by Kate Mulgrew
First published 2015
Kate Mulgrew chronicles her journey from a large Irish Catholic family in the Midwest to television stardom. The actress opens with her unconventional upbringing among parents who knew their way around drink, dance, and mischief. She describes watching her mother sacrifice artistic dreams for endless childrearing. At eighteen, Mulgrew escapes to New York to study with renowned teacher Stella Adler, who teaches her to transform pain into performance. Her career gains momentum until pregnancy at twenty-two forces an agonizing choice. She gives birth to a daughter and signs adoption papers, catching only a brief glimpse of her child. The memoir follows her rise through passionate relationships, demanding friendships, and exhausting work schedules. For two decades, the loss of her daughter shadows every success. Mulgrew eventually finds strength to confront her past while taking on her most demanding roles as Captain Janeway and Red from Orange is the New Black. She balances irreverent humor with raw emotion, revealing how she learned to live fully on her own terms despite profound loss.
Genres: family-life, autobiography, memoir, biography-memoir, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Midwest, New York
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
302 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: mental-illness