A review by tapestryofwords
Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory by Sarah Polley

4.0

We watched Road to Avonlea regularly when I was a kid, and Sara Stanley (played by Sarah Polley) was my favourite character. This collection of essays really peels back the curtain on what was going on behind the scenes for Sarah in her child acting days (with Road to Avonlea as well as other productions), and how she was forced to grow up too quickly and take on adult responsibilities while she was still a child. From forcing her to be in chilly water for hours at a time to using her emotions surrounding her mother's death for the purposes of the TV show, the way she was treated on set as a child actor is sickening. Despite our very different upbringings, there was a lot that I related to in Sarah's stories from her life -- her scoliosis (much more severe than mine), her concussion (again, more severe than mine, but the symptoms were very familiar), her dislike of crowds and attention, and more generally, her thoughtful, introspective approach to life, be it reflecting on the nature of memory or calling out prejudice and injustice. I feel like I got to know the real Sarah Polley in these essays, and while she is nothing like the character of Sara Stanley that she played (what actor ever is like their character?), I'm very glad to get a glimpse of who Sarah Polley truly is.