Brooke Shields

I really enjoyed aspects of this & I think increasing the conversation about perimenopause, women aging, etc. is so important. But I think Shields is still coming from an extreme place of privilege. She acknowledges this & I absolutely don’t fault her for it, but I think many women won’t quite be able to relate. Yes, we are watching our bodies change, but most of us do not have her resources or have to face the public gaze like she does. I think this is valuable reading, but should be show more read alongside other books on menopause for a balanced view. show less

(13) I am not sure why I read this. Certainly I am the target audience based on my age and gender but it was exactly everything I dislike in a book. So maybe not the author's fault - it was just too self-helpy with lots of faux buzz words re: empowerment, agency, etc. This is a book for middle aged women who are struggling with getting older and feel as if society thinks they are invisible just because their bodies are aging and they can no longer bear children. We need to push back on being show more ignored by society, especially by men. Okaaay. I get it. But, still.

The most interesting part to me was when she wrote of her early life - I think I may like to see some old clips and the 'Pretty Baby' documentary. As we are about the same age, I surely remember 'The Blue Lagoon,' and the Calvin Klein ads. I am happy for her that she is still working in some capacity and has had such a long career, yet a relatively normal life in regards to marriage and raising children. She really comes across as a normal person in her book. A normal yet strong woman. And so for that, I admire her and what she is trying to do with her messaging and her business. I am completely behind it. So why a low rating? Just the low-brow genre, I guess.

I do occasionally read these pop-psychology self-help, business, memoir type books and usually get a few nuggets out of them all the while NOT enjoying the anodyne reading experience. But this was tough for me. It is hard for me to believe that people have such little self-esteem that this kind of talk is necessary. I think I just have a personality of radical acceptance. I really could give a rat's ass whether the world ignores me or not. So this type of reading experience that is constantly pumping up the reader and the author's right to exist in the world is so perplexing to me. I read due to a weird 6 degrees of separation coincidence even though I knew I might dislike it - so not the author's fault.

Read this only if you like self-help books and only if you are a middle aged woman, especially with teenage children and sandwiched btw generations. It may speak to you. But it is NOT profound or particularly well written. Avoid if you like literature or narrative non-fiction with gravitas. show less

Brooke Shields newest book is a must read for women approaching middle age. She tells her story of getting to a certain age (59) with refreshing humor, honesty and great joy. She is definitely a very intelligent, funny woman and entertainer who has had her share of life hacks and is now very openly sharing them with the rest of us. There is a lot of backup data that she shares regarding being a woman in this day and age as well. I loved listening to her narration of her reading her own book, show more lots of fun. Very Highly recommended. 5 stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for a chance to listen/read an ARC version of this delightful book. All opinions are my own. show less

Brooke Shield's story of her mother Teri, who was both much better and much worse than her public persona. On the one hand she was portrayed in the media as a manipulative controlling stage mother, and according to Brooke's recounting, she was not. Brooke saw Teri as far more relaxed, letting Brooke do roles that seemed fun or interesting, or that would give them a good experience. Brooke felt she was never pushed, and in fact walked away from projects that did not appeal to her with no show more pushback from her mother.

What the real story of Teri and Brooke was, however, was alcoholism. Teri's alcoholism ruled their world, and Brooke is a classic codependent. The book is actually a very good depiction of this type of relationship. Brooke and a friend staged an intervention at one point and Teri agreed to go to treatment facility, but she was unwilling to admit she had a problem. Through the gauze of alcohol (and because she had no real training or drive to learn), Teri was an awful manager, and Brooke eventually had to break away as a young adult in order to manage her career and her finances.

Most of all, this is a love story between a mother and a daughter. Despite the problems, there was a deep and unyielding love between Brooke and Teri, and despite the codependent problems there were lovely pieces of their relationship. show less