Reason for Reading This Book:
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears was the book of the month for December 2023 for the The Readheads Podcast Book Club. This is the first time this book club has read a memoir. Outside of the book club I have read many celebrity memoirs this year and in years past. Because of the large amount of publicity that this book had leading up to its release, I had high expectations for it. I am on the younger side of the generation that experienced Britney Spears at the height of her pop-star fame. In recent years I have watched a couple of documentaries on the ‘Free Britney Movement’, so going into the book I was moderately familiar with her life and the conservatorship. I had high expectations for this book in both the information she would provide on her life and in the level of writing as it was written in collaboration with a ghost writer. I listened to this book as an audiobook which was read by Michelle Williams.
Content of This Book:
Born and raised in Louisiana, at a young age Britney Spears became a worldwide pop star and icon. Society became obsessed with her music, artistic direction, fashion, and personal life. As with any life in the spotlight there is criticism and control. In Britney's case that control was taken to an extreme level where she was forced into a conservatorship. In June 2021, Britney spoke in court and recounted the oppression and control she had been experiencing in the conservatorship for the past thirteen years. In her memoir, Britney breaks her silence and shares her joinery from a small-town girl in Louisiana to one of the greatest pop stars in the world with the important message of a woman telling her story on her own terms.
What I Liked About This Book:
The timeline was very clear as it was told mostly in chronological order. For a memoir this is my preference, and the ghost writer successfully organized the book in this way. I am not sure if this choice was a result of the therapy sessions or was a choice made by the ghost writer, but there were constant references and connections to things in her past that resulted in her actions or her choices later in life. Even though I was not the biggest fan of the title of the book and the chosen theme, the theme was consistently referenced and woven into the book from start to finish. With a memoir it is expected that the author/person of focus is open and vulnerable with the reader. I can give credit to Britney for being open with the reader, but I also wanted more in some sections. As I listened to this book as an audiobook, I would also like to give recognition to Michelle Williams who did a fantastic job narrating the book. Another aspect of the book that I liked is that Britney covered her life both personally and professionally from birth until the time she was writing the book. There were some jumps in time of course, but overall the plot encompassed her life up until this point.
What I Disliked About This Book:
The whole time I was reading I was grasping for more. I would hold my breath because I thought Britney was finally going to tell it all, but in reality she did not. I was left with more questions than answers once I finished the book. There were some topics that full details were given but other topics or plot points were skimmed over leaving confusion and questions from the reader. I was reassured by the Readheads that they felt the same way. Since this book was written as a result of a ghost writer sitting in on Britney’s therapy sessions, the publisher and writer had the opportunity to choose a different narration style that would have changed the voice and tone of the book. I would have preferred it to be more interview style with direct quotes from Britney instead of the whole book being in her narration. Because this is a memoir the narration was one-sided, which for some plot points was perfect but for others it made it hard to get the whole picture of the situation. As I mentioned, I have watched documentaries on Britney and her conservatorship. Overall I preferred this form of media to learn about her life and situation because it helped to paint a better picture of all those involved and their reasons for their actions and choices. Since this was a memoir, the reader was only given her side of the story which more times than not was lacking detail or explicit explanations. I understand that this was Britney's time to share her story, but due to the topic of her conservatorship with involved so many people I would have liked the narration to include quotes from others involved similar to what was done in Tommy Hilfiger’s memoir, American Dreamer: My Life in Fashion and Business By Tommy Hilfiger and Peter Knobler.
Would I Recommend This Book?
As a celebrity memoir it is not one of my favorites. I did learn some more about Britney Spears, but overall it let me down more than it satisfied me. I think if you are curious about Britney and have some interest in learning some about her life before, during and a little after the conservatorship than I recommend reading this book, Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton a lot more.
2022 Book Rankings
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2021 Book Rankings
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Check out my book reviews for 2019!!
September Book Review: Alex and Eliza: Love and War
August Book Review: Alex and Eliza: A Love Story
July Book Review: The Husband Hour
June Book Review: The Perfect Mother
May Book Review: Into the Water
April Book Review: Fangirl
March Book Review: Eleanor & Park
February Book Review: Turtles All The Way Down
January Book Review: The Becoming of Noah Shaw
Check out my book reviews from 2018!!
December Book Review: Presumed Innocent
November Book Review: Visible Empire
October Book Review: The Bees
September Book Review: The Silent Sister
August Book Review: Dark Places
August Book Review: Sharp Objects
July Book Review: The Widow
June Book Review: Allegedly
May Book Review: Wonder
April Book Review: Columbine
March Book Review: Gone Girl
February Book Review: The Woman in the Window
January Book Review: The Worst Hard Time
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