Shockaholic

Carrie Fisher's memoir Shockaholic follows the actress and writer through her experiences with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and its impact on her life and memories. The book examines her mental health journey and chronicles her relationships with family members and Hollywood figures. Through a series of personal essays, Fisher recounts her interactions with notable personalities including Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, and her father Eddie Fisher. She discusses her path to ECT treatment and its effects on her day-to-day existence, offering candid insights into living with bipolar disorder. The narrative moves between past and present, connecting Fisher's childhood in the entertainment industry to her adult struggles and triumphs. She addresses both the benefits and drawbacks of her chosen treatment, while maintaining her characteristic wit throughout the telling. The memoir stands as a testament to resilience and self-discovery, exploring themes of family dynamics, fame, and the ongoing quest for mental stability. Fisher's raw honesty creates a document of both personal and cultural significance in the discussion of mental health treatment.

Readers found this memoir less focused and cohesive than Fisher's other books, particularly Wishful Drinking. Many noted it feels more like scattered anecdotes than a complete narrative. Readers appreciated: - Raw honesty about her electroshock therapy experiences - Stories about her relationships with Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson - Her signature humor and self-deprecating style - Touching reflections about her father Eddie Fisher Common criticisms: - Disjointed writing style - Too short/thin on content - Less polished than her other works - Repetition of stories from previous books Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (9,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (430+ ratings) "The humor hits hard but the organization is all over the place," noted one Goodreads reviewer. Another Amazon reader wrote: "Worth reading for the Michael Jackson chapter alone, but feels unfinished compared to her other memoirs."

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🌟 Fisher underwent ECT approximately 30 times between 2011-2016, crediting the treatment with helping stabilize her mood swings. ⚡ The book's title is a wordplay on "shopaholic," reflecting both Fisher's experience with ECT and her self-proclaimed addiction to shopping. 🎭 During the writing of this memoir, Fisher was performing her one-woman show "Wishful Drinking" on Broadway, which covered some similar territory. 👨‍👧 The memoir includes touching reflections on Fisher's relationship with her father, Eddie Fisher, and their reconciliation before his death in 2010. 🎬 Fisher wrote this book while also working as a script doctor in Hollywood, a lesser-known career where she helped improve screenplays for major films throughout the 1990s.