Hope Donahue

memoir
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This book is not easy to review, nor was it easy to read. That's not to say it's not well written or interesting, it definitely is! The book presents some shocking realities regarding the LA cosmetic surgery industry as well as mental illness. The author, Hope, is brutally honest and I commend her for this. She tells us her deepest, darkest thoughts, which are not endearing at all, yet she is still brave enough to voice them. The story is not really about the extremes that the author will go to in order to perfect outward beauty, although they are described in shocking detail. Rather, it is about the horrifying depths she will go to in order to try to fill an inner emptiness. Hope eventually goes to therapy which does help, and towards the end of the book she visits a psychiatrist who diagnoses obsessive compulsive disorder and she receives medication for this as well as for her depression. I imagine that the writing of this book, provided additional healing. The only thing I kept hoping was that she would be able to fill some of her emptiness, not with a wonderful husband, or four children, or medication, but with the genuine love and peace that comes from an inner spiritual journey. Although this wasn't the case in the book, this is my wish for Hope. I truly commend her for sharing her sincere story and I think it will be helpful to so many other woman.… (més)

Another crap memoir. She had a crazy mother and family and, unsurprisingly, grew up to have a lot of plastic surgery. When she started posing nude to pay for more, she knew she had a problem. I quit reading before that point.

Helpfully, the book cover has photos of her before, during, and after her surgeries (I mean after she had her implants taken out, etc.). She's an ordinary pretty girl in all of them.

Now if Joyce Wildenstein wrote a book about what possessed her to have all her plastic surgeries, and what she really thinks about how she looks - I'd definitely read that to the end!… (més)

This is a memoir by a woman who by all accounts, had everything. She came from a wealthy family, never needed anything, although her parents were definitely far from normal and her mom could have benefited from therapy. The author fell into the world of plastic surgery and became addicted, partially because of her self-loathing and her quest for perfection and partially because of the "plastic surgeon" she chose who actually was not board certified. This book is interesting and I would classify it as a "summer read". The moral of the story is to love who you are because everyone is different and there is no such thing as the perfect body or the perfect face. I enjoyed this book, I tend to like memoirs like this. It is not a heavy read and I would think only women would enjoy the topic.… (més)