Book Reviews
Entertainment/Books
Book Review by
Janine Slayton
Janine Slayton is very important to the Fabulous Woman Team. She is not only one of our most popular writers she is a Copy Editor, Assistant Editor, Reporter, and Entertainment Columnist. Janine considers herself to be your typical mid-twenties struggling English major. She graduated from Roosevelt University in 2006 with her BA in English and Secondary Education. While not currently teaching, her passion for English finds her reading and writing in much of her spare time. Her other passion is music, so when her head isn't in a book, it is usually lost in a melody.
I'll Scream Later by Marlee Matlin
Reviewed by Janine Slayton
I have always liked Marlee Matlin. I remember seeing her in various TV shows and movies over the years, never really knowing who she was but being drawn to her anytime she was on my television screen. When she joined the cast of The L Word, one of my favorite shows, she really blew me away. Her character on the show was so tough, so real and so magnetic that it gave me even more reason to tune in each week the show aired. So when I walked into Target a few weeks ago, and saw her laughing face staring at me from the cover of her autobiography, I'll Scream Later, I knew I was going to have to read it.
Marlee Matlin is a very unique woman. She is Deaf, and while that is something that everyone knows about her, especially after reading the book you realize that that is in no way what defines who she is. It is an obstacle she has had to overcome and that has presented challenges for her along the way, but she never let her disability hold her back from accomplishing the goals and dreams she had for herself. Her story is captivating, and, above all, honest. Matlin shares the highs and lows of her time in Hollywood, from getting her first role in the film Children of a Lesser God-a performance which garnered her both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Actress-to her abusive relationship with William Hurt and the drug addiction that brought her to Betty Ford right after her dreamlike night at the Golden Globes.
Even reading her words on the page, without hearing her speak her story out loud, there is an energy that radiates through the page to the reader. It's like her personality is too large to be contained by black text on a white page. She tells all of her stories with a straightforward, honest attitude, even the stories that are hard to tell. Sometimes she jumps around while telling her story, and while it could have the effect of taking away from the story at times, I think it is an even bigger reflection of her energy and how fast her mind seems to constantly be spinning. Her passion for life just radiates through everything she writes, and as you read about her story and her experiences, the love she seems to have for so many of the people in her life is glaringly obvious.
There were many times while reading the book that I managed to forget that Matlin was Deaf. It was often at a moment where she brought up a translator or modifications that had to be made for a set that she was working on that I remembered that thing that very obviously sets her apart from most other actors and actresses. I think my forgetting about her deafness only proves her point, however. That point is that her deafness is not what defines her. She has refused to let it hold her back from anything she's wanted. She has always found a way to overcome the challenges that her deafness has presented, managing to lead a very fulfilling and full life so far. There are moments, however, when she mentions incidents in her life that make the hearing reader realize how much we take for granted every day. One example is when she talks about her family, who she obviously loves dearly. She talks about how it's hard, not being able to hear them in the other room as they play, or when they run into the kitchen arguing about something, and since she couldn't hear what happened, she obviously can't tell who started the fight. It's little moments like that that Matlin recalls that made me realize how much I take for granted every day.
Matlin's book is one that I would view as a must-read if you know anything about her. Reading about her life was captivating and inspiring. Her love and energy seemed to rub off on me as I was reading, and it is very rare that an autobiography has that kind of emotional effect on me. Her story is captivating, and it only makes the reader excited to see what more Matlin has in store for everyone over the coming years.
Reviewed by Janine Slayton
I have always liked Marlee Matlin. I remember seeing her in various TV shows and movies over the years, never really knowing who she was but being drawn to her anytime she was on my television screen. When she joined the cast of The L Word, one of my favorite shows, she really blew me away. Her character on the show was so tough, so real and so magnetic that it gave me even more reason to tune in each week the show aired. So when I walked into Target a few weeks ago, and saw her laughing face staring at me from the cover of her autobiography, I'll Scream Later, I knew I was going to have to read it.
Marlee Matlin is a very unique woman. She is Deaf, and while that is something that everyone knows about her, especially after reading the book you realize that that is in no way what defines who she is. It is an obstacle she has had to overcome and that has presented challenges for her along the way, but she never let her disability hold her back from accomplishing the goals and dreams she had for herself. Her story is captivating, and, above all, honest. Matlin shares the highs and lows of her time in Hollywood, from getting her first role in the film Children of a Lesser God-a performance which garnered her both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Actress-to her abusive relationship with William Hurt and the drug addiction that brought her to Betty Ford right after her dreamlike night at the Golden Globes.
Even reading her words on the page, without hearing her speak her story out loud, there is an energy that radiates through the page to the reader. It's like her personality is too large to be contained by black text on a white page. She tells all of her stories with a straightforward, honest attitude, even the stories that are hard to tell. Sometimes she jumps around while telling her story, and while it could have the effect of taking away from the story at times, I think it is an even bigger reflection of her energy and how fast her mind seems to constantly be spinning. Her passion for life just radiates through everything she writes, and as you read about her story and her experiences, the love she seems to have for so many of the people in her life is glaringly obvious.
There were many times while reading the book that I managed to forget that Matlin was Deaf. It was often at a moment where she brought up a translator or modifications that had to be made for a set that she was working on that I remembered that thing that very obviously sets her apart from most other actors and actresses. I think my forgetting about her deafness only proves her point, however. That point is that her deafness is not what defines her. She has refused to let it hold her back from anything she's wanted. She has always found a way to overcome the challenges that her deafness has presented, managing to lead a very fulfilling and full life so far. There are moments, however, when she mentions incidents in her life that make the hearing reader realize how much we take for granted every day. One example is when she talks about her family, who she obviously loves dearly. She talks about how it's hard, not being able to hear them in the other room as they play, or when they run into the kitchen arguing about something, and since she couldn't hear what happened, she obviously can't tell who started the fight. It's little moments like that that Matlin recalls that made me realize how much I take for granted every day.
Matlin's book is one that I would view as a must-read if you know anything about her. Reading about her life was captivating and inspiring. Her love and energy seemed to rub off on me as I was reading, and it is very rare that an autobiography has that kind of emotional effect on me. Her story is captivating, and it only makes the reader excited to see what more Matlin has in store for everyone over the coming years.