The other day I finished reading Britney Spears’ memoir, The Woman in Me. It was my daughter’s book, and she read it first. I have a few thoughts, but first thought I would share the NY Times review. It does a great job of describing the meat of the book–what Britney says she has gone through with her family, career, love life, and mental health. It doesn’t mention the quality of the writing. Leave that to me ;).
If you find a paywall in the following article and would like to read , email me at luanne[dot]castle[at]gmail[dot]com.
The Woman in Me was actually written by ghostwriter Sam Lansky, a music journalist, along with Britney. So I do think that what is most important about the book is exactly what the NY Times reviewer wrote about: Britney’s life as she sees it.
But let me mention why I was interested in reading about Britney. I’m not a big fan of pop music, especially anything post 70s, but I did like “Toxic” and a few other songs; however, I wasn’t a fan per se. I’ve followed her career because my daughter, who is 5 or 6 years younger than Britney, was a huge fan. Such a big fan that when my daughter, a dancer and singer from a young age, was in callbacks for a regional theatre production (that was local to us) at age fifteen, she ran out in the middle in order to make it in time to a Britney concert.
Since she meant so much to my daughter, I kept up with Britney’s outer world. Britney started her career, truly, with her stint on the Mickey Mouse Club where she met other kids who went on to become famous, such as Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Ryan Gosling. My daughter who was very talented at dance from a young age begged me repeatedly to take her to Los Angeles to audition for . . . everything. We lived a couple of hours away, so it wouldn’t have been impossible to do this. But I’ve always thought that we have clear evidence that the life of a child performer is dangerous. It tends to screw up their adult lives. And I think in many cases–and this is true in Britney’s case–it corrupts the adults who are supposed to be safeguarding the child. I (and my daughter’s dad was in complete agreement) would not let her audition for anything out of our local area until she was an adult. By then she was off to college, studying musical theatre.
Reading this memoir confirmed for me that I had made the right decision for my daughter because what she found out as an adult is that the performing world is difficult even for adults. We see Britney now as a vulnerable, mentally ill woman, but what she has gone through has undoubtedly been horrific for her and her mental health. I still believe I was right that the #freeBritney movement was correct. Her imprisonment by her father should have led to his imprisonment in a U.S. prison, in my opinion. I wish there was better mental health care for Britney Spears and the millions of other sufferers, but unfortunately our mental health system is not good. And someone as rich and famous as Britney was a real target–especially by those close to her.
I promised I would address the quality of the writing of the book. Let me put it this way. Last night I asked my daughter what she thought about the book. The first thing she said was that she read it thinking what I, a writer, thought about the writing of it. “It seemed disjointed and choppy. Did you think so?” Yup, I sure did. Events were out of sequence for no good reason. For a ghostwritten book, it could have been so much better. I have no idea how hard it was for Sam Lansky to work with Britney or how much editing she did of the book herself, but the quality of the writing is subpar. Even so, I couldn’t put the book down because I wanted to hear about Britney’s life from her perspective, and that was worth it to me.
Oddly enough, I would imagine the compelling energy of her personal story is enough to make this a bestseller. As mental illness does not run in my family IT GALLOPS, my choice would be to NOT read it. All that being said, I truly appreciate this review.
I totally understand your not wanting to read it. I would say there is a lot of mental illness in Britney’s family. Her grandmother was institionalized (and it killed her) and eerily it seems the grandfather, a horrible person, was responsible for her being locked up. So then his son does it to Britney. I also have family members with mental illness, so I know how hard it is on the other family members, but have compassion for those who suffer it themselves. I’m sorry you deal with it in your family, Annette.
Some books whose writing is subpar are that gripping. I’m thinking of the book about Alzheimer’s disease that we read. Terrible writing, gripping story.
I’m sorry Britney Spears has been exploited so terribly by her father. What a horrible man and horrible system that let him get away with it.
I hit the paywall but I went to my good friend Amazon to read reviews. Overall the consensus was poor writing and compelling story. I’m not a fan (not that I disliked her, just a different generation) but whoa, there was something very wrong going on there. Our systems do not protect. (And I got all that from reviews!) I have a tender spot for people with issues. My best friend started to have bizarre episodes when she was around 30. I watched her go through so much but at least her family and friends were supportive. She’s still my bestie at 77. Wheelchair bound with mounds of health issues from decades of drug treatments but she’s still here.
Oh, Kate, my heart breaks for your friend. I’m so glad she has you!! Yes, support that doesn’t waver is so important. And Britney got the opposite. I really feel for her.
Very interesting, Luanne, and off your usual reading material?
But, I get why you wanted to read it.
Thank goodness you didn’t succumb to the magnetism of LA life with your daughter.
Excellent review of the writing.
Thanks – made me feel a little more “with it.”
Yeah, definitely not my usual reading material. I’m so glad, especially because after all these years I think I know my daughter better than I did when she was a kid. We tend to see kids in the parts of them colored in with heavy markers, but there are a lot of wavy areas that aren’t “set” yet if that makes any sense at all.
Haha, I don’t know if Britney makes you with it, Sheila. After all, her fans are in their 30s and 40s ;).
Great review, Luanne. I’m glad you discussed the writing quality as well as the content of her story. I’ve never been a Britney “fan” but I have been very disturbed by how she was treated by “friends” and family. What a nightmare. And what good parents you and Marshall are to keep your daughter from auditioning until she was an adult. The entertainment industry just eats kids up and spits them out when they are no longer “marketable.”
It’s awful what happened to her. I assume my kids listened to her, but I guess they weren’t huge fans since I don’t remember. It sounds like you made the right decision with your daughter.
I think I was so familiar also because my daughter was in dance. I listened to the songs over and over again for recitals and dance productions, classes and practices.
This is such a good review, Luanne. I have no interest in Britney Spears, but maybe the book’s disjointedness shows more about her state of mind. Her father (family) sounds horrible. I think you made the right decision with your daughter.
Yes, horrible. The father is awful, and the mother followed along in a lot, plus the mother has her own issues. She was feeding Britney alcohol when she was a very young teen.
I have only tangentially followed Brittany because of her Mississippi and Louisiana connections, but her story turned quite tragic. From your review, once her parents made a decision you avoided, it might have always been tragic….
Although I have no interest in her as a pop star (nor did my daughters, as far as I know), I am somewhat interested to read the book because in a long ago distant time I knew the woman who was the judge overseeing her case. I imagine she will not come off well in the book, so I am reluctant to read it for that reason.
And in a land far far away hahaha. I might have read the book too fast, but I do not remember much if anything said about the judge. I read a review by someone of her generation who loves Britney and even she said the book is written at about the 4th grade level, meaning the book doesn’t really get into details like that.
I like a lot of Britney’s music and it’s sad the way her life turned out. I don’t often read biographies of singers – I tend to think they’re probably not going to be written very well, but that’s probably just a prejudice!
Well, you are right in this case. I think biographies that are aimed at mass readership tend to be poorly written. I like literary biographies because they are usually really interesting as the biographers often interpret the writings of the writer in light of their lives. There isn’t a lot of this in Britney’s memoir, in part because she spent a long time without being able to make artistic decisions, thanks to her father’s iron control.
Oddly enough, I would imagine the compelling energy of her personal story is enough to make this a bestseller. As mental illness does not run in my family IT GALLOPS, my choice would be to NOT read it. All that being said, I truly appreciate this review.
I totally understand your not wanting to read it. I would say there is a lot of mental illness in Britney’s family. Her grandmother was institionalized (and it killed her) and eerily it seems the grandfather, a horrible person, was responsible for her being locked up. So then his son does it to Britney. I also have family members with mental illness, so I know how hard it is on the other family members, but have compassion for those who suffer it themselves. I’m sorry you deal with it in your family, Annette.
Compassion all the way. God Bless us, everyone.
XO
Some books whose writing is subpar are that gripping. I’m thinking of the book about Alzheimer’s disease that we read. Terrible writing, gripping story.
I’m sorry Britney Spears has been exploited so terribly by her father. What a horrible man and horrible system that let him get away with it.
Her father is a monster. And so was his father. Yes, Still Alice is what you’re thinking of. It’s beyond gripping–and yet the writing is so not good.
