Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up

I've been wanting to read or listen to this memoir since I found out Selma Blair was writing one. I knew with her MS diagnosis that it would be one that really intrigued me. While Selma Blair doesn't talk much about her diagnosis until near the end of the book, she does tell a story that shows how she's struggled with this disease for most of her life without ever knowing what was causing the pain and hardships. And it makes me wonder how many other people go through life undiagnosed with some disease because they either think the pain is normal or because people have let them down.

I found her relationships with her parents to be quite interesting. Her perception of her childhood really set the scene for her choices and struggles as an adult. I'm not sure how her father could have acted the way he did. It's just mind boggling to me. I admired how Selma was very self aware throughout this book, including in the acknowledgments when she mentioned how our view of our childhoods revolves around us, so we might not describe it as others would.

As for Selma Blair narrating this herself...I think I could listen to almost anything she narrates. She is an amazing narrator and her voice (unless she's crying) is just so soothing to me. I found myself wanting to listen to this not just because she's a great writer, but because I kept being drawn to her voice. This is a beautiful memoir, and one I highly suggest anyone listen to. However, she does talk about her struggle with alcohol, sexual assault, and an eating disorder, so be aware if any of this is a trigger for you.

Content Warnings

lexa's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Emotional and raw and heartbreaking and beautiful.

Content Warnings

kelly_e's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

Title: Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up
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."

Content Warnings

readingrampage's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

Content Warnings

rainbowjawn's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

3.75

Content Warnings

kshertz's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

3.5

It was fascinating to hear her life story. I love that she’s always wanted to be an author and took us through her mom, her love life and her diagnosis of MS especially. I enjoyed learning more about her and I like that she appears to have grown up with the diagnosis. I am happy to have read and learned from her story.

Content Warnings

More...