Paris. Autobiografia

by Paris Hilton, Magdalena Moltzan-Małkowska (Translator)

Jedno imię, milion znaczeń.
Dziedziczka fortuny. Skandalistka. Dziewczyna z okładek. Gwiazda reality show.
To etykiety przypisane Paris Hilton przez innych.
Artystka. Kobieta biznesu. Aktywistka. Córka. Siostra. Żona.
To role, które podejmuje sama jako w pełni świadoma kobieta.

Paris Hilton zdobyła rozgłos jako dziedziczka hotelowego imperium, ale fortunę zbiła sama jako trendsetterka. Wykorzystując celebrycką sławę, rozwijała innowacyjne przedsięwzięcia biznesowe i mimo że nieustannie znajdowała się na celowniku prasy brukowej wytykającej jej, że jest "znana z tego, że jest znana", dzięki wytrwałości i inteligencji zbudowała globalne imperium.

W autobiografii dzieli się swoją niezwykłą historią – odważnie, szczerze i z poczuciem humoru. To jej wielki bilans oddzielający stworzenie od stwórcy, markę od jej ambasadora. Odkrywa przed czytelnikami prawdziwe oblicze, opowiada o dzieciństwie i niezdiagnozowanym ADHD, a także o nastoletnim buncie, który doprowadził do przerażających konsekwencji. Rodzice, przekonani, że ratują swoje dziecko, umieścili ją w prywatnej instytucji zajmującej się trudną młodzieżą, gdzie przez prawie dwa lata doświadczała poniżania i wykorzystywania seksualnego. W tym piekle stworzyła swój własny świat, w którym zło nie mogło jej dosięgnąć. Wyłoniła się z otchłani, ufając tylko sobie, i przekształciła marzenia w rzeczywistość wartą miliardy dolarów.

Opowiadając z wdziękiem i godnością o swoich doświadczeniach, Paris przedstawia jednocześnie historię celebryckiej kultury widzianą jej oczami, pełną niespodziewanych zwrotów akcji i wielkich nazwisk. Co jednak ważniejsze, pokazuje swoją drogę do wewnętrznego spokoju, a przy okazji i zachęca do zadania sobie pytania o naszą rolę w jej historii. Witamy w świecie Paris Hilton.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Autobiography, Biography Memoir, Mental Health

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2023

About the author

Paris Whitney Hilton is an American celebutante, singer, actress, model, and businesswoman.

She is best-known through the television series The Simple Life. She has appeared in several minor film roles, most notably in the horror film House of Wax in 2005. In 2004 she published a tongue-in-cheek autobiography. In 2006, she released her debut album Paris. Hilton's career pursuits include singing, modeling, acting, writing, and television. As a result of several legal incidents, Hilton served a widely publicized sentence in an L.A. County jail facility in 2007.

Reviews

[Erin :bookshelvesandbubbly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone--Go apologize to Paris Hilton now.

[Laney Varnadoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is horrifying, excessively disturbing, absolutely gut wrenching, and more than anything: absolutely important. I definitely laughed with this audiobook because I just love Paris but it also broke me down in so many ways. This goes so much deeper than the documentary and if you don’t know about Provo Canyon and other schools like this…read this. This is real life.

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning I thought it would be a disorganized journey, since she kept jumping from thought to thought. But she explained why, since her ADHD mind functions like that. It was a way to illustrate that and the rest of the memoir flowed smoothly. She has an interesting story to tell, and it’s obvious she has grown and learnt. I was also saddened by the abuse she endured in the school she was sent to. She’s a strong woman, and I’m glad I’ve read her memoir.

[melhara · Rating 4 out of 5]

March 28, 2023 - Review:

Don't be fooled by the lovely pink cover - this book covers some serious and dark topics including struggling with ADHD, rape, Paris' traumatic experience at CEDU and Provo, PTSD, being re-traumatized, etc.

Growing up, Paris Hilton's The Simple Life and her show My New Bff were my guilty pleasures and my first real introduction to trashy and addictive reality TV. It's easy to watch these shows and think that Paris grew up in glamour and riches with not a worry in the world. While that may be true to an extent, I was shocked to hear about her traumatic experience attending schools for 'troubled teens' (which sounds more like a juvie psych ward).

The schools that Paris had attended seemed to be taken straight out of a dystopian dark academia horror novel and is probably the boarding school of every child's nightmare. The staff in these institutions were clearly on a power trip and take perverse pleasure in humiliating and inflicting psychological torture on teenagers.

The more I learned about Paris' nightmarish school experience, her creepy encounter with Harvey Weinstein, handling the leaked sex tape, going to jail, etc., the more I realized what a true badass she really is.


