Recent Reads: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date:  October 24, 2023

 

Format: Hardback
Source: Bought

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.

Review: 

I bought this book because I kept hearing that she mentions her relationship with Justin, and I grew up with them in the forefront of music and that relationship was everywhere. I heard that what she was saying would cast a new light over Justin and his success and wanted to read it for myself rather than all the news coverage. 

This poor womean. She has been through so much, as a teen and as an adult. Her family were horrible to her all out of greed for money and power. Following the trial, you would have seen that too. 

Britney writes like this is a diary of sorts, in a way it was probably pushed out for publishing pretty quick after she was freed from under her father's thumb. The writing ...well it isn't great, but that said it was still impactful in some ways. There are some attempts at deeper thought and purpose, but really it is very surface level. It adds an element of realness to it though, like it wasn't overthought, just flowing onto a page like thoughts and feelings. 

All that said, it was a good read, insightful. But we don't read books like this for fun, warm fuzzies. It was hard to read about her experiences, it was all shitty, and her family was gross, and Justin ..well, he is officially an ass in my mind. He started teh downward spiral that would allow her parents to really dig in, and if he didn't see that, or ignored it, shame on him. 

There was a lot of talk about mental health and the understanding of it in the 90s-2000s and how the lack of information out there also hurt her for a while. 

Overall, I am glad that I read this book. I think some of the timeline seemed a bit skewed but overall it was a hard but worthwhile read if you are interested in learning more about what she has been doing, or hasn't for that matter.