GENRE: Nonfiction/Memoir
PURCHASE: link
AUTHOR SITE: link
MY GRADE: A-
FROM PUBLISHER: Lovable child star by age ten, international teen idol by fifteen, and to this day a perennial pop-culture staple, Corey Feldman has not only spent the entirety of his life in the spotlight, he's become just as famous for his off-screen exploits as for his roles in such classic films as Gremlins, The Goonies, and Stand by Me. He's been linked to a slew of Hollywood starlets (including Drew Barrymore, Vanessa Marcil, and adult entertainer Ginger Lynn), shared a highly publicized friendship with Michael Jackson, and with his frequent costar Corey Haim enjoyed immeasurable success as one half of the wildly popular duo "The Two Coreys," spawning seven films, a 1-900 number, and "Coreymania" in the process. What child of the eighties didn't have a Corey Feldman poster hanging in her bedroom, or a pile of Tiger Beats stashed in his closet?
Now, in this brave and moving memoir, Corey is revealing the truth about what his life was like behind the scenes: His is a past that included physical, drug, and sexual abuse, a dysfunctional family from which he was emancipated at age fifteen, three high-profile arrests for drug possession, a nine-month stint in rehab, and a long, slow crawl back to the top of the box office.
MY THOUGHTS: What a dark book and a bad childhood. Corey (born 1971) came from an abusive family complete with mentally ill, drug-using mother. He didn't interview either parent for this, which is disappointing but understandable since he doesn't have much of a relationship with them. I'd like to know what they think of his being molested and given drugs by grown men, beginning when he was just thirteen. Until he was emancipated at fifteen his parents spent his money as if it was their own. It makes me angry that an adult could spend a child's money.
Being verbally and physically abused by his parents and grandfather, molested by a few grown men, and teased and taunted by classmates when he actually went to regular school likely led to his drug use and two suicide attempts as a teenager. I don't think he mentioned whether or not he's ever gone to therapy. If he has I'd have liked to have read about what they discussed and the therapists' advice and such. The book is just shy of 300 pages and I feel like more could have been said on certain topics and the things I've just mentioned could have been added.
Being a watcher of porn I want to mention that when Corey was fifteen porn actress Ginger Lynn gave him a blow job in her Porsche- she was twenty-four.
He mentioned his friend and fellow actor Corey Haim (born 1971) quite a bit. Corey H. was molested at eleven and had been on a downward spiral since. He became a very heavy drug user I think after being molested again by a man when he was fourteen, during the filming of the movie Lucas. He was extremely hyperactive and hypersexual and even tried to have sex with Corey Feldman a few times.
Now for the negative: He didn't mention how he got into acting, didn't mention if he even enjoyed it or if he does it still because it's what he's done for most of his life. He gave a vague reason for why his second marriage ended (lack of trust). I don't see how you can talk about something as personal as being molested yet not mention much about your marriage or the woman you were married to. He didn't mention when and why he became vegetarian. He told us that sex acts were preformed on him as a teen by a few men but never once said whether he preformed them on others. I found that a bit odd but I'm going to assume he did those things and didn't want that mentioned. How do you write a book about yourself, mention that your mother hated your nose and said it 'wouldn't stop growing' (as she held him down) and never once mention your two nose jobs? I had to learn that here. Most importantly he didn't give a reason for why he never told his parents, directors, other cast mates, or the police, that he was being molested.
I like reading about the darker side of life so needless to say I enjoyed this book. Yes, it could have been a bit better and more detailed in some areas. I hope he writes a follow-up book in the future.
I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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