Inside Out by Demi Moore

(Format for this read: Audiobook)

I kept seeing this book listed as one of 2019 “top reads”…so I thought I’d check it out.

Autobiographies always fascinate me…hearing stories and experiences from people about their own lives is so interesting, especially when they are public figures we assume we “know”.

I am not a huge Demi Moore fan but I do think she is a fantastic actress, so I was curious to hear about her life journey so far from her own voice.

Here is an official summary:

“Famed American actress Demi Moore at last tells her own story in a surprisingly intimate and emotionally charged memoir.

For decades, Demi Moore has been synonymous with celebrity. From iconic film roles to high-profile relationships, Moore has never been far from the spotlight—or the headlines.

Even as Demi was becoming the highest paid actress in Hollywood, however, she was always outrunning her past, just one step ahead of the doubts and insecurities that defined her childhood. Throughout her rise to fame and during some of the most pivotal moments of her life, Demi battled addiction, body image issues, and childhood trauma that would follow her for years—all while juggling a skyrocketing career and at times negative public perception. As her success grew, Demi found herself questioning if she belonged in Hollywood, if she was a good mother, a good actress—and, always, if she was simply good enough.

As much as her story is about adversity, it is also about tremendous resilience. In this deeply candid and reflective memoir, Demi pulls back the curtain and opens up about her career and personal life—laying bare her tumultuous relationship with her mother, her marriages, her struggles balancing stardom with raising a family, and her journey toward open heartedness. Inside Out is a story of survival, success, and surrender—a wrenchingly honest portrayal of one woman’s at once ordinary and iconic life.”

Demi did not hold back in this book…she let her guard down and was truthful and vulnerable about so so much…even the things that did not show her choices and decisions in a positive light.

She spoke about her painful childhood and family dynamics, her self image and body issues, her addiction battles, her relationship struggles, her professional dilemmas, and even her not too long ago pregnancy loss.

She was candid about all of her relationships…family and romantic alike…and at first I thought maybe she crossed a line in what she shared.

But then the more I listened the more I realized WHY she was laying everything out there…this book was her chance to tell her story in the way SHE wanted it told.

A chance to tell her thoughts…her feelings.

She has had every single detail of her personal life dissected and displayed in the media…people based their opinions on her based on reporters interpretations…some accurate, some completely false.

She doesn’t make you pity her for this…but she does want to tell her side of things.

I can understand the need for that.

And while she does speak her truth about negative aspects of various people in her life, she doesn’t do it in a “throw them under the bus” type of way. She ensures to equally share about their positive qualities as well and also admits her negative traits and shortcomings just as much.

I was captivated listening to her story.

I thought it was very interesting…and I really like that she read the audiobook.

Makes you feel like she is just having a conversation with you over coffee at some trendy cafe in Idaho (read the book to see why I said that particular state 🤣)