her fucked up lens only an upbringing this unique could bring was tough and watching her grapple with it in the book even through her 30’s very wild to watch her rationalize and come to acceptance of the things far out of her control
dark
sad
medium-paced
"I learned too late that to leave is not the same as being left, but for some reason it feels the same."
Oh boy. This is a self written memoir that follows Jennifer through her life from about age 6 growing up in and around the Playboy Mansion. He father was a famous plastic surgeon/doctor in the scene at the time and became one of Hugh Hefner's best friends. It's just as bad as you would imagine it would be. Jennifer saw and experienced things that not child should ever have to be around due to the party lifestyle of her father. It's hard to read but it's also hard to put down.
The rating is a little low only because the writing itself is not great. I think she could have benefitted from maybe a ghost writier or something along those lines. I won't hold it against her too much though because the only reason she graduated high school and college was because someone was paid to do all her work lmao. You can tell at the time this was written (2005) she still had a lot of things to work through regarding what happened to her and her family life. She seems to have the awareness to address everything that happened to her was wrong and that a lot of the choices she made were bad, but it wasn't the writing of someone who was in a place that this was all behind her. I hope things got better for her later - she clearly held a lot of sadness and resentment towards her childhood, parents, and the environment she grew up in.
Oh boy. This is a self written memoir that follows Jennifer through her life from about age 6 growing up in and around the Playboy Mansion. He father was a famous plastic surgeon/doctor in the scene at the time and became one of Hugh Hefner's best friends. It's just as bad as you would imagine it would be. Jennifer saw and experienced things that not child should ever have to be around due to the party lifestyle of her father. It's hard to read but it's also hard to put down.
The rating is a little low only because the writing itself is not great. I think she could have benefitted from maybe a ghost writier or something along those lines. I won't hold it against her too much though because the only reason she graduated high school and college was because someone was paid to do all her work lmao. You can tell at the time this was written (2005) she still had a lot of things to work through regarding what happened to her and her family life. She seems to have the awareness to address everything that happened to her was wrong and that a lot of the choices she made were bad, but it wasn't the writing of someone who was in a place that this was all behind her. I hope things got better for her later - she clearly held a lot of sadness and resentment towards her childhood, parents, and the environment she grew up in.