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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
readingrampage's review
4.0
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Grief, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Rape, Animal death, Drug use, and Sexual assault
rainbowjawn's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Body shaming, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, and Rape
Minor: Animal death
millywebster's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Medical content, Antisemitism, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Addiction, and Rape
Minor: Pregnancy
candeegirl's review
5.0
Minor: Suicide attempt, Rape, Death, and Death of parent
siobhanward's review
4.0
I loved how open and honest Blair was about a lot of topics, but she did skirt around how much money she grew up with. I don't know anyone who could afford private school growing up, much less being kicked out of private school and finding a way to re-enter. I would have loved a bit more insight into how Blair felt that having that kind of upbringing impacted her as an adult, and her career.
I learned a lot about Selma Blair throughout this book and loved how she wrote it. I feel like it jumped around a bit and sometimes it was hard to figure out what was happening when, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment too much. It's a fun and interesting read, whether or not you know Blair's work well.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
jhansell's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, and Mental illness
brookeshelves's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism and Rape
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Body shaming, and Sexual assault
Minor: Eating disorder, Death of parent, Drug use, and Stalking
larcadip's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Chronic illness and Alcoholism
Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, and Sexual assault
decembermagpie's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Deportation, Medical content, Rape, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Grief, Eating disorder, Ableism, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness