Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame by Mara Wilson

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Publication date: 2016
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 255
My rating: 5 stars
Ages: 16+

Most people know Mara Wilson from when she played the title role in Matilda. In this book of essays, Wilson talks about her childhood as a star, her family, and what it's like to be an adult who is still seen as her most famous character--who happens to be an eight-year-old.

I don't know if I can even describe how I felt reading this book. It only took me a day to read, and had me in tears several times. Wilson is only a year older than me, and I could see myself in her, so I understood the world she was talking about. I may never have become a child star, but that is such a small part of who she is.

I remember going to see Matilda in theaters for a friend's birthday party (I had to leave during the cake eating part because it made me feel sick). And then, I have to be honest, I hadn't really thought about Wilson after that. Until I started listening to Welcome to Night Vale, a strange podcast where she has a small recurring role. Then I started following her on Twitter, and she's funny and smart and down to earth. So all of that kind of sparked my interest, and the book was definitely something I felt like I needed to read.

I'm glad I did. I like knowing about people, what makes them tick, why they are the way they are. Wilson opened up pieces of her life in this book, including her struggle with mental health, the openness of which is something that I appreciate. Each essay is like glimpsing through a window of Wilson's life-house, going from childhood, teenage years, and adult at different times, focusing on different things. It was a refreshing way to read a person's memoirs, instead of strictly chronologically. Wilson's openness and honesty were sincere and endearing.

There is some strong language and sexual references.

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