Celebrity Reading
I am not really a celebrity follower. I don’t flip through People magazine at the grocery store counter (I’m too busy wondering if I’ve gone over my grocery budget or not and trying to calculate in my head how much my total will be).
In fact, as I looked through the memoirs I’ve read in the past, the ones I’ve enjoyed the most are about normal people and how they live their reasonably-ordinary lives. I like seeing what regular people do, what sorts of interesting backgrounds they have, and what they choose to do with their careers, families, marriages, and free time.
It’s less interesting, I’m discovering, for me to read about famous people, especially when they aren’t famous for something that really impresses me. See, I do like to read about US presidents or people who were real pioneers in the world in some way – inventing something or making radical progress for some country or group of people.
Actually, that’s what gave me any interest in reading You Have No Idea. What would the woman who was the first black Miss America (Vanessa Williams, if you live under a rock like I clearly do) have to say about her life?
In actuality? Nothing that I was very interested in. Mainly a lot about television parts and songs getting a lot of radio time. Maybe to someone who cares a lot about the entertainment industry this would have some appeal, but for me, it was a fast read that I’ll probably never think about again.
Time to go read about someone real and completely non-famous. And also remember again how I have no aspirations to ever ever ever be famous. There is a whole set of burdens I am happy to live without.
I am paid for my participation in the BlogHer Book Club, but I
choose which books to read and my reviews are strictly my own
opinions. If I think a book is terrible, I’ll say so. If I rave about
a book, it’s because it’s one I’d give to Kayla or my mom.
I have this one checked out, and am intrrested mostly because I remember when Williams was stripped of her crown. I agree that the memoirs about very normal people seem to be the most interesting.
Sometimes I like reading celebrity memoirs purely BECAUSE their lives are so odd to me – the Hollywood infighting and the auditions and the high profile relationships. But it's such a different undertaking than reading a memoir by a regular Joe. And I definitely have to be in the MOOD for it because it can get a little eye-rolly. Anyway, I guess I'm saying that I can see how it would be a little irritating to go in thinking that it would be about something more weighty and to have it be about Hollywood silliness.
I agree. I talk to Dave about this a lot. How because famous would be totally awful. Why would I want magazines highlighting my cellulite or getting a picture of me picking my nose…not that I would EVER do that 🙂 AND I like people magazines. I ADMIT IT. I don't know what it is about the sleez that I find entertaining 🙂
Abe is currently finishing up a 3-part biography on Lyndon Johnson (http://www.amazon.com/Power-Years-Lyndon-Johnson-Volume/dp/0679729453) and he often relates stories of how Johnson was despicable but in a somewhat complicated way that makes it not altogether awful, kind of. He's been really into them so when you're back in the mood, I'd recommend it via his reviews.