Unsweetined

I was a huge fan of the show Full House when I was growing up. Even as an adult I can appreciate the family lessons, as corny as they are. It also brings back many memories from my childhood. I was the age of Stephanie Tanner so I felt like I could relate to her character, and I grew up with her on Full House. I also looked up to D.J., played by Candice Cameron, just as both Stephanie Tanner, and the character in real life, Jodie Sweetin, did. So it's no surprise that when I found out Jodie Sweetin was writing a memoir I eagerly awaited its release. In fact, I bought it the day after it came out (I had school Tuesday night so that wasn't an option) and I read the entire book that night, lol! It worked out that the client I was supposed to see that night canceled. ;)

Prior to reading her memoir, Unsweetined, I knew a little about Jodie Sweetin from what I had read in magazines. I knew she was a recovering Meth addict, that she'd had a child, and that she was on her second marriage. I also knew the first marriage broke up in part to her drug use. It was so interesting to learn more about all of this in detail, though.

Unsweetined is a typical celebrity memoir with an also somewhat typical descent-into-drugs story. If you're looking for complete originality on either of those fronts, this isn't it. But that's not what I was expecting anyway. I was just curious to learn more about this actress, her life, and her time on Full House. And this book did that. She talked candidly about the extent of her drug use and the following hypocrisy when she toured the country as a motivational speaker for overcoming drugs, when, in fact, she was still using. Despite reading a little about her in US Weekly Magazine, I didn't realize quite how intensely far she'd fallen. That's why I say she spoke candidly, but even then, she gives the disclaimer that she doesn't talk about all of her worst moments. Even those are too much for her to share.

As a mental health professional, I found the different factors she attributed for her addictions very throught-provoking and conceivable. I also learned some facts about her that I did not know -- I won't spoil them for those of you who don't already know. Sweetin also wrote about her time on Full House and included stories, some surprising, that included the other Full House actors.

This was a quick and engaging read, but still well-written. There were also randomly made humorous remarks that made me laugh -- like the part where she wrote about some well-known actors she was on the Mickey Mouse Club with and how none of them made it anywhere after that... (HAHA). If you were ever a fan of Jodie Sweetin, Full House, or just enjoy learning about the lives of child actors, I would recommend this book.

FTC disclaimer: I bought this book at Books-a-Million