About book Diary Of A Stage Mothers Daughter (2000)
Very easy read and entertaining book. Gave me insight in the the entertainment business and how it works. I remember watching this actress on Little House and found her character annoying but by then I wasn't really watching it like I had when I was younger.This is a typical biography, child has a hard life, survives, but someone else dies, lives happily ever after.. yeah rightI find it very interesting that the author writes about her mother without any forgiveness of understanding of her mother's mental illness yet figured out that her sister suffered from Bipolar. I am playing armchair psychiatrist here but as the author described her mother all I could think is that this woman is a classic sufferer of Borderline Personalty Disorder.When I picked this book up I figured the mother had died and that is why the author wrote the book, she was safe from suits or more pain. If the mother is still out there and functioning at the level she was in the past she will strike with venom into this woman's life eventually if she hasn't already. The author still has a lot of work to do in life as the book seeped of denial on so many levels and I suspect it will come out in subsequent books in the future This was an impulse read for me- something I don’t usually do. Usually, I see a book at the library or book store and look it up later at goodreads. But this was on display at my library and the blurbs of praise really hooked me.I did not read this due to the Little House on the Prairie connection. I actually can’t stand that show. As a kid I just couldn’t see how they lived…without a TV. Their life just seemed sooo depressing. If you told me then I would grow up to be an adult with only one TV in my house, a limit of 2 hours or less of TV per day and no TV in my bedroom I’d probably kick you and run away screaming. So this considered, maybe now that I’m older I would be able to appreciate the Ingalls’ non-TV-watching-lifestyle. I would give the show another chance, but I limit the amount of TV I watch and I don’t want to give up Grey’s Anatomy for it.Back to the book.Even though it was slow at times I enjoyed the book. What kept me hooked was the mother’s antics- I just wanted to see what she would do next. I agree that Melissa came off as spoiled and possibly narcissistic at times. But the thing about having a narcissistic mother- it causes their kids to not develop their narcissism properly. Narcissism is on a continuum. Everyone needs a little healthy narcissism. But people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder have way too much. And if they raise kids they mess up their kid’s development in this area. So I’m hoping Melissa’s flaws are only as a result of her mother’s emotional abuse. But narcissism and emotional abuse run in families- if that’s all you know then likely you will raise your kid in a similar manner. I’m hoping Melissa has stopped the cycle. This problem is much deeper then just seeing a pushy stage mom on the outside, and I think this book did a good job of portraying it.Problems:Melissa would present a conflict with her mother, very matter of fact, and then not elaborate on the conclusion. For example- the mother got access to Melissa’s bank account. She presented it like a cliff hanger at the end of a chapter and never described the aftermath. This worked for shock value, but it had me wondering what happened in real life next?Also- who remembers what they wore to school, school projects and friend’s names from age 5-6? She remembered rivalry between herself and another girl that had me shaking my head. Oh well, I guess we all can’t be blessed with a super duper memory.She tells her own son he’s “the smartest boy in the world”. I get it- you want to give your son positive attention, pretty much the opposite of your own mommie dearest. Just don’t turn into the mother from “Loverboy”. I like to tell my son he’s the cutest boy in the world. I tell his twin brother the same thing.Melissa was in denial about her father’s role in the emotional abuse. She did not present him as completely blameless, but I got the feeling she couldn’t stand to lose two parents. IMHO, he was just as at fault as her mother. He did not stand up for his kids. He enabled her mother to treat them all like crap.Honestly I picked up this book because the mother sounded like she had Narcissistic Personality Disorder, which I have been heavily researching. To the author I recommend the book: “Will I Ever Be Good Enough: Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers” by Karyl McBride. There are two pathways daughters can take to deal with their narcissist mothers, I think you took one and your sister took the other.
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Very good and informative book. Interesting look behind the scenes of child star
—Jessie
This book was from the heart. I couldn't put it down. Loved it.
—Martinha
I loved this book. Melissa Francis's story is mind boggling.
—terri
