Beloved star and Emmy-winning actress Christina Applegate's raw and darkly funny memoir illuminates the life of a childhood star, turned iconic comedic actress, turned tenacious example of how to find the beauty in our messy lives.
Christina Applegate came of age on sets and stages, expected to be on time, with lines learned, ready for lights-camera-action. Performing began as a financial necessity and became an emotional escape from a tumultuous home life in the infamous Laurel Canyon scene of the 1970s and 80s. She first gained stardom as an audience favorite playing Kelly Bundy in the sitcom Married...with Children and went on to captivate a vast fandom during her five-decade long career.
In You with the Sad Eyes, Applegate will unveil the full story of her years in the public eye, and the painful moments the public didn't see. She writes about gravitating to the grunge that defined the 90s and finding belonging in the legendary scene at The Viper Room; sparkling on set with fellow comedy icons in the soon to be canonized franchise Anchorman; sharing her love of dance in the Broadway revival of Sweet Charity; and returning to the Emmy stage to a standing ovation in 2024 after her diagnosis of MS. She’ll dive into the darker moments underpinning her outward success: her relationship with her mother who fought addiction and won, even in the wake of her father’s abandonment; the self-doubt and body dysmorphia that have dogged her from a young age; and the abuse and depression that eroded her health. Her path is ever lit though, by lifelong friends, chosen family, and her experience as a mother. By working through her legacy on the page, Applegate invites readers to take her hand and hear a story not even those closest to her know fully.
You with the Sad Eyes boldly presents a formidable and iconoclastic woman who has had to let go of her acting career, of her ability to dance, of her sense of physical power, but has always fought to find a new and even more fulfilling way of being. The pain will be matched by the joy, the losses mitigated by the extraordinary, the weight of life lifted by Applegate's signature comedic genius.
In her own words, “I truly believe that books can make people feel less alone. That's why I'm doing this. You with the Sad Eyes won't be some big violin scratching for my life. But it will be real. It will be filled with the ups and downs, the humor and grief of life.
So here I am.
Real me.
Lots to say.”
A sad and shallow read
"I love reading celebrity memoirs that give an inside look into their public and personal lives. On only a handful of occasions, reading a celebrity has caused me to later view them in a different, almost negative, light (I'm looking at you Jeremy Renner and Patrick Stewart). Sadly, this is one of those instances. I hate that I didn't like this book, but it was poorly written with confusing jumps in time, a lot of her own poetry, personal ramblings and name dropping of people I've never heard of. I wanted to know more about her time on her popular TV shows and, most importantly, her experiences living with breast cancer and MS. Unfortunately, these experiences were glossed over with little to no exploration with most of the book being a deep dive into trauma. I felt for the little girl and teen who was all on her own, who was mistreated by her boyfriends and her own parents. Her constant denial about the toxic relationship with her mom being the most heartbreaking. But for me, Christina came off as entitled with a lack of accountability for her own actions and her blasé attitude about her consistent Hollywood success grated on me. I empathize with her health issues and feel for what she experienced growing up, but this book felt relentless in its negativity, complaining and was emotionally exhausting to read as she relays trauma after trauma. This review isn't based on her experiences - I could only imagine what it was like to BE her - but on the quality of the writing and lack of emotional exploration of those experiences. I'm in the vast minority with my views so if you're a fan of Christina, you may want to pick up this memoir."
