First published 2008
Valerie Bertinelli takes readers through her transformation from beloved sitcom actress to rock star wife to single mother. She reveals what happened behind the scenes during her years on One Day at a Time, then chronicles her marriage to Eddie Van Halen at age twenty. Bertinelli describes the reality of living with a musical genius whose brilliance came with darkness, the pressures of being married to a member of one of the eighties' wildest bands, and the challenges of raising their son. She connects her life's ups and downs to her relationship with food and her weight, speaking with the honesty of a close friend. The memoir covers her public battles with weight gain, her divorce, and her eventual role as a Jenny Craig spokesperson. Bertinelli addresses the universal struggles many women face with body image, career insecurity, and relationship difficulties, offering her story as both confession and encouragement.
Genres: autobiography, contemporary, memoir, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: confession, encouragement, personal-struggle
Period: 1980s
304 pages · Kindle Edition · Atria Books