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jesslolsen's review
4.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. I remembered watching Ally McBeal growing up and while reading the book I had trouble placing the character I remembered from the show, to the adult with extreme body issues that I read about in the book. It was actually heartbreaking at times to read about her struggles every day - how exhausting that must have been!
So while I found the story fascinating, I agree with other reviewers with regard to the plot - so much time was spent on her anxieties and showing the worst days, yet very little time was spend on HOW she actually recovered.
Definitely a book I would suggest that anyone read who struggled with their weight - it really highlights the importance of being healthy rather than striving for that Hollywood idea of 'perfection'.
So while I found the story fascinating, I agree with other reviewers with regard to the plot - so much time was spent on her anxieties and showing the worst days, yet very little time was spend on HOW she actually recovered.
Definitely a book I would suggest that anyone read who struggled with their weight - it really highlights the importance of being healthy rather than striving for that Hollywood idea of 'perfection'.
blondierocket's review
3.0
This is another one of those books I reserved immediately after it was released and never got a chance to read it the first time I had it. Ever since watching “Ally McBeal” I have been intrigued by Portia de Rossi and she seemed like a quiet soul and not much was said about her.
It was a very interesting book to read, to hear the struggle and wonder how someone can overcome such obstacles or even how they begin. I found myself learning a lot from her experience and how the human brain can trick us into thinking things and feeling that just because someone says something we don’t have to take it so literal or to the extreme.
I love how the book covers everything for the beginning to recovery and does not leave any details out and shows that despite the most dire of circumstances, goodness and happiness can come out in the end.
I very much enjoyed this book and the openness and candid nature in which Portia de Rossi bares it all for everyone to read.
It was a very interesting book to read, to hear the struggle and wonder how someone can overcome such obstacles or even how they begin. I found myself learning a lot from her experience and how the human brain can trick us into thinking things and feeling that just because someone says something we don’t have to take it so literal or to the extreme.
I love how the book covers everything for the beginning to recovery and does not leave any details out and shows that despite the most dire of circumstances, goodness and happiness can come out in the end.
I very much enjoyed this book and the openness and candid nature in which Portia de Rossi bares it all for everyone to read.
frytha's review
5.0
Speechlessly horrifying, thoroughly moving. A heartbreaking look at mental illness from a fragile mind in an image-obsessed industry.
I highly recommend Portia de Rossi's insightful, brutally honest and terribly brave biography about her long struggle with anorexia and bulimia.
This book has come under some critisism for being badly edited, focussing on her "crazy" and obsessive habits, and the spending a short and glossed over 30 pages on her recovery - stating that the recovery is the important part. I disagree. Although the recovery is, ultimately, the most important part for any sufferer - the purpose of this book was to hit the audience hard with the brutal truths of this illness, to educate anyone with family or friends who suffer from it, and perhaps to help the sufferer to realise that they are not alone, and what they are doing to themselves is not healthy, and ultimately fatal. And besides she was crazy. It is a MENTAL ILLNESS. What goes on in your head is NOT logical, it is what these people think about CONSTANTLY. So yes, the book "focussed on her crazy", because that was exactly what she was thinking about and feeling, ALL THE TIME.
Read it.
I highly recommend Portia de Rossi's insightful, brutally honest and terribly brave biography about her long struggle with anorexia and bulimia.
This book has come under some critisism for being badly edited, focussing on her "crazy" and obsessive habits, and the spending a short and glossed over 30 pages on her recovery - stating that the recovery is the important part. I disagree. Although the recovery is, ultimately, the most important part for any sufferer - the purpose of this book was to hit the audience hard with the brutal truths of this illness, to educate anyone with family or friends who suffer from it, and perhaps to help the sufferer to realise that they are not alone, and what they are doing to themselves is not healthy, and ultimately fatal. And besides she was crazy. It is a MENTAL ILLNESS. What goes on in your head is NOT logical, it is what these people think about CONSTANTLY. So yes, the book "focussed on her crazy", because that was exactly what she was thinking about and feeling, ALL THE TIME.
Read it.
gdp60's review
4.0
Very interesting. Shows you whats going on in her mind throughout her disease progression.
treehugginpam's review
3.0
I've been re-watching Ally McBeal lately, and to see her on that show so beautiful and confident while reading about how much she hated herself back then is unreal. The schism between reality and what was HER reality is just unbelievable. It takes a strong person to pull themselves out of that mindset and become healthy again.
caryart's review
4.0
I really admire Portia de Rossi for writing this. She tells the story from the perspective of what it actually feels like living with mental illness, rather than in retrospect. (i.e., instead of "I thought I looked fat," "I had inches of fat surrounding my midsection").
At times it was hard to read because of the damage she was doing to herself. The upside was knowing that in the memoirs genre it usually gets better at the end, and since she's a public figure I already knew she would come out, meet Ellen and be happily ever after at some point.
I have never watched Ali McBeal, though I'm a huge Arrested Development fan, so before this I didn't know she had been so sick, but wow -- way to go, Portia. She's strong, smart, honest.
At times it was hard to read because of the damage she was doing to herself. The upside was knowing that in the memoirs genre it usually gets better at the end, and since she's a public figure I already knew she would come out, meet Ellen and be happily ever after at some point.
I have never watched Ali McBeal, though I'm a huge Arrested Development fan, so before this I didn't know she had been so sick, but wow -- way to go, Portia. She's strong, smart, honest.