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A review by eyreguide
Born with Teeth by Kate Mulgrew
5.0
I'm only familiar with Kate Mulgrew's work on Star Trek: Voyager, but enough of her personality and force of character on the show came through to make me interested in her as an actress and in her career, so I was happy to read her memoir. It indeed delivers in showcasing her personality through her voice and in the way she has lived her life so far. And what I found extra enchanting about the book, was in how well Kate Mulgrew writes - her prose is often poetic and the way she describes some of the difficulties she has had in her life was very moving.
Her story has a way of being unapologetic about the way she has lived her life, and I found that very interesting when she talked about giving up her child for adoption. Her struggle to have a career and be a good mother was so thought-provoking, and while I feel like some of her choices might not be thought of well by others, I loved that she faced those decisions bravely, and stayed true to her passions and what she wanted out of life. It was refreshing to feel that she didn't shy away from the issue too much, and embraced and discussed her life with such openness. The memoir also gives an interesting view of the behind the scenes of working in television and film; even though Kate doesn't go into a lot of detail, especially with Voyager. The acting side of her life is not as well described as her personal life, which felt appropriate because this book was more about Kate Mulgrew's emotional journey and not her career.
The memoir ends a bit abruptly to me - I mean, Kate wraps up the book well, but ends it a few years before present day. I would have wanted to learn more about how her second marriage ended since the courtship is so well described, but it does seem like the real emotional arc of the book is Kate's experience giving up her child for adoption and that story is wrapped up perfectly. This is a memoir that can be selective as far as history, but often felt like a vivd, sometimes moving, sometimes hilarious conversation with the author, and I enjoyed that intimacy Kate Mulgrew was able to convey through her words. Definitely any fan of the actress, or of a rich, dramatic personality should read this book.
Her story has a way of being unapologetic about the way she has lived her life, and I found that very interesting when she talked about giving up her child for adoption. Her struggle to have a career and be a good mother was so thought-provoking, and while I feel like some of her choices might not be thought of well by others, I loved that she faced those decisions bravely, and stayed true to her passions and what she wanted out of life. It was refreshing to feel that she didn't shy away from the issue too much, and embraced and discussed her life with such openness. The memoir also gives an interesting view of the behind the scenes of working in television and film; even though Kate doesn't go into a lot of detail, especially with Voyager. The acting side of her life is not as well described as her personal life, which felt appropriate because this book was more about Kate Mulgrew's emotional journey and not her career.
The memoir ends a bit abruptly to me - I mean, Kate wraps up the book well, but ends it a few years before present day. I would have wanted to learn more about how her second marriage ended since the courtship is so well described, but it does seem like the real emotional arc of the book is Kate's experience giving up her child for adoption and that story is wrapped up perfectly. This is a memoir that can be selective as far as history, but often felt like a vivd, sometimes moving, sometimes hilarious conversation with the author, and I enjoyed that intimacy Kate Mulgrew was able to convey through her words. Definitely any fan of the actress, or of a rich, dramatic personality should read this book.