Lessons in Becoming Myself

October 30, 2006
In her first book, Oscar- and Tony-winning actress Burstyn has cast a life story that could easily light up the silver screen, replete with abusive parents, high school tragedy, showbiz triumph, reversals of fortune and a plucky heroine in search of professional and spiritual fulfillment. Burstyn begins with impressionistic memories of her Detroit childhood, including her tumultuous relationship with her mother and stepfather Lou, moving from the scare of her brother's near-fatal struggle with pneumonia when she was not yet 3 to the traumatic illegal abortion she had at age 18. Burstyn's career kicks off a few years later on Broadway, launching her on a challenging path to movie stardom, a number of failed romances-including a mentally ill husband who would stalk her for years-and her globe-spanning search for religion. Burstyn's tell-all works beautifully, thanks to her talent for spare but clear description; the happy story of Stone House, her home in upstate New York for 11 years, covers just a few pages, but Butrym still makes her farewell to the house resonate: "I walked away with a sense of carrying my own chapel with me." The blemish in this upbeat, chatty book is Burstyn's occasional tendency toward self-help language-"The more I struggled to free myself, the more entangled I became"-but it's easy to forgive, given the honesty, bravery and warmth with which she tells her story.

October 1, 2006
Burstyn's career as a film and television actress has consistently garnered respect among her peers and critics. Her first stab at memoir is nearly a refreshing addition to the form in that it is more an examination of her life and evolution as a person than merely a recitation of film anecdotes. A central section dealing with the 1960s and 1970s is particularly interesting as she refers to both her professional lifethe success of The Last Picture Showand her spiritual life as she discovers Sufism. Burstyn writes in a literate voice that feels very sincere and yet, as is often the case with celebrity memoir, she is prone to florid prose and a subtle but implicit sense of self-importance. Several associates have apparently told her she is one of "our greatest living actors," and while this may be true, it is slightly off-putting to have her repeat it again and again, however much it is couched in modesty. Recommended for large public and academic libraries with a substantial biography section.Peter Thornell, Hingham P.L., MA

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2006
Cast as Chris MacNeil in " The Exorcist," Ellen Burstyn cinematically confronted the devil. Born Edna Rae Gilloolly, she confronted demons of her own, from her demeaning mother to her psychotic and sadistic husband. Now as one of the most acclaimed and respected actors of her generation, the ebullient Burstyn reflects on her life and 40-plus-year career, nimbly tracing the paths she followed, risks she took, mistakes she made, and lessons she learned to assess the price she paid for hard-earned wisdom. Armed with little more than a burning ambition to refute her narrow Midwest Catholic upbringing, Burstyn resolutely struck out on her own at age 18. Landing in Manhattan, she became a devoted acolyte of Lee Strasberg's Method school of acting, a technique that served her well. Foundering in a violently unstable marriage and still bearing the psychic scars of a damaging childhood, Burstyn applied the same painstaking deliberation to her quest for spiritual guidance, which took her from the heights of the Himalayas to the depths of New York City's homeless shelters. Candid and unassuming, Burstyn's intuitive memoir is a balanced mix of insider theatrical anecdotes and inspired philosophical revelations, a guileless apologia for one woman's desire to authenticate her experiences professional and personal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)