heathen's reviews
85 reviews

Never in a million years did I think I would be so moved by a Paris Hilton memoir. I'm glad that she's not only shared her story of the trauma she endured, but that she now works to keep others from experiencing the same. I could tell she has had a LOT of therapy and I'm glad for that because I don't know if I'd be capable of moving past a lot of what happened to her. 

Yes, she used a ghostwriter, many celebrities do that for their books. I still think her voice came through. Some of the self promotion throughout was a little annoying but it's Paris Hilton so, I mean, you pretty much know what to expect in that regard.  

I'm sure others have added plentiful content warnings so please check those out if certain things trigger you. This book was really rough to read in spots but it gave me a better understanding of who she is and what she went through, and reinforced the "don't judge a book by its cover" adage.  

The abridged version of the story was fine but I was a bit irritated that the audiobook version I used from the library didn't say it was abridged and I didn't learn that until I was partway through. That's the main reason for my lack of a higher star rating, I'm not really into abridged versions.  But anyways! Orlean's writing is solid, she finds the fascinating aspects even of the most mundane.

I love all of Pema Chodron's books, they've all been incredibly helpful for me. 

Excellent book with Douglass' account of enslavement and freedom. Essential reading for all US folks to gain a larger understanding of the horrors of enslavement. 

Overall I think the information is likely fairly accurate. I wasn't wild about the way she framed some things (reliance on good/bad dichotomy instead of what I'd prefer which is more along the lines of beneficial for our cells or harmful for our cells). Some of the things she mentioned being affordable were...likely not affordable to many working class folks and definitely not affordable for people lower on the socioeconomic scale. 

I did like it for the most part, I think the ideas are ambitious. We should treat our body like the entire system it is, not just separate parts that are treated as if they run independently of one another. My quibbles are minor overall. 

Edited to add: other reviews have pinpointed more articulately some of the other issues of the book, and I do agree with the majority of their criticisms. I still think some good can be taken from this book. But definitely read other reviews to see if it's your jam. 

My copy started coming apart, needs repair. Will finish once repaired!