Book Review - "Celebrity Detox (The Fame Game)" by Rosie O'Donnell

I'll start out by saying that I like Rosie O'Donnell. I have for years - back since her stand-up days on VH1. I like her as a comic, an actress and as a person.

This book is odd. Extremely revealing, yet reticent at the same time. She addresses the year she was on "The View" candidly, the brouhaha with Trump, etc. She admits her mistakes and recognizes her weaknesses. But then she hints at possible abuse in her childhood, but doesn't follow through. We're left to wonder *if*she was abused - apparently sexually - who abused her? Her widowed father, one of her brothers, a relative or family friend? It's presented very cryptically.

The writing is a combination of straight narrative and the cross between poetry and text message-speak she uses on her blog. It jumps around a lot, going off on tangents and sometimes not returning to the original thought until later in the book.

The book is sad and made me feel sorry for Rosie. It leads me to think she's in a lot of emotional pain and not all together well, although she seems on the right track. She talks about refocusing on her family, and her love for them comes through clearly.

I read her first book Find Me which was also disturbing, but for different reasons.

I found Celebrity Detox a difficult book to read, and it may not be worth the trouble unless you're a fan. There aren't really any life lessons or grand overarching themes, just a fragmented story about a specific time in a troubled celebrity's life.