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Book Review of high on arrival

high on arrival
kuligowskiandrewt avatar reviewed on + 569 more book reviews


Mackenzie Phillips writes a cautionary tale as to the effect of fame and fortune (and an absentee father, and lots of drugs, and ) that some of todays young stars would do well to read (or, in the case of the audio book version I had, listen to narrated by the author, who actually lived it).

Hang out with Daddys rock friends, where parties and drugs were plentiful and easy to come by. Get a small part in what turned out to be a major film. Get a couple of more films, and a successful TV series. Lose yourself in drugs. Hang out with the wrong guys lose your job due to drug use, get busted need I continue? Or should I toss in the go out on tour with Dads rock band and sleep with the most really wrong guy you could portions?

Im not telling anything in the above summary that couldnt be obtained from a few back-issues of People magazine, and in much greater detail. That, in a nutshell, was my biggest disappointment Id already read virtually everything mentioned in the book by the time I actually got my copy. Well, that, and Miss Phillips is so intent on not glamorizing her life choices that I often found it hard to root for her, despite my wanting to. How can you write your memoirs and NOT be the most sympathetic character in them?? (OK, her son fills that role; there is a poetic justice in that choice.)

RATING: 3 ½ stars, rounded up to 4 stars. (Giving bonus points for the decision to have the author read her own works on the audio who better to tell the story?)