Although I typically struggle with books that meander from topic to topic, Paris' book (which does jump from topic to topic - I guess to follow her ADHD line of thinking) was done in a way that still made sense as it was fairly easy to follow her train of thought.

Audiobook Comments:
The audiobook was narrated by Paris and I loved listening to her. I listened to most of the audiobook at regular speed and also at 1.1x speed.

March 14, 2023 - Pre-Review:
Happy publishing date (and happy pi day!)
Ngl, this is my most anticipated celebrity memoir of 2023.


January 23, 2023 - Pre-Review:
Celebrity memoirs are a guilty pleasure of mine and I'm low-key curious about this one.

[lulu · Rating 1 out of 5]

damn this was sad but i just found out shes a raging racist so BYYEE 😭

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

I don't normally do Content Warnings because I'm usually oblivious to what might trigger readers because my triggers are super weird and things that nobody else seems to have a problem with. But in this case I need you guys to be aware of what type of book this is. You may think that a Paris Hilton memoir will be light and fluffy but it is not. Paris talks in detail about her experiences at "Emotional Growth Boarding Schools" and this was a harrowing experience.

Content Warnings: Rape, Grooming, Torture, Mental Abuse, Physical Abuse and Terrible Parenting

First of all I'm wanna say Paris Hilton's Stars Are Blind is a bop and goes harder than it has any right to. That song isn't a Guilty Pleasure because I feel no Guilt.

I'm a old person. I'm told I'm considered a "Geriatric Millennial" and I feel that. Kids I'm basically your grandmother. So believe me when I tell you youngsters that for about 5 years Paris Hilton was the most famous person on the planet. She was everywhere. I mean she was so famous that she made her friend Kim Kardashian famous. I'm not ashamed to say thst as a teenager The Simple Life was one of my favorite shows(Nicole Ritchie is an icon). The early 2000's was a wild time and I'm glad it's over because it was also horrible for women. Paris Hilton became one of the most hated women in the world simply because she liked partying and being famous.

What's wrong with that?

I don't know but it apparently it was horrible in 2006.

This book did something I thought was impossible...it made Paris Hilton seem down to earth. I never would have thought that was possible be Paris Hilton comes across as a completely normal person who made tons of mistakes but learned from each of those mistakes. I know she has a documentary on YouTube that I plan to watch and she has a wedding special on Peacock which I probably won't watch but if you're interested maybe you will. I also listened to her album Paris from 2006 while reading this book and....it's very 2006 and I loved like only an old person could.

In conclusion I hate Paris Hilton's parents...they are trash and belong in Hell. Paris is married now and is a mom so I'm hoping that she's happy and is able to be the kind of mother she never had.

If you are a old person like me who remembers Paris Hilton being the Queen of the world, than I think you'll enjoy this book.

I highly recommend this book to my fellow "Geriatric Millennials"!

[Nathan Shuherk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I understand why celebrity memoir book club exists. I also want to talk about this with someone for 3 hours

[Claire Kane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 really. I admire her for speaking out against those torture camps for teens but she lets herself down by being totally self unaware in certain parts.

I also wish she didn't just excuse herself from being racist and homophobic by saying "I was traumatised and black-out drunk". Maybe try "I was a fucking idiot and I thought it was cool. I'm sorry, I know better now"

How she seems to try to convince the reader that her name isn't why she is who she is made me roll my eyes so much. This book has the potential to be powerful but she fucked it a little.

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So lemme just say that I was never really a Paris fan, I guess for me she really got lumped in with KK and some of that other celebrity drama that I just didn’t care about.

This memoir was fantastic! I laughed out loud with her so many times while listening, she kept it very real and down to earth.

I definitely related on such a basic human level to the things she went through, all the trauma. Honestly it’s haunting. I definitely gained a shit ton of respect for Paris. ♥️ rock on star!

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

[Sarah ♡ (let’s interact!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re of an age where you can remember the early 2000s, you will remember the hold Paris Hilton had on pop culture. She is the face of all the “y2k throwback” internet posts/aesthetics. She basically invented what it means to be an “influencer”. She’s still influencing fashion with her looks from 20 years ago cycling back.
I’ve always been curious about Paris, after being such a fan of The Simple Life growing up - I am not ashamed to admit that I love to watch trashy reality tv from time to time.
She is more than just the persona she created of a “bimbo, barbie-girl, airhead” heiress. Yes, she grew up more rich and privileged than most of us could only dream to imagine… but especially during her teenager years, she went through trauma. A darkness she openly talks about in this frank and honest memoir.
This is not just some fun book about fashion and a Hollywood lifestyle. It’s dark.
tw:// abuse - at her “boarding school”.

