A book club that I am a part of decided to read Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi. I knew very little about Portia de Rossi before this book. Really, all I knew was that she is Ellen's wife. This book gave me the chance to really get inside of her head and truly understand what it is like to be in the show business with an eating disorder.
Portia de Rossi is open and honest in this book. She tells of how she binged and then purged and how she justified it to herself. She wrote about what she saw when she looked in the mirror and how she constantly felt the pressure to be thinner and prettier than everyone around her. She was convinced that the only way to land roles was to be thinner than the next girl. That goal became an obsession for her, and the numbers on the scale dipped to a dangerously low number.
Even though Unbearable Lightness deals with a very tough subject, it was worth the read because it was eye-opening and raw. I felt like Portia de Rossi really let the readers into her head. There were some very dark periods in her life, and she chose to share those with the world. I am very appreciative of the fact that I had the chance to read this book. Even people without eating disorders can connect with Portia de Rossi as she struggles with her self-confidence.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
