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megelizabeth's review against another edition
4.5
I knew this was going to be a tough read, but my god did my heart absolutely break for Britney throughout. She tells her story in such a raw, vulnerable way and it was just so surreal finding out everything that was going on with her that I either only knew about vaguely before or wasn't aware of at all.
It's such an intensely moving and powerful read and, whilst I did find some parts lacking in detail, I can also see that going over everything would have been so traumatic for her and that she probably had to limit certain parts for her own sake. She also weaves in some great commentary on celebrity culture and the music industry and just does such a great job of holding multiple powers and abusers to account and really getting her own story and feelings and self across.
Thank god she's free.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Abortion
Moderate: Death, Drug use, and Infidelity
Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide, and Death of parent
ninamitu's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Death, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Car accident, and Abortion
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
0pal_'s review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
tschwedii12's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Abortion, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Minor: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Pandemic/Epidemic
tguccione's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Eating disorder
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.25
"There have been so many times when I was scared to speak up because I was afraid somebody would think I was crazy. But I’ve learned that lesson now, the hard way. You have to speak the thing that you’re feeling, even if it scares you. You have to tell your story. You have to raise your voice."
It's true that I don't usually read celebrity memoirs, but there has been such a hype around The Woman In Me and in the end I couldn't resist. Especially since I already had some knowledge of the things that happened to her, and I was curious to see just how far things really did go. Boy, this memoir was no picnic! Britney Spears tells her story as it is without any filter, and it is shocking just how much she has had to endure ever since she was little. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be SO betrayed by the very same people who are supposed to protect you... And how it was even possible for it to take that long for her to be able to do something about it. While I would have liked more dept in certain parts, I can't deny I liked the way this was written. Simple, but very effective and there are many trigger warning worthy topics incorporated along the way. She isn't afraid to name names either, and I applaud her for finally being able to truly speak up for herself. I remember certain events from when I was a teenager, and this memoir has definitely put things in perspective. It's truly a miracle she was even able to perform and create new content while being in such an impossible situation! I listened to her music when she first became popular, and while I wasn't a true fan or anything I'm still glad I finally read this memoir. It shows some of her music career, but the main focus is on her personal situation over the years. If you like reading celebrity memoirs and don't mind things getting dark, I can definitely recommend The Woman In Me.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
ellsbells27's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Abortion, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body shaming, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, and Grief
lizzy_elaineee's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, and Suicide
randirush's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Abortion
Moderate: Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, and Sexual content