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nadia_not_there's review against another edition
5.0
Coincidentally I read this book in the same week I watched episode 4 of The Penguin, which tells the story of Sofia Falcone’s gaslighting, forced institutionalisation, imprisonment and torture.
We’re not supposed to feel bad for rich powerful privileged women right?
Well, dammit, men will find a way regardless. To control, to silence, to gaslight, to abuse.
Britney is certainly not the first woman celeb in history to go through this, and indeed many women have experienced this and worse, but this story matters so much. For these themes to come through in a bestseller by someone who the tabloids (i.e. abusers of the precious right to free speech, which others in the world are denied and die for) and streaming services love to exploit could be a good way to get these issues on the table in a big way, which is difficult for the “little guy” to achieve. Britney got the chance to publish a guaranteed bestseller and used her platform to highlight lifelong patterns of these issues.
I will admit that I am not a very critical reader: I find something to like in almost everything I read, I can read almost any genre, and I tend to be especially forgiving of autobiographies/memoirs, because public figures are seldom the best writers!
Britney is not a writer. But she tells her story authentically, with much reflection and what feels like a difficult honesty. The pacing is not slow and she doesn’t really belabour any points. Where she does refer to certain chapters of her life a lot, such as her relationships with Justin & Kevin, or her father’s many flaws, it’s clearly because those affected her profoundly, and she had a lot to say that could not be said before. Tbh I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. She describes the awful things that happened to her while admitting to her own faults and apologising.
After the forced mental “treatment” and rehab, violation of privacy, denial of basic rights, after all the content made without her consent, after having no control of her life for so long, after her creativity and passion were repeatedly stifled, after tabloids provoking then exploiting her merely to keep media shareholders rich, it’s great to hear her own voice.
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, and Gaslighting
Minor: Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Cultural appropriation, and Pandemic/Epidemic
smacey's review against another edition
5.0
Britney Spears is a living legend. We are so lucky she is still here and was willing to be so vulnerable with the public, who has historically treated her so wrong, and tell her story. I highly recommend to anyone and everyone with any interest in Britney, pop culture/music, mental health, feminism, or conservatorships taking the time to read this book. So many quotes have stuck with me since reading this memoir, and regardless of how well you think it was written or not, it does what it was meant to: tell the unabashed truth about what happened to Britney Spears and the poor treatment she received from the vast majority of people close to her as well as the public eye throughout her life, particularly at the height of her stardom and career, and give a glimpse into one of many unnecessary conservatorships used to strip people of their personal, professional, and financial freedoms, all from the point of view of Britney herself.
What an absolute icon.
Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
casperoliver's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism
heather667's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Pedophilia
marysunburn's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
The book is a first-person account of Britney Spears' real-life journey through her conservatorship, which granted her father complete and total control on everything she did: what she ate, what she wore, how she did her job and how, or if, she was allowed to see her family. The singer is institutionalized and forced to take prescription drugs.fkshg8465's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
euphoricallydreaming's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Gaslighting
ressicajicks's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Moderate: Miscarriage
eliza_beth_23's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Miscarriage, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Abortion, and Gaslighting
Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism
aleilvandrea's review against another edition
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicide, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Vomit, and Pandemic/Epidemic