“Know your worth, girls. You’re not lucky to be at the party; the party is lucky to have you. Apply as needed to relationships, jobs, and family.” – 4.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: hot pink, cute boys, fashion, runway, a bedazzler, privilege, designer clothes, secrets, paparazzi, new businesses, trauma, ADHD, social media, a lot of partying, heiresses, modeling, catchphrases, and the famous “baby voice”.

A MILLION MEANINGS IN A SINGLE NAME…
Heiress. Party girl. Problem child. Selfie taker. Model. Cover girl. Reality star.
These are labels that have been attached to Paris Hilton by others.

Founder. Entrepreneur. Pop Culture Maker. Innovator. Survivor. Activist. Daughter. Sister. Wife. Mom.
These are roles Paris Hilton embraces now as a fully realized woman.

Paris rose to prominence as an heiress to the Hilton Hotels empire, but cultivated her fame and fortune as the It Girl of the aughts, a time marked by the burgeoning twenty-four-hour entertainment news cycle and the advent of the celebrity blog. Using her celebrity brand, Paris set in motion her innovative business ventures, while being the constant target of tabloid culture that dismissively wrote her off as “famous for being famous.” With tenacity, sharp business acumen, and grit, she built a global empire and, in the process, became a truly modern icon beloved around the world.

Now, with courage, honesty, and humor, Paris Hilton is ready to take stock, place it all in context, and share her story with the world. Separating the creation from the creator, the brand from the ambassador, Paris: The Memoir strips away all we thought we knew about a celebrity icon, taking us back to a privileged childhood lived through the lens of undiagnosed ADHD and teenage rebellion that triggered a panicked–and perilous–decision by her parents. Led to believe they were saving their child’s life, Paris’s mother and father had her kidnapped and sent to a series of “emotional growth boarding schools,” where she survived almost two years of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. In the midst of a hell we now call the “troubled teen industry,” Paris created a beautiful inner world where the ugliness couldn’t touch her. She came out, resolving to trust no one but herself as she transformed that fantasy world into a multibillion-dollar reality.

Recounting her perilous journey through pre-#MeToo sexual politics with grace, dignity, and just the right amount of sass, Paris: The Memoir tracks the evolution of celebrity culture through the story of the figure at its leading edge, full of defining moments and marquee names. Most important, Paris shows us her path to peace while she challenges us to question our role in her story and in our own. Welcome to Paris.

It’s funny to think I kind of judged this book before picking it up, which proves the point she is trying to make. It’s not that I thought this was going to be a bad book, but I think I had a formed idea in my mind of what this book would be – more on the superficial side, to be honest.

I’m very surprised she opened up about her story and the things she went through. Sure, people look at Paris and see a rich party girl always dressed in pink, but even though that’s, in fact, a big part of who she is, she is also extremely intelligent, kind, and a businesswoman at heart. I’m not surprised she’s still friends with Kim Kardashian because they are very similar in this regard! She openly talks about how people are quick to judge her because of the “persona” she created over the last few years. And even though I know she is very smart and was “playing a character” for a very long time, I still thought this book was a product of that character. Well, I was wrong.

But I digress, let’s go back to the book. The book was very easy to read and was well structured. I liked how casual it was, but it was still very well organized – as I reader, I prefer well-structured memoirs because it’s easy to get lost in the timeline of events sometimes. She talks about her family (not in a lot of detail, but enough for you to understand her upbringing), how she started getting famous, all the trouble she caused, and how much she’s grown. She also talks about how she fell in love with her now-husband and how she had trouble getting pregnant. She even mentions how she started her signature phrase “that’s hot”, which I thought was a pretty funny thing to add to her book! But the thing that marked me the most – and I would even say it’s the biggest thing she talks about in the book – was her time spent in a sort of boarding school for troubled teens. Her parents had enough of her and sent her to a very disturbed place that abused kids – well, in their defense, they had no idea what was going on. They just trusted she was going to a good place with psychiatrists and therapists. Paris (and the other kids) were severely traumatized by the years they spent there, and some of them were either killed or took their own lives. It’s insane to know a place like that existed, taking advantage of desperate parents by taking loads of money and promising to “straighten” their kids. It was difficult to read her telling her experience and talking about other kids who were there at the same time with her. Still, I’m glad she brought that to light for people to start a conversation on the subject.

I think people don’t give Paris enough credit. She is not trying to fool anyone – she knows and acknowledges she was very lucky to be born with good looks and to grow up with old money – but I wish people would look over all her privilege and see how hard-working and inspiring she is.

I finished this book wondering if her parents read it. Apparently, her parents had a really hard time when they finally knew what happened to her and she even says she hopes they read her book. I honestly hope they did (or do).

I wasn’t expecting any of this, but I was pleasantly surprised by her honesty and humility. It was a very eye-opening memoir and it made me think of how quickly and easily we judge people we don’t know. She talked about some very serious issues and I’m glad she brought them to light. Very impressed with this one!