Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame by Mara Wilson

10 reviews

stellahadz's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.0

I've seen some criticism that this book didn't contain anything "worth writing about," but I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing that it focused on the everyday, seemingly mundane happenings of Mara Wilson's life and inner world. While memoirs like Finding Me and I'm Glad My Mom Died, (which focus heavily on childhood trauma) were some of my favorites of 2023, I want to push back against the idea that the only things worth sharing are deep, dark secrets. I think Where Am I Now? is relatable to lots of people, myself included, in ways that other popular memoirs usually aren't. 

This isn't the story of Mara Wilson's life told chronologically as memoirs tend to be. It's more a collection of essays, organized thematically, telling stories from different periods in her life. She's a great writer, and she comes across as an intelligent, introspective person who knows herself well, which is refreshing in a world that wants desperately to label and define women instead of letting them define themselves.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual content

linnylionheart's review

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Cancer, Grief, and Medical content

Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicide, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Incest, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Rape

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

I've been wanting to read this for a while because of Ms. Wilson's discussion of OCD, and it was a good read.  I feel like we would end up chatting for a long time at a party. I also love when child stars are doing okay!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Grief, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Chronic illness, and Mental illness

Moderate: Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Alcohol, Sexual content, Suicide, Eating disorder, Drug use, and Rape

lonelyeyesonly's review

emotional funny inspiring sad slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Death of parent

natalie_davies's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Death of parent

beklovesbooks's review

dark emotional medium-paced

2.0

Very reflective. Interesting about the journey of a child actor, celebrity name-dropping, engaging to see her real regular person life behind the scenes. Lots of panic and explains her religious path to atheism. I wouldn’t read it again, but I wanted to finish it once started. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Toxic friendship, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Terminal illness

Minor: Cancer, Drug use, Eating disorder, Addiction, Bullying, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Suicide

Lots of references to masturbation, fetishes, puberty, normalizing pornography

conspystery's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Death of parent

lowkeymarie's review

reflective relaxing fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent

Minor: Suicide

backpackfullofbooks's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Death of parent, and Mental illness

ianders's review

emotional funny hopeful informative medium-paced

4.0

I knew Mara Wilson from a couple movies I saw as a kid, but then I sort of forgot about her for a long stretch of time until she started appearing in some youtube videos. I wasn't even aware she had written a book until very recently. When I learned that, I thought it would be interesting to read about what happened to her after her career as a child actress basically ended. Plus, I knew through the vine that Mara Wilson also dealt with mental health issues, and I'm always interested in learning how other people cope with that.

Mara Wilson's book turned out to be a good insight into what dealing with OCD is like. Obviously, Mara doesn't speak in the name of every person who has OCD and your mileage may vary, but still when you don't know much about the disorder I figure raeding the testimony of someone who does is a good start. Mara doesn't only talk about OCD of course; she talks about her family life, her time in Hollywood, her experience with grief and the loss of her mother, growing up as a sort-of celebrity, etc. However, OCD informed, and in some ways was shaped by, her life experiences. And although I don't have OCD, I related to her on the basis of dealing with mental health issues and neurodivergence myself.

Biographies doesn't make you Know or Understand a person fully, but some of them help to humanize people who, a lot of the time, aren't thought of as people on the same level as the everyday man, woman and others. I feel Mara Wilson is one of those people who has been relagated to "that girl who was in Matilda" and that short-take sometimes make people feel entitled or make them act rudely. So reading her bio gave me perspective, and I'm glad for that even though she is someone I barely know of.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Mental illness