Grin and Bear It

January 20, 2014
Pulos, of Bravo’s reality series Flipping Out, charms in this frank and self-deprecating cross between memoir and how-not-to guide. Pulos readily admits that her home life has been anything but calm; from her childhood dream of being an actress to beginning a “temporary” job working for Jeff Lewis, a real-estate investor-turned Bravo reality-show star. She confesses she’s always been a people-pleaser and provides a blueprint for getting along without losing your own identity. In addition to offering useful advice from her own experiences—such as “you can fail, be betrayed, and be totally humiliated on national television and not die” and “the worst-case scenario often isn’t”—Pulos shares tough-love advice from her alter ego, the tough-talking, get it done “Deb.” She isn’t shy about revealing her personal life—like the breakup of her first marriage on national TV or a humiliating encounter with a negative former teacher while working at a grocery store—which only serves to make her more appealing and relatable. Pulos’s central message in this encouraging volume is one that anyone would be smart to heed: when you’re going through hell, keep on going, because everything works out in the end. 20 b&w photos.

April 15, 2014
Frank memoir by debut author Pulos, a regular on the Bravo reality TV shows Flipping Out and Interior Therapy. Known for her seemingly endless patience and sweet nature as the calm assistant to her obsessive, hot-tempered boss, realtor Jeff Lewis, on Flipping Out, Pulos pulls no punches in her autobiography-cum-self-help guide. Hers, she declares, is a " 'don't give up'/'hang in there'/'you can learn to be happy'/'keep going'/'own your own flaws'/'succeed anyway' book," and her first tenet is to "tell the truth about yourself." To that end, with the assistance of veteran co-author Morton (co-author, with Al Roker: Never Goin' Back: Winning the Weight-Loss Battle For Good, 2012, etc.), Pulos lays out the personal lows and highs from her life, including her then-husband ending their marriage on national TV. She also looks back at her successful career in entertainment, which followed being told that she was destined for Hollywood failure. Pulos' confessions and insights possess a disposition that's simultaneously sunny side up and self-deprecating. Her talent for revealing herself and laughing about her mistakes is endearing; her candid sharing of her foibles and embarrassments makes her triumphs, in love and work, feel earned. Her overarching story is one of self-transformation, specifically how she changed from playing small in order to please people, including those who underestimated her, into a woman who takes ownership of her life and happiness. Having embraced imperfections and mistakes dating back to her childhood (embarrassing photos included), Pulos laughs easily. Despite her insistence that this is not a how-to book, the author includes numerous lists, tips, sidebars and inspirational quotes from historical figures. Though the writing isn't notable, the author comes across as genuine, and some of her vignettes are genuinely entertaining.

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