Brave

Starred review from February 5, 2018
Actress and director McGowan's disturbing and captivating memoir is a scathing indictment of Hollywood, which she calls a "cult," as well as a riveting account of survival. McGowan was born in Italy to American parents involved in a religious group called the Children of God and was physically abused by members of the group as a child. Her father eventually fled to the U.S. with McGowan, her siblings, and his second wife. McGowan, however, says that she continued to suffer from mistreatment and neglect; for a time in her teens she was hungry and homeless, living on the streets in Oregon. After a chance encounter with a friend with Hollywood connections, McGowan made her way to Los Angeles, where she won parts in such films as Scream and later landed a role in the hit TV series Charmed. Readers will find her graphic description of being sexually assaulted by a notorious but unnamed studio head to be repellant and raw. McGowan's struggle to endure in her career (she writes that she was blacklisted after the assault) leads to her fearless unveiling of the injustices and "systemic misogyny" that she claims are rampant in Hollywood. A chapter titled "Cult of Thought" is a call to action, promoting a new order in which women (and men) are valued for their creative differences. Frank and bold, this memoir is a resounding wakeup call to the entertainment industry and to society as a whole.

After the introductory music, written and performed by the actor Rose McGowan herself, she tells the story of her childhood, when she lived in a cult with her parents, and her teen years, when she lived on the streets. Finally, she makes it to a modeling career and then Hollywood stardom, which has been accompanied by some notoriety for statements she has made in interviews. The aggressive tone in much of her narration gives the listener the feeling of being reprimanded. However, her delivery of the scene in which she is sexually assault is notable in its raw emotion, making it stand out amid the ranting of the most of the audiobook. The unexpected inclusion of McGowan's original music gives the audiobook a jarring beginning and ending. The is an underwhelming performance of an overwhelming story. A.L.S.M. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine