Wishful Drinking

I read Carrie Fisher's memoir Wishful Drinking today. It was a quick and easy read at 161 pages, and I couldn't put it down. I checked it out of the library around 2:30 and finished it at 10:00. That's right folks, I read during Monday Night Raw. That's practically unheard of.

I already knew that Carrie was a recovering addict. What I wasn't aware of was that she is bipolar. I love what she said about her mental condition in the author's note at the end of the book--

"One of the things that baffles me (and there are quite a few) is how there can be so much lingering stigma with regards to mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder. In my opinion, living with manic depression takes a tremendous amount of balls. Not unlike a tour of duty in Afghanistan (thought the bombs and bullets, in this case, come from the inside). At times, being bipolar can be an all-consuming challenge, requiring a lot of stamina and even more courage, so if you're living with this illness and functioning at all, it's something to be proud of, not ashamed of.
They should issue medals along with the steady stream of medications one has to ingest."

Wow.

The whole book was great fun (mostly). I enjoyed reading about  her childhood, growing up with famous parents. She compares  her mother, Debbie Reynolds, her father, Eddie Fisher, and the marriage wrecker, Elizabeth Taylor to Jennifer Anniston, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie. The major difference, or course, being that Brad and Jen didn't have any kids to screw up. I'm not sure how the Branglina Bunch will fare, but that's another topic for another time.

I also learned that she was married to Paul Simon. How did I not know that? I love Paul Simon. I love trivia. I must have just forgotten that little factoid. Right now my mind is so crowded with the Jon and Kate + 8 debacle that it is pushing other important information out. Jon and Kateare like a particularly bad car wreck. You know you shouldn't slow down and gawk, but at the same time, you just can't help yourself. But I digress......

Carrie Fisher also talks about her stint as Princess Leia. She is particularly proud of the fact that she has her likeness forever immortalized as a Pez dispenser.

I wouldn't recommend Wishful Drinking if you are a little uptight about language. The language is a little, shall we say, salty. I have no problem with a little cussing myself. When I was about 12 my mother decided to pay me a quarter every time she said a bad word* in a valiant effort to stop cussing. Then there was the fateful day she installed Contact Paper on the cabinet below the kitchen sink. That's pretty much how I paid for my first car. James has also taken up his own form of cussing--If something ticks him off he says "Oh c-word" or "Oh s-word". Literally, that's what he says. He doesn't say the actual word, just c-word and s-word. That's what you get when you have my laizze faire parenting skillz.

<3,
Wendy

*In fairness to my mother the only bad words I ever heard her say are shit and damn. Perfectly good words when used correctly, in my opinion.

Comments

[Gene Smith]

You read through the opening of The Donald era, commercial-free, Monday Night Raw? I honestly don't know what to say... (and no, I'm not a wrestling (or is it wrasslin'?) fan, I just watch the USA network most of the day for all of the Law and Order variants and, of course, House - so I saw all of the commercials...)

Noah gets all of his cussin' from Spongebob Squarepants, therefore we get a lot of "Oh Barnacles" and the like...

[Robin8742@gmail.com]

Wendy-
I also liked the book, can you look up the quote for me where she says about Simon and her being from the same tribe? And him being a magic person (I think) I believe its at the start of the chapter about him. (I read it in a bookstore, and now I can't remember this quote!)

Thanks!

[Wendy Fairfull]

Robin-
I can't look up the quote for you. I have already returned the book to the library. Sorry.