Shockaholic

I thought it would be too sad to read this after Carrie died, but her writing is so warm, funny and engaging that it's like she never left and you are sitting there having coffee with a funny companion that you adore.

In Shockaholic, Carrie Fisher frankly discusses her electroconvulsive therapy for her manic-depression, demystifying the process and helping to destigmatize discussions of mental health. From there, she relays further anecdotes similar to those in her previous memoir, Wishful Drinking. Her stories cover topics from the role of fame in America as a substitute monarchy – using a dinner with Senator Ted Kennedy as an example of the two-tiered system of political dynasties and pop culture celebrity – to her friendship with Michael Jackson and her relationships with her stepfather, Harry Karl, and her father, Eddie Reynolds, both of which detail the importance of making peace with with people while you have the chance. She even made her show more peace with Elizabeth Taylor. There’s a certain prophetic nature to Fisher’s musings as she reflects on the nature of legacy and memory, dismissing her own fame and how she felt she was likely to be remembered. Fans of Fisher’s writing will find all the heart and humor they’ve come to expect from her in Shockaholic. show less

So glad Carrie's books are read by her. It just adds to the connection I feel when listening to them. Her life was obviously a mess, but while she was having an awful time, she made sure to make sure everyone around her was, at least sometimes, having a great time, because she's freaking hilarious. I love her word play, and the insight into the lives of some of the stars/famous people she hung around was interesting too. In this case Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Ted Kennedy. In-between that she talks about her depression, addictions, and family life, along with a long section about electing to get shock therapy (and it working).

I feel like if you read all of her books in the same year they would probably get repetitive, this is show more my second and it had the same kind of feeling as the first. I loved both but I'll probably give it a year before I try my 3rd. show less

Road trippin' with celebrity memoir audiobooks! (1 of 3) I started this last month on a previous trip and finished it on this month's drive.

I goofed up and got a couple Carrie Fisher books out of order. This is the follow-up to Wishful Drinking, but I listened to that book second, and the two are so similar -- covering many of the same topics and even sentences -- I know I'll never be able to keep the two straight in my mind. The humor was a little sharper and more frequent in Wishful Drinking, but there's plenty to chuckle at and marvel at here.

Let's zip through the chapters . . .

Before I Forget . . .

Fisher begins her memoir with a disclaimer that her memory has holes following her electroconvulsive therapy sessions.

Shockaholic

A show more brief history of electroconvulsive therapy is provided as Fisher resolves to try it as a last resort after struggling with mental health and addiction issues exacerbated by the trauma from the death of a friend lying in bed beside her.

Wishful Shrinking

Thoughts on weight gain and a sponsorship she received from Jenny Craig, Inc.

The Senator

A dinner date Fisher had with Senator Chris Dodd became a sexual harassment sparring match with a truly vile Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy.

The Princess and the King

A shared dermatologist and dentist with whom they were both acquainted open up a strange friendship opportunity with Michael Jackson. And having befriended him, she offers up a weak defense against the sexual abuse allegations the dentist made against Jackson for spending time and sharing a bed with his son -- activities with which the dentist was initially was okay and even enthusiastically bragged about to Fisher.

Waiting for the Shoe (Tycoon) to Drop

Fisher roasts Harry Karl, the old lump of a man her mother, Debbie Reynolds, married on the rebound after Fisher's father, Eddie Fisher, ran off with Elizabeth Taylor.

Oy! Ma Pa-Pa

A roast of the womanizing and drug-addicted Eddie Fisher evolves into a melancholy and mawkish reconciliation of sorts as he was dying. There's even a reconciliation with homewrecker Elizabeth Taylor thrown in for good measure.

I listened to the audiobook, but I recommend also picking up the paper book to look at the many pictures and their sarcastic captions. Also, while I listened to the audiobook I cranked it up to 1.25 times the normal speed because I found Fisher's voice to be a bit slow and slurred at the regular speed; the boost made her sound more similar to the version of her I remember from her acting roles. I had to do the same thing for Matthew Perry's memoir. Drug abuse takes a hell of a toll on a person's body over time.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Before I Forget . . . -- Shockaholic -- Wishful Shrinking -- The Senator -- The Princess and the King -- Waiting for the Shoe (Tycoon) to Drop -- Oy! Ma Pa-Pa -- Acknowledgments show less

As with "Wishful Drinking" by Fisher, I opted to listen to the audiobook, since she reads it herself. I think Carrie Fisher was absolutely brilliant, and this book is further proof of that. It's amazing to me, only two months after her death, that this book was published in 2011.... if only because she mentions her upcoming death at least twice in this book. It was a bit eerie.
Aside from that, I really enjoyed this book. Carrie Fisher was a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is woman who sounds like she took no crap from anyone, except herself, of course. She was a tortured soul, but it seemed like she was really coming to terms with things and getting her life in order. This was, of course, before the 7th episode of the Star Wars saga...
What show more I appreciated most, perhaps, about this book was the talking she did of other famous people that she knew--specifically, Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, and her father (Eddie Fisher), among others. show less

1. Quick read.
2. Funny.
3. Touching.

I heard some mixed reviews about this one and have to say that I'm glad I decided to still give this book a go. I've always just...I've just liked Carrie Fisher. I mean, her as a person and yet I knew little about her. Something about her just settled well with me.

But now I know WHY I like her. She's human. Not like what you think of when you hear, "Rich white American girl who has lived her whole life as a celebrity." Somehow that all seems to have mostly skipped over her.

The book is fast in pacing. That free form internal dialogue really moves and you got to keep up and follow along. Sometimes that can be a problem, zip-zip, and what was that?

But it slows down when it needs to slow down. Like with show more the death of her father. Or, maybe I slowed down. We both slowed down? Carrie and I.

I think the latter is it.

I read the last page and sat the book down and knew that I wasn't just reading a story. I was reading her process. This was Carrie Fisher writing from the heart. She sat down and looked at the page and said, "Where do I start? What do I say?" and she just wrote, not really knowing where it was going but knowing she had to get it out.

Some of it rambles, stays on a road that doesn't want to end. Sometimes you go off road, get lost and find yourself back where you started. At these times I realized that Carrie was just like me. Just trying to cope with the pain and the loss. Trying to grieve and accept and understand and tell herself that it is all okay, it all has a purpose. Trying to laugh and smile and realize that a good cry is sometimes just that...good.

In the end, I didn't feel sorry for Carrie...I empathized with her. We've walked in each other's shoes. She doesn't know it yet, but Carrie and I are BFF's.

No, for real.

BFF's. show less

Carrie Fisher once again proves that humor is the often the best defense against the chaotic madness of (her) life. With a sharp wit and self-insight, she delivers snippets of what electro-convulsive therapy has done to her brain, her waist and her life. Each chapter is a self-contained story - be it how she became a Jenny Craig spokesperson or having a battle of wits with a jerk of a senator over dinner or what it was like to know Michael Jackson - each tale is a chestnut that entertains the voyeur in us all much better than any tabloid could - as these tales come straight from the source (as best as she can remember, what with the shock therapy and all). A great read from a woman who proves time and time again she has more to offer show more than being character in a space movie - if only we'd let her move on. show less