Let me just state my takeaways, from someone who grew up with her music and liked it but was never a fan. SPOILERS below
I believe she has a horrible family, I don’t think they care for her at all, I think they stole her money and used her every chance they got. I’m amazed she’s standing at all.
But… based on the book, I get the feeling that Britneys not the most reliable narrator. Not that she’s lying, more like she’s a brilliant artist who lacks other skills. The story about her receipts and that one phone call to her mom, and how her early boyfriend’s used her. It makes me feel like she’s not all there. And we don’t get any information on how her boyfriend’s viewed the conservatorship, which bothers me so much…
What are your thoughts?
The book was fascinating. I actually read it at the same time I read “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” and it was interesting how both Britney and Jeanette were abused by their parents, manipulated by their employers, and how multiple adults could have stepped in and didn’t.
However, I definitely think Britney’s limited education came through in the book, and she also seems to have mental issues exacerbated (but not necessarily caused) by the abuse she suffered at her family’s hands. The story about her driving a car on a cliff with her boyfriend, escaping the paparazzo by executing a turn that could have killed them and having her justify it as “we should be able to make mistakes, even risky ones” makes me think she’s not mentally all there.
You certainly can’t compare trauma and Jeanette suffered physical (and probably sexual) abuse rather than financial but Jeanette seemed like a much more reasonable person.
I am definitely NOT advocating for the type of oversight her dad forced on Britney (in addition to forcing her to perform) but she needed a psychiatrist before she even became a child star.