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sunsplat's review
4.0
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse
itsgnat's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Bullying, Death of parent, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual violence
bookynooknook's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Rape
Minor: Ableism and Abortion
anjasshelf's review against another edition
Graphic: Medical trauma, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Rape, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Animal death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
acresofclams's review
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, and Pregnancy
Minor: Death, Dementia, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
kelly_e's review against another edition
3.5
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."
Graphic: Mental illness, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Eating disorder, Drug use, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Rape, and Body shaming
Minor: Cursing, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Cancer, Animal death, Medical content, and Vomit
wendym3's review
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Addiction
Minor: Suicide attempt, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, and Rape
kshertz's review
3.5
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Body horror, Alcohol, and Chronic illness
kellmo's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Eating disorder, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Body horror, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
internationalreads's review against another edition
Graphic: Animal death, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Blood, Cursing, Medical content, Alcoholism, Death, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape