{Good Reads}: Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain

January 22nd, 2012

I picked this sucker up on a Saturday and was done by Wednesday. I couldn’t put it down.

I often joke that Portia is my celebrity girlfriend. When I first laid eyes on Portia’s hair on Ally McBeal, I knew I was done for, it was lust at first sight. She is the reason I picked up this book.

“I didn’t decide to become anorexic. It snuck up on me disguised as a healthy diet, a professional attitude. Being as thin as possible as a way to make the job of being an actress easier.”

I’ve always wanted to peek into the life of someone suffering from anorexia in Hollywood (don’t ask); I often wondered what their daily struggles must be like. This is exactly that.

She is very honest in her writing. So much that at times I found myself annoyed by her. It is very clear that this book was written not as a method to help someone else, but as a way of healing herself. That is what makes this book so lovely. The catch is that there are plenty of people, myself included, that were touched by Portia’s way of healing and this book, I have no doubt, has helped many others.

If you have ever been on a diet, you should read this book. If you have ever wondered what it’s like to be an actress in Hollywood, you should read this book. It’s like reading a diary, you know that it is honest and is written for the sole purpose of having a place to regurgitate the innards of your brain. It’s personal, disturbing, and shocking. And I guarantee that you will look at dieting and exercise differently by the time you reach that last page.

Overall, definitely a good read. I’m already wanting to read it again.

Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain by Portia de Rossi

*This book is 2/10 on my 30 before 30 list.