Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain

by Portia de Rossi Narrated by Portia de Rossi

Overview

From actress Portia de Rossi, a revelatory and searing account of the years she spent secretly suffering from anorexia and bulimia, all while living under the glare of Hollywood's bright lights.

"I didn't decide to become anorexic. It snuck up on me disguised as a healthy diet, a professional attitude. No more wondering whether I could fit into a sample size dress, or if the camera would catch a bad angle. I just wanted to excel in dieting. And weighing in at 80 pounds on 300 calories a day, I was the best little dieter there ever was." In this groundbreaking memoir, Portia de Rossi reveals the pain and illness that haunted her for decades, from the time she was a twelve-year-old girl working as a print and runway model in Australia, through her early rise to fame as a cast member of the hit television shows Ally McBeal and Arrested Development . All the while terrified that the truth of her sexuality would be exposed in the tabloids, Portia alternately starved herself and binged, putting her life in danger and concealing from herself and everyone around her the seriousness of her illness.

She describes the elaborate rituals around food that came to dominate hours of every day and explores the pivotal moments of her childhood that set her on the road to illness. She reveals the heartache and fear that accompany a life lived in the closet, a sense of isolation that was only magnified by her unrelenting desire to be ever thinner, ever more in control of her body and the number of calories she consumed and spent.

From her lowest point, Portia began the painful climb back to a life of health and honesty, falling in love and marrying Ellen DeGeneres and emerging as an outspoken, articulate advocate for gay rights and women's health issues. In this remarkable and landmark work, she is giving the world a story that inspires hope and nourishes the spirit.

Editorial Reviews

AUGUST 2011 - AudioFile

While women who are coming to terms with being lesbian or having eating issues will connect in a special way with this memoir, de Rossi’s account of her journey from self-loathing to self-acceptance will resonate with many more listeners. Her well-written story takes listeners from her Australian childhood to her attempts at heterosexual marriage and her struggles with her acting career. Graphic accounts of her intimate relationships, eating disorder, and struggles in Hollywood are more touching than brutal. Supportive people and a good marriage with Ellen DeGeneres gradually enable her to understand the emotional basis of her symptoms. Besides the inspiration of the author’s emergence from self-destruction, what lingers at the story’s end is the authentic sound of her beautiful speaking voice. T.W. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2011 - AudioFile

While women who are coming to terms with being lesbian or having eating issues will connect in a special way with this memoir, de Rossi’s account of her journey from self-loathing to self-acceptance will resonate with many more listeners. Her well-written story takes listeners from her Australian childhood to her attempts at heterosexual marriage and her struggles with her acting career. Graphic accounts of her intimate relationships, eating disorder, and struggles in Hollywood are more touching than brutal. Supportive people and a good marriage with Ellen DeGeneres gradually enable her to understand the emotional basis of her symptoms. Besides the inspiration of the author’s emergence from self-destruction, what lingers at the story’s end is the authentic sound of her beautiful speaking voice. T.W. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170946631
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	11/01/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged

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