The part where she apologised to her parents made me tear up so much 🥺 why are they not accepting their part in what happened to her !! I suppose it was because they were conned and still feel guilty that their mistake ended up causing so much pain to their “troubled” teenage daughter. I’ll add the quote here;
”Mom and Dad: I apologize. I am so sorry. Not knowing where your child is that's a kind of psychological torture, too. I’m sorry I was insensitive to how cruel that really was. I'm sorry my choices put you in a place that must have seemed like a no-win situation. I love you, Mom and Dad. And I forgive you, even if you don't ask. Hopefully we can all redirect our anger in a positive direction- like state and federal legislation that kicks the crap out of the troubled-teen-industry con artists and keeps them from destroying other families in the future.”
I was close to tears every time I read what she experienced at the CEDU “school” (more like prison!). It breaks my heart that so many teenagers had to go through similar situations at these facilities, so many of them must have also been neurodivergent or had learning disabilities.
Also, how devastating it was for her to have the amateur sex tape she featured in as a nineteen year old girl leaked. It wasn’t consented by her for the world to see it, and the fear she must have experienced that it would damage her burgeoning career would have been awful.

I can relate to growing up as an undiagnosed neurodivergent and the struggles we all face. We feel like outsiders in a world that feels as though it wasn’t made for us. This is especially the case for women - Paris got a diagnosis and meds eventually for her ADHD. And she seems to have learnt a lot about herself since being diagnosed. That diagnosis can be a lightbulb moment of “OH that’s why I’m different! OH that’s why I do things/behave in a certain way!”. I felt that same way when I received my autism diagnosis in 2018.
Those of us with ADHD need stimulation. We crave it. There’s no surprise that she ended up being a wild party girl in her teen years and early twenties.

”Dr. Edward Hallowell, author of Driven to Distraction, says the ADHD brain is like a Ferrari with bicycle brakes: powerful but difficult to control. My ADHD makes me lose my phone, but it also makes me who I am, so if I'm going to love my life, I have to love my ADHD.
And I do love my life.”

There are certain things I’ll never relate to with Paris. Being a (probable?) Trump supporter because of her family! (She claims that she lied in interviews and didn’t vote at all!) Or openly being into NFTs. But there are parts of her story which will resonate with so many people. You can’t help but feel empathy for her.
This was my choice for a more modern women’s history month read. 💖

4.5 Stars (rounded down to 4)

[Brandice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was admittedly curious but skeptical about Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton, and even as I listened to the first chapter of the audiobook, wasn’t sure it was for me, but I’m glad I kept listening.

Paris has had an interesting and of course, incredibly privileged life — I appreciate that she acknowledged this, more than once, and made no attempt to pretend she hasn’t. That said, her story is also a reminder we all face serious challenges in life.

After misbehaving during her high school years, Paris was involuntarily sent away to reform school where she was subjected to gross, negligent staff and unacceptable living conditions. She is a survivor, surviving horrific abuse and dark memories from that time which haunted her for many years.

Paris is also a business woman. I don’t know much about her musical or DJ career — I remember she had one song when I was in HS but I didn’t know she had a DJ residency for 5 years in Ibiza before I listened to this memoir. Beyond that, she’s always been interested in branding and partnership opportunities that work for her — I can support a successful woman securing the bag.

Paris has had an up & down relationship with her parents, though it sounds like more ups than downs, she’s very fond of her three younger siblings, has been burned by Hollywood and some past relationships, struggled with infertility, and is excited about her current phase in life as a wife and new mom.

Recommended for Paris Hilton fans, celebrity memoir readers and pop culture lovers — 3.5 stars

[Meike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paris Hilton, now one of the highest paid DJs in the world, is an intelligent and hard-working woman who made a fortune by allowing people less fortunate and smart than her to nevertheless feel superior. Ghostwritten by Joni Rodgers, her memoir is extremely successful when it comes to illuminating how her public persona as a dum-dum - which, make no mistake, she herself created - made some people feel like there is no limit to how she could be insulted, belittled, and shamed. Hilton was severely abused by the media and the public, including her being slut-shamed after becoming the victim of revenge porn. Yes, in the early 200's, misogyny was often still accepted as entertainment or even comedy (just think of Monica Lewinsky or how people rejoiced when Lindsay Lohan was afflicted by crippling addiction).

I was also impressed that Hilton opens up about living with ADHD and the trauma she suffered in the troubled teen industry, and how she now advocates against the exploitation of young people - these topics have certainly not been part of her brand before. Sure, it's highly debatable whether media, ähem, masterpieces like "The Simple Life" or sonic crimes like her single "Stars are blind", perceived in context of the whole simulation that is her public image, have done a service to feminism (hot take: no), but from a pure business perspective, this woman is a savage. There is actually a lot to learn here about the entertainment industry and also changing attitudes regarding acceptable behaviors and viewer as well as journalistic comments in the digitalized world.

