New Year, New Celebrity Memoirs

It is telling that my first two reads for 2012 were celebrity memoirs about a descent into, and a rising from alcoholism/addiction. I'm not sure what that says about me, but it must say something.

I read "Wishful Drinking," by Carrie Fisher and "High on Arrival" by Mackenzie Phillips. I had great expectations of both of these memoirs going in for the following reasons:

1) I know Carrie Fisher has written novels, and she's funny and for crying out loud, she was Princess Leia;




2) All I knew about Mackenzie Phillips is that her dad created The Mamas and the Papas, she is an actress and probably has lots of good stories about celebrities, and I think I remembered a scandalous rumor that her story involved incest.



I assumed that I would like "Wishful Drinking" more, because I prefer writing with a bit of cheek and because I already knew more about Carrie. But I was WRONG. Explanation below.

Wishful Drinking

By Carrie Fisher

In case you grew up under a rock, or are immune to pop culture, or just don't give a hoot, Carrie Fisher is the daughter of Debbie Reynolds (have you SEEN Singing in the Rain? She's beautiful, fun and a great singer) and Eddie Fisher, who famously left Debbie Reynolds (STUPID) for Elizabeth Taylor, who then left him for lots of other husbands (also he later married a few others). A dramatic separation of the parents when a child is really young is enough to make any childhood dysfunctional. Add in the fact that those parents are famous, that her father was largely absent, that she grew up surrounded by celebrities, and that fame and stardom came at a young age for Carrie, it seems almost inevitable that she would become an alcoholic.

I mean, obviously there must be a lot more to it than that, but that's the simple premise Carrie puts before us. That's all the explanation we really get. There is no introspection, there is no description of her thoughts or feelings as she descended into a large pit of alcohol. We're given the facts stated above, and we are told that Carrie is an alcoholic. Accept it, and move on.

It would be one thing, if Carrie was just trying to be positive about the fact that she is now in recovery. But I don't think that's all it is. I got the feeling that she didn't want to let the reader in - she didn't tell us anything about what it was like for her - she just asks us to use our imagination. We can't celebrate her victory over alcohol, because we don't know how much of a victory it is. We're told it's a victory, and that's that. We can't feel bad for the terrible things that have happened to her or because of her, because she remains distant - like she's telling the story of someone else.

It's not that she doesn't have some good stories - she does - but she doesn't really tell them. She just tells us that the story exists. She just says that one morning there was a dead, naked Republican in her bed. There's got to be a lot of background that led up to that, but she glosses over it. There must have been a lot of fallout from that, but beyond an obvious statement, we don't get to see it.

I was disappointed in her failure to let the reader in - I mean, why write a memoir about your life if you don't plan to reveal anything? BUT having said that (kind of redundantly I notice as I reread the above), Carrie Fisher is still exceedingly entertaining. She's funny, quirky and self-deprecating. I did laugh several times. I would love to see her show. But I'm guessing she doesn't put much in her show that's not in this book.

Bottom Line: Entertaining and fun, but unrevealing look at a celebrity's alcoholism.

High on Arrival

By Mackenzie Phillips

I was also surprised by this memoir. It is dark, let me tell you - the exact opposite of "Wishful Drinking." Mackenzie does not leave anything out, and her life has been one dark, tormented, and emotional whirlwind. Where Carrie didn't let me in at all, I got lost in Mackenzie's world - I felt everything she did, and I understood each justification, and I felt the triumph of each success.

A little background: Mackenzie's dad was John Phillips - a great genius in the world of music, but a TERRIBLE father. He was a prolific drug user, and had absolutely no boundaries when it came to pleasure seeking. He wasn't going to let a little thing like worrying about his children get in the way of a good high. He gave Mackenzie a lot of drugs. He taught her how to shoot cocaine. He also didn't let a thing like a blood relationship with his daughter get in the way of sexual pleasure.

But Mackenzie, after telling us all of this, wants us to be sure that we don't totally vilify him. He is an exceptionally talented musician, and he loved his family - all his children and wives - very much. The things he did were not done out of malice or evil tendencies. They were the acts of a very sick, very twisted man who was unable to realize a lot of the harm he was causing. I'll buy this to some extent, but it's hard not to vilify someone who would invite his teenage daughter to stay with him in London, and then leave her in a house with no food or heat for a week while he got high in the country with Mick Jagger. And that's just one of the mild stories.

I wanted to read this memoir because I knew it contained a lot of juicy stories and dropped a lot of names. I was not prepared for the emotional impact it would have on me. Mackenzie is very brave to be putting all of this out there. She addresses every public scandal - drug arrests, behavior that sabotaged her acting career several times, etc. - and every private misdeed - intravenous drug use while pregnant with her son, cruel treatment and use of friends in search of her next high, destruction of all relationships and her many failings as a mother.

