A review by maxgardner
Love, Pamela by Pamela Anderson

funny lighthearted sad fast-paced

3.0

Though this memoir did not blow me away, it was still a good listen as Pamela has led an undeniably interesting life. Admittedly, her tone has a certain breathiness to it that took me a bit to get used to, but as usual, listening reigns supreme for memoirs as you get that additional layer of context you sometimes miss out on when reading. I think maybe what was missing for me here was a deeper examination of some of the more significant aspects of her life, such as her relationship with her parents growing up as well as their relationship with each other; her relationships over the years with toxic, abusive men; and the impact of slut shaming culture that specifically targets women like her. The insights she draws from these experiences often feel incomplete or are missing entirely. Part of this might be attributed to her attitude; she seems to be a very spiritual and positive person, and her reflections on her life are cast through this lens, which at times leads to them feeling a bit shallow. Part of it also may be attributed to the structure, which jumps between periods in her life without always providing clear transitions or clarifying seemingly contradictory details (her father has reformed himself but then is suddenly terribly abusive again, she's working with Playboy but then isn't but is still affiliated with them and attending their parties); while these variations are natural in the messiness of true life, the writing style creates confusion and, in turn, it's difficult to understand what these moments mean to Pamela or how she reconciles these contradictions. That being said, I definitely learned a lot about her life and have a lot of respect for the path she carved out for herself, and I enjoyed hearing her tell her story.
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