Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up

Interesting memoir. I forgot or didn't know that Selma Blair grew up in Southfield, MI, which is close to where I grew up. The author focuses more on her personal life than her career, with center stage featuring her relationship with her mother. 

The author adores her mother, but she seems to have been quite terrifying and soul crushing. It's an interesting – understandable – tone. Wanting to please someone you probably will never please, and knowing this person also shaped you in some ways you absolutely wouldn't change. 

Selma talks at length about her struggles with alcohol, her relationships, her pets, her son, and her friends. There's always the specter of MS. The acknowledgements include some epic name drops, and the acknowledgements go on for a while. 

Other people have mentioned that Selma during emotional moments sounds like she's crying, and it's hard to tell if she's being vulnerable and letting her emotions flow, or performing to move the reader. That question, more than than habit, is distracting.