This was a pretty good book. She is definitely a pretty spritual person. I liked some of her lessons that helped her grow. She definitely did not have it easy in her life. From having an absentee creepy father, a neglectful if not abusive mother, to a mentally ill husband. Yes, she persevered and followed her goals and dreams. ( )

This is one of the best actor's biographies I've read. Burstyn has an amazing journey from childhood abuse to being under the thumb of the men in her relationships to her search for spirituality and meaning in her life. My only quibble is that more time is spent on the beginning and middle years than her later life, but that's small when I consider what she was willing to share. ( )

Ellen Burstyn has written a remarkably candid memoir of her life growing up in Detroit during the depression. It is truly amazing that she was able to overcome all the problems presented by her parents, failed marriages and difficulty finding success in show business. She is a remarkable woman with tremendous determination who bounced back from many setbacks. Her search for inner peace and spirituality is especially touching. I enjoyed this book by one of my favorite actresses. ( )

Warning: new age-y material ahead! I found that the best part of the book, but if you're leery of hearing a Hollywood star going on about that, this might not be the book for you. The initial part contains fairly standard humble-roots-to-first-break tale. Then the story takes off into how Ellen's search for ways to deal with the challenges in her life, the mistakes she made (both personal and financial), and how she finally learned,not just to say "NO!", but "YES!" (to herself). Highly recommended.
Disclaimer: I read the audiobook, which is technically "abridged" - I could see where a reader might find herself feeling bogged down in detail at times, but there's a lot of message in what she says onetheless. ( )

Loved this book! ( )