But she doesn't just tell stories. She explains her mindset at each moment, and describes how her addiction distorted her view of the world. This makes the reader understand how it is possible to become something so hideous and low, and how unlikely it seems that someone would be able to get out of that position. That's why I was so happy to celebrate her recovery with her. What a deep pit of disease to crawl out of! And no wonder it took several attempts at sobriety to get out!

In the end, I loved this memoir because I respected Mackenzie so much for her openness and honesty, as well as her explanations of the way an addict thinks. I'm no stranger to the world of addiction, but I received quite an education from this memoir. I will think of this memoir often in the future.

Two Celebrity Addiction Memoirs, two very different reads - one light, one dark; one in-depth, one shallow. Though I clearly preferred Mackenzie's book, I appreciate the fact that both women are willing to talk about their lives and their addiction, and to help foster the discussion of addiction so that education and understanding can be spread.

The Chelsea Handler Christmas

Hello! And Happy New Year!

I had a wonderful Holiday week in New York. More on that below. First I'd like to talk about the three fun books I read over my week in New York. This is, after all, a book blog.

Introduction:

I am a Chelsea Handler fan. For some reason during law school, I stopped watching her show (probably because I got really busy and serious, and there was no time for frivolity in my life - especially once I was on Law Review), but I have always enjoyed her writing.

Now that I've read all of her books (I read My Horizontal Life and Are you There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea quite awhile ago), as well as a book by Heather McDonald, I totally feel like I am friends with all of Chelsea's crew. I have a lot in common with all of them - I pee my pants occasionally when things are really funny. I also like margaritas and tropical vacations. So you see, I would fit right in.

However, I'm not quite sure I could handle all the shenanigans they get into. I am extremely gullible, and I would fall for every lie Chelsea would tell me. I am also a terrible liar, so I could never get revenge by playing practical jokes on anyone else. This is still part of my pitch for them to invite me to parties.

Anyways, I read the following three books last week (which is kind of a record for me), and I enjoyed each of them immensely - mostly because I didn't have to think; I could just laugh. And I did. To myself. On the couch while everyone else in the room thought I was a weirdo. Now that I think about it, that's not an uncommon occurrence.

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

By Chelsea Handler

I guess there's not a lot to say about this book of essays other than they are great if you're a fan of Chelsea. She's not afraid to tell you embarrassing stories for a laugh. But it's not the kind of shallow or minimal revealing that you normally expect from celebrities who write memoir-type books. She really does let the reader into her life, and she makes no apology for her behavior. She is who she is. And what she is is hilarious.

There are stories from her childhood - about her father, her sisters and brothers - and about a friend who introduced her to "the feeling." Just read it. There are stories about her friends and her ex and let me be honest: I don't think I could date her. As I stated above, I'm really gullible, and she pulled some serious crap on him. He must have had the patience of Job. But, she's hilarious and fun, so that probably balances things out.

But more than just the stories she tells, I love the way Chelsea writes (yeah, I can call her by her first name). Her use of language is good, and whenever you think you know where the sentence is going, you don't. She not only knows how to tell a story, she can actually write.

Of course, if you're looking for substance or for intellectuality, you won't find it. This is a fun book - the type you can read in an afternoon. But that doesn't mean it's not smart. Enjoy!

Lies Chelsea Handler Told Me

By Chelsea's Family, Friends and Other Victims

In case you didn't know this, Chelsea loves to tell lies for the sake of laughs, and nothing makes her laugh harder than seeing her friends miserable. Paradoxically, each writer in this book will tell you that Chelsea values honesty and truthfulness over all else. She will lie to you, mock you, torture you and make you extremely uncomfortable, but only if she truly cares about you. And once she's your friend, there's no one more loyal (while she's plotting against you, of course).

Each chapter in this book is written by a family member, friend, or co-worker that has suffered as a result of Chelsea Handler's lies. Of course there are great stories from her family - stuff she pulled on them, even when she was in grade school. There are funnier stories from her current set of friends - most of whom write for or work for her show in some other capacity.

Some of the contributors tell just one big, long, torturous story about how badly they were tricked by Chelsea. Others tell a series of little lies Chelsea's told. Sometimes Chelsea tells a lie and then forgets about it, without realizing how her lie tortures her victim.

Once you read this book, you will be grateful for your work environment. Or maybe not. Maybe you would rather work in a place where you can never leave your computer unlocked, where you absolutely can never trust anything a co-worker tells you, and where practical jokes are waiting around every corner.

Again, there's not a lot of intellectual stimulation to be found here, but it's a great book for an airplane or to read a chapter here and there in waiting rooms or during your lunch hour.

You'll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again

By Heather McDonald

I rather enjoyed Heather's chapter in the Lies Chelsea Told Me book, so I had high expectations for this book. Heather is a funny writer. She's also a funny girl. It's just that she's got a different writing style than Chelsea, that's not always quite as LOL funny.

