Read this as a teen and I should have taken it as a cautionary tale and learned and not repeated her mistakes. No child, no matter who, should ever have to suffer the torment, pain, frustration, humiliation, bitterness, disappointment, abandonment and fear that this beautiful child and world class talent endured. Although I do not know Drew personally, I am proud of her for writing this book, for trying to reach out to other children who may be in a similar situation, and for trying to explain that slowly but surely things can get better if you ask for help. This is her story of why she took refuge from her unhappy young life in parties, alcohol and drugs, and her difficult and painful rehabilitation. She gave such good press when she released the book – the stories she told in interviews were funny and sad and everything in between, which makes me quite sure she should stick to being Drew, not writing about Drew!

Drew takes us through her journey of self-destruction, drug and alcohol abuse, and her struggle to become sober and understand herself and her issues better.Drew Pinsky, Burt Reynolds, Richard Pryor, Louie Anderson, Belinda Carlisle, Sharon Rocha, and Elisabeth Kübler Ross. So it's no wonder a kid with a family history of depression, alcohol and drug abuse would turn to self-medicating at such a young age. I am 23 now, am an alcoholic and recovering drug addict, and have been in and out of psychiatric hospitals (which I think really helped me relate to Drew's experiences of being in hospital). Did you know that when Elliott is trying to make Gertie believe “only kids can see” ET and she rolls her eyes and says “Gimmee a break,” that was all Drew? Not knowing much about Drew Barrymore as a person but liking her work I jumped at reading this when I got the chance.

Drew Barrymore’s legal emancipation from her mother at age 14, her self-driven ‘rebranding’ as teen-seductress, and her multiple engagements and three short marriages were still to come. And, even if you aren't struggling with addiction, she still has some great insights about life and people that can apply to anyone. Someone on a blog I read mentioned this book, so I finally got around to picking it up even though it's very old and very out dated. I certainly do in this case – she was the breadwinner from age 11 months and with that came a huge emotional burden that any kid would struggle with (hence why she was a great case study for my essay about attachment issues! update: I re-read this immediately after reading Wildflower, and found it interesting to compare the two versions of some items that came up in both books - and also how Drew characterized her time in the hospital in Wildflower.Her intention is to explain the difficulties of addiction and try to help others, as well as to give an honest account before others smeared her name with false assumptions and inaccuracies. Meet me on twitch like a Tomi Lahren vs Trevor Noah debate in early 2016 when people still thought things like that were sassy and noble. She envisioned a happy ending with victory and promise, after the months of hard work and intense therapy during her hospitalization. Part of it was clearly a career move, but I appreciated it nevertheless, and I thought it was very admirable to provide such an honest and helpful admission. T. the Extra-Terrestrial and quickly became one of Hollywood's most recognized child actresses, going on to establish herself in mainly comic roles.