Jennifer, Gwyneth & Me

March 31, 2014
Chicago author Bertsche (MWF Seeking BFF) blends elements reminiscent of Julie & Julia and The Happiness Project in this “self-improvement journey.” Finding herself suddenly unemployed, sluggish and unfulfilled (and simultaneously trying to get pregnant), Bertsche embarks on a quest to become more perfect and thus happier. Hooked on celebrity culture (which, she observes, many take pleasure in “hating on”), she decides to emulate Jennifer Aniston’s body (daily workouts and “don’t eat shit”), Sarah Jessica Parker’s fashion sense, Gwyneth Paltrow’s upscale home cooking, Tina Fey’s work habits, Julia Roberts’s serenity, Jennifer Garner’s successful marriage (the key—watching more football with her spouse), Jessica Alba’s pregnancy, and Beyoncé’s “whole package.” As Bertsche chronicles her experiment in separate chapters devoted to each celebrity, readers will alternately laugh and cringe (the author attempts a detoxifying Gwyneth “Goop” cleanse, meditates à la Roberts in Eat Pray Love). A parallel plot develops when Bertsche and her lawyer/husband pursue IVF after attempts at baby making fail due to male-infertility factor. Interspersed among her daily star-inspired routines are observations about celebrity culture, the value of role models, and whether impersonating (but not stalking) Hollywood idols is a worthy pursuit. The process not only provides Bertsche with fruitful writing fodder but also prompts readers to examine their outlook on perfection, self-acceptance, and aspiring to be one’s very best self.

June 15, 2014
One writer's attempt to "celebrify" her life by following the examples of today's leading ladies in pop culture.In her opening introduction, Bertsche (MWF Seeking BFF, 2011) refers to the conundrum of celebrity culture as a classic "chicken-or-the-egg issue" in which she ultimately distills the problem into two questions: "Do we obsess over celebrities because we want to be perfect? Or do we want to be perfect because we obsess over celebrities? There's no way to be sure." These are valid questions that underscore the influence of the cult of celebrity, and though there is indeed no immediate answer, the questions themselves are a reminder that society is too fixated on the pursuit of looking and feeling good. This quest for perfection has led Bertsche to idolize a shortlist of celebrity women, all actresses except for Beyonce, who signify excellence in a particular quality of life. The author praises Jennifer Aniston for her toned body, Jennifer Garner for her perfect marriage and Julia Roberts' Zen-like serenity. Readers witness Bertsche's transformation from an undisciplined freelancer more likely to sleep in and snack than do yoga and prepare healthy meals into a monomaniacal, slightly watered-down version of a Stepford wife. Most troubling, however, is the book's coda, which confirms the author's delusional attitude when she looks forward to the day when she and her daughter can flip through the pages of celebrity magazines and "talk about the aspects of the stars we admire" and objectify at will. While Bertsche's attempt to mold herself in the image of certain celebrities she believes are exemplars of fashion, physique, cooking, etc., is frivolous and superficial, not to mention at times embarrassing, some readers won't blame her for at least trying to make a better life for herself, however misguided her efforts.A gratuitous work of celebrity worship.

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May 15, 2014
It's a celebrity-obsessed culture we live in, and trying to look like, act likeeven cook likeour favorite stars is time-consuming work. Here, on a quest for self-improvement, Bertsche ups the ante, deciding to emulate the lives of her favorite celebrities ( I'm wondering, if I do what they do, will I feel as fabulous and put together as they seem to be? ). After a brief introduction, Bertsche (her previous memoir, MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend, came out in 2011) gets down to business; first up is everyone's imaginary BFF, Jennifer Aniston. Will exercise and a salmon-based diet give her Aniston's to-die-for legs? Then there's cooking according to Gwyneth; marriage la Jen and Ben; and so on. Bertsche doesn't have a celebrity's resources, and that makes the whole experiment much, much harder. The well-researched information on celebrity culture provides food for thought, but Bertsche's regular-person pursuits don't always make for the most scintillating of reads. Fortunately, Bertsche's efforts are not for nothing, and she comes to a realization that eludes many women: Who's perfect anyway?(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)