The premise for this book is that Heather was a virgin until she was 27. In Hollywood! While trying to make it as a comic and a writer! This is the story of how she eventually lost her virginity and met the man of her dreams, who eventually became her husband. It's a modern day love story - with a lot of dry humping.

Heather's choices for the stories to tell about men she dated are great - all of the men are different, but none are total cliches, which I kind of expected. None are totally one-dimensional, and Heather is honest about her mistakes and her naivete. I was instantly hooked with the title of the first chapter: "Can't a Girl Dress Like a Hooker, Dance like a Stripper and Kiss Like a Porn Star and Still be a Nineteen-Year-Old Virgin?"

Her humor isn't as in-your-face as Chelsea, but sometimes I prefer things a little more subdued. This is another great book for an airplane or an afternoon at home with a cup of tea and box of cookies.

Alright, now we can move on to other stuff that happened over Christmas.

Christmas Break:

We flew in on Christmas Eve and went to dinner with Mike's mom and her boyfriend. It was delicious. Christmas Day we got up, had a delicious breakfast cooked by Mike's Aunts and opened gifts. I was full. Then all of Mike's family came over as well as some of our sister-in-law's family. We had a HUGE meal, and a ton of dessert. Then more gifts. Also, I kind of drank a lot of wine and some champagne. Therefore, I spent the day after Christmas with a big hangover. Luckily, I had books to get me through it.

I saw my friend Tara, and that was really fun - even though all we did was hang out at her house and make cupcakes. We also took a day and went into the city, and we even brought the baby. Afterwards, we had a nice dinner at Mike's Great Aunt's house. Mostly it was just a really great time, visiting with family. And eating.

I ate a literal ton of food. Ok, not a literal ton, since I only gained 6 pounds, but it felt like it. Do you like how I phrased that? "only gained 6 pounds." Like it's an accomplishment to gain less than 10 pounds on a trip to New York - especially over the holidays. But actually, it kind of is. So what? It's a new year, and with that comes new resolve to get healthier and stay that way.

To that end, Mike and his family (and me, of course) have started a blog together to track our weight loss attempt this year. It's a private blog - just for us, so there's no link here, but I wanted to tell you about the idea, because I am kind of excited about it. Participating in the challenge are Mike's two aunts, and his brother and wife. That's a total of 6 people. The challenge is simple: lose as much weight as possible and get healthy. For each pound lost, $10 is contributed to a communal pot. We pay for Mike's aunts' weight loss, they pay for Mike's brother and his wife's, who in turn pay for ours. That way everyone is accountable. At the end of the year, we'll use the money to go on a trip together, where we can all take pictures of our new bodies. I can't wait. I'll be keeping track of my progress here throughout the year too, so stay tuned.

We also spent a lot of time with our adorable little niece over our trip. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure, since I know you're dying to see them:

In Stitches

In Stitches

By Anthony Youn, M.D.

This memoir of a young Korean man's journey through medical school is clever, witty and fun. In it, Dr. Youn tells the story of how he knew his whole life that he was going to be a doctor - because his dad told him so. But Dr. Youn describes how he made the experience his own, how he really wanted it for himself too. And he describes exactly how and why he chose to specialize in plastic surgery. It begins with his first day of med school, with some childhood flashbacks, and ends when he finishes all of his residency and other training requirements - the moment he realizes "I'm a doctor."

This is a fast read, with fun characters and interesting tidbits about his school, and the med school process. I confess that it would have been less interesting to me had I not read this the week after I took the bar exam. I spent a lot of time comparing the law school process to the med school process. They are both stressful schools, with a lot of pressure, and not very much sleep.

However after reading this book, I have come to one conclusion: I am so glad I chose law school. Not only would the science, blood, and buckets of hands and other body parts scare me away, but becoming a doctor is a hell of a lot harder than becoming a lawyer. There are two years of intense and terrifying classes. A year of interning with different areas of medicine and then after that there are residency requirements and if you want to be a specialist there are even more years of training and practice.

I particularly enjoyed the part of the book where Dr. Youn was describing the different medical practices. I love the idea of this. I think law school should have something like this - maybe not a whole year, but it sure would be nice to actually do some work in an area of law before going out to practice, rather than just get an introduction in a class. For example, I did really well in my Wills and Trusts class and I thought the material was interesting. I imagined meeting all kinds of interesting rich old people who want me to write a will leaving everything to their dog. But would I really like to sit in an office all day going over will provisions and making sure that trustees fulfill their fiduciary obligations? I'm not so sure. It would be nice to take that for a spin.

Anyway, the point is that I really enjoyed this memoir. It's fast, fun, good writing and gives an inside perspective on a world most people don't know anything about.