I hit the paywall but I went to my good friend Amazon to read reviews. Overall the consensus was poor writing and compelling story. I’m not a fan (not that I disliked her, just a different generation) but whoa, there was something very wrong going on there. Our systems do not protect. (And I got all that from reviews!) I have a tender spot for people with issues. My best friend started to have bizarre episodes when she was around 30. I watched her go through so much but at least her family and friends were supportive. She’s still my bestie at 77. Wheelchair bound with mounds of health issues from decades of drug treatments but she’s still here.
Oh, Kate, my heart breaks for your friend. I’m so glad she has you!! Yes, support that doesn’t waver is so important. And Britney got the opposite. I really feel for her.
I was wondering why you would want to read Britney’s book!
So now you know?
Yes, it makes sense, given your daugther’s interest in her.
Right.
Very interesting, Luanne, and off your usual reading material?
But, I get why you wanted to read it.
Thank goodness you didn’t succumb to the magnetism of LA life with your daughter.
Excellent review of the writing.
Thanks – made me feel a little more “with it.”
Yeah, definitely not my usual reading material. I’m so glad, especially because after all these years I think I know my daughter better than I did when she was a kid. We tend to see kids in the parts of them colored in with heavy markers, but there are a lot of wavy areas that aren’t “set” yet if that makes any sense at all.
Haha, I don’t know if Britney makes you with it, Sheila. After all, her fans are in their 30s and 40s ;).
Well then, there’s that.
LOL! xo
Great review, Luanne. I’m glad you discussed the writing quality as well as the content of her story. I’ve never been a Britney “fan” but I have been very disturbed by how she was treated by “friends” and family. What a nightmare. And what good parents you and Marshall are to keep your daughter from auditioning until she was an adult. The entertainment industry just eats kids up and spits them out when they are no longer “marketable.”
I have been so disturbed by it, too. I mean how could this happen that one of the most visible women in this country for years could be so invisible?
Patriarchy and the entertainment industry that tended to mock Britney rather than see her as a victim.
YES!!! She was just to make money for some and they thought of her as something to be consumed, not human.
It hurts me to look at her. Some parents shouldn’t be parents.
No, they shouldn’t. Her parents should be prosecuted. It’s so sad.
It’s sad and made me angry.
Me too!
It’s awful what happened to her. I assume my kids listened to her, but I guess they weren’t huge fans since I don’t remember. It sounds like you made the right decision with your daughter.
I think I was so familiar also because my daughter was in dance. I listened to the songs over and over again for recitals and dance productions, classes and practices.
This is such a good review, Luanne. I have no interest in Britney Spears, but maybe the book’s disjointedness shows more about her state of mind. Her father (family) sounds horrible. I think you made the right decision with your daughter.
Yes, horrible. The father is awful, and the mother followed along in a lot, plus the mother has her own issues. She was feeding Britney alcohol when she was a very young teen.
Good grief! 🤦🏼♀️
Yeah.
I can see now why you would read this. I don’t read much memoir, and even rarer a celebrity one. But thanks for the insights.
I love memoir as a genre. But then I’m a person who walks by someone’s house and makes up a story about what’s going on inside . . . .
I have only tangentially followed Brittany because of her Mississippi and Louisiana connections, but her story turned quite tragic. From your review, once her parents made a decision you avoided, it might have always been tragic….
I think so.
Although I have no interest in her as a pop star (nor did my daughters, as far as I know), I am somewhat interested to read the book because in a long ago distant time I knew the woman who was the judge overseeing her case. I imagine she will not come off well in the book, so I am reluctant to read it for that reason.
And in a land far far away hahaha. I might have read the book too fast, but I do not remember much if anything said about the judge. I read a review by someone of her generation who loves Britney and even she said the book is written at about the 4th grade level, meaning the book doesn’t really get into details like that.
Oy…..:)
I like a lot of Britney’s music and it’s sad the way her life turned out. I don’t often read biographies of singers – I tend to think they’re probably not going to be written very well, but that’s probably just a prejudice!
Well, you are right in this case. I think biographies that are aimed at mass readership tend to be poorly written. I like literary biographies because they are usually really interesting as the biographers often interpret the writings of the writer in light of their lives. There isn’t a lot of this in Britney’s memoir, in part because she spent a long time without being able to make artistic decisions, thanks to her father’s iron control.