Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
A MILLION MEANINGS IN A SINGLE NAME…
Heiress. Party girl. Problem child. Selfie taker. Model. Cover girl. Reality star.
These are labels that have been attached to Paris Hilton by others.
Founder. Entrepreneur. Pop Culture Maker. Innovator. Survivor. Activist. Daughter. Sister. Wife. Mom.
These are roles Paris Hilton embraces now as a fully realized woman.
Paris rose to prominence as an heiress to the Hilton Hotels empire, but cultivated her fame and fortune as the It Girl of the aughts, a time marked by the burgeoning twenty-four-hour entertainment news cycle and the advent of the celebrity blog. Using her celebrity brand, Paris set in motion her innovative business ventures, while being the constant target of tabloid culture that dismissively wrote her off as “famous for being famous.” With tenacity, sharp business acumen, and grit, she built a global empire and, in the process, became a truly modern icon beloved around the world.
Now, with courage, honesty, and humor, Paris Hilton is ready to take stock, place it all in context, and share her story with the world. Separating the creation from the creator, the brand from the ambassador, Paris: The Memoir strips away all we thought we knew about a celebrity icon, taking us back to a privileged childhood lived through the lens of undiagnosed ADHD and teenage rebellion that triggered a panicked—and perilous—decision by her parents. Led to believe they were saving their child’s life, Paris’s mother and father had her kidnapped and sent to a series of “emotional growth boarding schools,” where she survived almost two years of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. In the midst of a hell we now call the “troubled teen industry,” Paris created a beautiful inner world where the ugliness couldn’t touch her. She came out, resolving to trust no one but herself as she transformed that fantasy world into a multibillion-dollar reality.
Recounting her perilous journey through pre-#MeToo sexual politics with grace, dignity, and just the right amount of sass, Paris: The Memoir tracks the evolution of celebrity culture through the story of the figure at its leading edge, full of defining moments and marquee names. Most important, Paris shows us her path to peace while she challenges us to question our role in her story and in our own. Welcome to Paris.
Don’t judge me too quickly for partaking in this literary masterpiece 🤣
Actually…go ahead and judge me, IDGAF.
Because this book was a surprisingly smart, enjoyable, insightful and witty read and actually a lot more emotionally heavy than I thought it would be.
In case you’re wondering why I picked up this book in the first place (no, I’m not some huge Paris fan…although after reading this I am considering becoming one!), to be honest I just wanted something breezy and quick and mindless to consume.
I mean, I can’t be all deep and introspective and weird ALL the time, yall.
Sometimes a bookworm just needs a bit of pure indulgence.
I didn’t even read the summary before I started listening…I just dug right in.
Maybe that would have given me a clue that a lot of this book IS ANYTHING BUT breezy.
Of course it is full of plenty “Paris” and pop culture speak like “That’s hot”, “Yaaaassss” and “Likes”, plenty of celebrity name dropping, plenty of Hollywood party scenes….BUT it is also full of some pretty intelligent perspective on life as well as some extremely shocking and vulnerable revelations of traumatic experiences from her past.
The things she shares from the horrifically abusive and cultish CEDU “boarding school” program she was forced to attend for two years as a teenager was absolutely AWFUL to hear about.
She went thru some really horrendous shit, yall….it was TERRIBLE and I can’t imagine how painful it was to relive her memories of it all as she wrote this book.
I appreciated her honest insight into all aspects of her life…she was very upfront in admitting all the privileges handed to her and never once took on some poor little rich girl mentality.
She owned up to the persona she created for the media, the things she has done in the past that hurt others and what she has done to create a flourishing business empire, become an advocate for serious change, and the process of evolution for her own personhood.
Her writing style is very conversational….she mentions early on that she has ADHD and that her narrative will follow along the lines of her electric and chaotic thought process…and WOWZA, did I relate to THAT kinda writing, speaking and thinking BIG TIME!!!
This book wasn’t fully what I thought it was going to be…but I have to say, I did like it.
This is why I enjoy reading memoirs….you never know someone’s TRUE and REAL story until you hear it STRAIGHT from them.
And sometimes it can completely change your perspective on who you think you know.