Where Am I Now?

Where Am I Now? is a series of stories and essays about Mara's life. Each chapter has a theme, usually one that revolves around something specific that she experienced. She covers everything from child acting, to high school girls, to the death of her mother. Somehow she's managed to capture the perfect mix of humor and solemnity, speaking about grave topics with grace. The sections that resonated most with me were about Mara's experiences with mental illness, including depression, anxiety, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

This ended up being a very quick read for me (two or three days?) and I can see this becoming one of my most highly-recommended books. I think that Mara's writing is very accessible, and that this is something that can be enjoyed by just about everyone. Definitely pick it up if you get a chance!

I really enjoy Mara Wilson on Twitter and some of the blog posts/Moth stories/etc that I've seen on the internet, so I was interested in checking out her book. I actually didn't really grow up watching her movies etc, so for me, my desire to read this wasn't so much about like “I definitely want the backstory of how Miracle on 34th Street got made” as just like, “I think Mara Wilson is funny.” And I would say anyone really wanting to dig into 90s Hollywood gossip would probably be disappointed, this is much more about Mara's personal/family life including coping with mental illness and just like patriarchal bullshit. Which I'm into. (I mean, there are a few fun stories about making Matilda etc, it's just not the main focus.)

Remember when people wrote memoirs in their old age? This book was well-written; the few chapters about life as a child star and her heartfelt tribute to Robin Williams (her co-star in Mrs. Doubtfire) stand out, but most of the book is devoted to stories of first love and mean girls that aren't particularly interesting or memorable. Extra points for being upfront about her struggles with OCD and anxiety.

Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
Where Am I Now? felt more like a series of autobiographic essays than a memoir per se. I like Mara Wilson, I follow her on Twitter and all, and thus I was super excited to read about her life—we tend to do that, don't we? We always want to know more about a stranger's life. Where Am I Now? was, in this aspect, more or less exactly what I expected. In this book, she tells us about her career, her family, her OCD, Robin Williams. I feel closer to Mara now, in a way, and I still like her very much, now both as an actress/pseudo-famous person and as a writer.

I was disappointed, though, that she did not mention her bisexuality, not even once, focusing instead on some of her heterosexual relationships. She evens calls herself a straight woman in some instances—which, of course, is what she believed she was at the time, but it felt weird all the same.