Welcome to Litsy!

Alyson shares their personal & professional struggles, & you can feel how genuine they are through every page. They‘re a terrific writer. I was rooting for them throughout, even knowing they didn‘t receive a role, I was still hoping for a different outcome for them.
There‘s an optimistic feeling at the end where it really seems like they are semi-well adjusted despite literally everything and have a path forward they are excited about.

I loved a number of Alyson Stoner's movies growing up, but I don't think you need to know her work to get something out of this book. Like "I'm Glad My Mom Died," it explores the exploitation and abuse child actors. Even more so than McCurdy's book, though, Stoner's account is noteworthy in the ways it exposes an industry (not just bad actors within it) that seems to be inherently abusive toward the children working within it. TWs hidden below.

If I could give this 6 stars out of 5, I would.

Brutally honest and achingly empathetic, this memoir details child stardom, predatory Hollywood practices, eating disorders & beauty standards, religious & sexuality phobias/discrimination, and sexual assault. It‘s unflinching and sometimes pretty painful to read. I give Alyson so much credit for being so vulnerable & honest.

I‘d recommend whether you‘re familiar with their work or not. 😭

A smart, compelling personal account of the “toddler-to-trainwreck” pipeline. They also talk extensively about their personal healing journey and the work they‘ve done to help others. Including extensive work to protect kids in the entertainment industry. Heed the trigger warnings. #summerreading #queer #memoir

I‘m only a third in to Alyson‘s memoir but am already so engrossed with how they describe navigating the entertainment business as a single digit age child star.

I know them best for dancing in music videos by Missy Elliot and being egregiously underutilized in the DCOM film series “Camp Rock” (above).

#summerreading #sushi