It is the bad that teaches you, makes you think; good takes care of itself and only gets better.
—Joan Rivers, Enter Talking
Tag: memoir
Review: Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton
The HP kids are alright 😌
Despite the whirlwind of being a child actor growing up onscreen as part of a globally famous film franchise, Tom Felton aka Draco Malfoy has a down-to-earth perspective on life and a good, humble head on his shoulders.
I devoured this book – as a fan of memoirs and as a huge Harry Potter nerd of the same generation as Felton and the Golden Trio. Beyond the Wand (with a very sweet forward by Emma Watson) spills the HP tea in a fun, respectful way.
We get stories of Felton/Draco and the Death Eaters accidentally stepping on Alan Rickman’s robes 😱, 13-year-old Emma slapping the crap out of Tom to practice for Hermione’s onscreen Draco punch, and the healthy one-sided competition Felton felt with Daniel Radcliffe to grow as an actor at the same pace.
Plus, it’s interesting to hear about his life outside of the films and learn about his other projects and interests (golf?! being a beach bum in Venice, CA 😎, fishing).
Tom is a reflective writer, and I could tell from the thought he put into each sentence that it was heartfelt and more than just a “celebrity writing a book” cash grab.
Would recommend to all HP fans ⚡️
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
“The only true currency we have in life is the effect we have on those around us.”
—Tom Felton, Beyond the Wand
Review: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
So, stage parents are the actual worst.
I was too old for Jennette McCurdy’s Nickelodeon shows iCarly and Sam & Cat when they aired, but despite not being familiar with her work I was intrigued to hear about her child-star life from the slap in the face that is this book title and cover.
A modern Mama Rose/Gypsy story, Jennette’s childhood and young adulthood were monitored and controlled by her narcissistic stage mother, who never fulfilled her showbiz dreams and so thrust them upon her (unwilling) daughter.
Jennette’s mother wanted her to stay a young, castable girl forever, so she taught her eleven-year-old daughter calorie restriction — only one of the many ways she manipulated her child, along with forcing her into acting classes and auditions, guilt trips, gaslighting: the whole trauma package.
But this is a memoir of catharsis. Of reflection, coming to painful realizations, and moving on.
Jennette McCurdy is a good writer with a strong voice and perspective. Not to mention a wonderful sense of dark humor. The best memoir I read in 2022.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Putting our minds to something has never been the problem. The problem has been: Who decides whose mind is worthy?
—Amber Tamblyn, Era of Ignition
Happiness is harder to put into words. It’s also harder to source, much more mysterious than anger or sorrow, which come to me promptly, whenever I summon them, and remain long after I’ve begged them to leave.
—David Sedaris, Calypso
One of my teachers told me I was a nihilist. He meant it as an insult but I took it as a compliment.
—Susanna Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted
You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.
—Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Stop whining about getting old. It’s a privilege.
― Amy Poehler, Yes Please
Crazy isn’t being broken or swallowing a dark secret. It’s you or me amplified. If you ever told a lie and enjoyed it. If you ever wished you could be a child forever.
—Susanna Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted
That Book Broad 