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A review by sleeping_while_awake
Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame by Mara Wilson
3.0
Where Am I Now? is the memoir published by Mara Wilson, a very recognizable child star to anyone alive in the 1990s. She is most famously known for playing Matilda.
The title is a familiar question to most child stars. They seemed to have dropped off the face of the planet, and every so often appear in an online article with a bunch of other child stars, current photos displaying in a slideshow.
The memoir isn't solely about her movie-filled childhood. It's certainly a influential part in the narrative and on her life, but Wilson had more difficulties occurring in her personal life. Her mother suffered from cancer, and died shortly before Matilda was completed.
Her father, although loving and kind and trying to raise four other kids at the same time, made her feel sheltered and kept her from playing more mature parts as she aged. Wilson found mother figures where she could. However, no female figure ever became a permanent fixture in her life, and this seemed to contribute to an awkward adolescence.
Wilson, now formally diagnosed with OCD, and was clearly anxious as a young child. She formed a negative view of sexuality at a young age. Her relatively pessimistic way at looking at things probably kept her from going off the edge and having bad behavior as she got older, as she was afraid of what could happen.
Wilson gave up on movie acting because she kept getting type-casted in cute roles too young for her. Additionally, she didn't give a lot of effort in her auditions because of her frustration.
Much of the book details her early romances and issues with supposed friends. It can be painful reading, not because of Wilson's writing, but the topics themselves are embarrassing. They did get a bit repetitive, which is why I give 3 stars.
I found it interesting that Wilson's high school was the inspiration for Glee, as there were a bunch of choir clubs and competitions. Totally different from my high school.
A bad stand-up performance is the ending of the book, with the writing indicating that at least Wilson is doing what she likes surrounded by true friends.
I adored the movie Matilda, especially since I was a bookworm as a kid. Wilson does have a chapter as a "Dear Matilda" letter, acknowledging the good this character did for her in personal life, but also recognizing that she is a separate person. She does detail some of the events on the Matilda set, and makes Danny DeVito and Robin Williams as great as they have always seemed.
There is a re-print from her blog, I believe, expressing her feelings after Robin Williams's death as well, and it's a high point of the book.
The writing is a bit more advanced than the typical memoir, but still in an easy-to-read manner. There are a few pictures, although some of them seemed random in their placement later on.
The title is a familiar question to most child stars. They seemed to have dropped off the face of the planet, and every so often appear in an online article with a bunch of other child stars, current photos displaying in a slideshow.
The memoir isn't solely about her movie-filled childhood. It's certainly a influential part in the narrative and on her life, but Wilson had more difficulties occurring in her personal life. Her mother suffered from cancer, and died shortly before Matilda was completed.
Her father, although loving and kind and trying to raise four other kids at the same time, made her feel sheltered and kept her from playing more mature parts as she aged. Wilson found mother figures where she could. However, no female figure ever became a permanent fixture in her life, and this seemed to contribute to an awkward adolescence.
Wilson, now formally diagnosed with OCD, and was clearly anxious as a young child. She formed a negative view of sexuality at a young age. Her relatively pessimistic way at looking at things probably kept her from going off the edge and having bad behavior as she got older, as she was afraid of what could happen.
Wilson gave up on movie acting because she kept getting type-casted in cute roles too young for her. Additionally, she didn't give a lot of effort in her auditions because of her frustration.
Much of the book details her early romances and issues with supposed friends. It can be painful reading, not because of Wilson's writing, but the topics themselves are embarrassing. They did get a bit repetitive, which is why I give 3 stars.
I found it interesting that Wilson's high school was the inspiration for Glee, as there were a bunch of choir clubs and competitions. Totally different from my high school.
A bad stand-up performance is the ending of the book, with the writing indicating that at least Wilson is doing what she likes surrounded by true friends.
I adored the movie Matilda, especially since I was a bookworm as a kid. Wilson does have a chapter as a "Dear Matilda" letter, acknowledging the good this character did for her in personal life, but also recognizing that she is a separate person. She does detail some of the events on the Matilda set, and makes Danny DeVito and Robin Williams as great as they have always seemed.
There is a re-print from her blog, I believe, expressing her feelings after Robin Williams's death as well, and it's a high point of the book.
The writing is a bit more advanced than the typical memoir, but still in an easy-to-read manner. There are a few pictures, although some of them seemed random in their placement later on.