Also, the text is well-written, entertaining and interesting, and I somehow just love how a person who has always hidden in plain sight, behind a ton of digital images, now sets her record straight - with a book. Okay, I listened to the audiobook, read by the author herself, and she did a great job narrating her story - a story not to be missed by anyone interested in pop culture or the digital media world, as it adds layers to who we think Hilton is and thus illuminates how ideas about public personas are created. This memoir is certainly not about the "real" Paris (as if she answered the eternal question who we as peaople actually are), but it adds more pieces to the puzzle.

[Traci Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to have moments of revelation and vulnerability, however my frustration came after any particularly good moment she’d pull away and discuss her outfits, celeb friends, and/or business ventures. A coping mechanism that left me feeling detached from Paris and her story. I didn’t know much about her life and commend her for sharing so much. The accountability wasn’t there.

[BookishNerdMom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paris Hilton IS the person her dog thinks she is.

[Chloe Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was unbelievably moved by this memoir. I was skeptical, expecting a fun, low-stakes memoir about fame but as the book developed, I found myself rooting for Paris. Paris Hilton writes openly and honestly about her experiences going through the troubled teen industry in the late 90s and her own advocacy work as a result of that experience. She charts her career through the changing media landscape of the early aughts and portrays a culture that “revel[s] in the degradation of young women.” Some parts are very hard to read, but I laughed, I cried, and ultimately found a lot of wisdom in this book. Go Paris!

[emi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 stars

Yesterday, my aunt had asked me what I was currently reading, and I replied that I had picked up this book. I saw that it was available at my local library, and, living in Utah where the absolute horrific Provo Canyon School that Paris was forced to attend is located, I was curious about what would be discussed and what conversations could be created. I figured it's important to know about things that are (still, currently) happening in my own backyard.

My aunt had just looked at the book and replied, "Seriously? You're reading that willingly??"

Just now, as I was debating about whether to round up my rating to 4 stars, or round it down to 3, (as there were times in this book where I felt like Paris's privilege was a little too much to handle, even though she did do her best to acknowledge it), I thought back to that conversation just a day before and, I remember/realized that even now, in 2023, people are so willing to jump on any opportunity to tear down a women, especially one like Paris Hilton. And that it's important to rate this book higher. Especially considering, a major theme of this memoir was about the negative way people and society treat women.

It's 2023, do better

[Nev · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was never a Paris Hilton fan or a Paris Hilton hater. I remember seeing a few episodes of The Simple Life here and there and seeing stories about her on E! But for the most part she was never a pop culture figure who I paid a lot of attention to. So I was surprised with how much I ended up loving her memoir. There have been a lot of reexaminations of the ways that the media treated young women in the early 2000s, and Paris’ story adds a lot to that conversation.

I had heard in passing about her starting to speak out about the troubled teen industry and the “schools” she was forced to go to as a teenager. Her accounting of the physical, verbal, and sexual abuse that she endured in these places is just horrific. I admire her for being so honest about such painful memories and how she’s fighting to get legislation passed to put an end to these sorts of institutions.

It’s fascinating and heartbreaking to hear her discuss the ways that she created her persona as a coping mechanism after getting her freedom back. The violation of the sextape being released and her experience in jail are made even more horrible when you know what she had already endured as a teenager.

Sometimes celebrity memoirs can feel like they’re just ghostwritten and don't have any of the person’s actual voice included in the narrative. Right from the prologue the book feels like it’s unique to Paris’ voice. She introduces her having ADHD and how she skips around from topic to topic and her slang is used throughout. While that might make some readers annoyed, I liked how it made the book feel like its own individual thing.

I definitely recommend this book, whether you’re a fan of Paris or not. There is definitely a lot of harrowing stuff covered in the book, so tread carefully. But if you look back on the early 2000s and cringe at the way the media treated a lot of the young female celebrities, maybe give this book a read to get a look behind the curtain.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really interesting and covered some really important topics. Paris opens up about being sexually assaulted, having her sex tape released, and being abused by the troubled teen industry as well as a handful of other things. The first few chapters are kind of obnoxious but once you get past them it's a pretty serious book.

I took off two stars for Paris unironically pushing crypto. At one point she talks about releasing NFTs in honor of her grandma and she names one of her dogs Crypto. Jesus Christ.

She also briefly mentions being into The Secret and hiring a pet psychic.

And there are moments of weird rich person shit.

BUT if you can overlook all that, I think her work bringing awareness to the troubled teen industry is really important and that is the bulk of this book.

[Patricija || book.duo · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

Pamenu, kažkada, būdama maža, pasičiupau tuos ikoniškus ankstyvųjų 2000-jų milžiniškus akinius nuo saulės ir puoliau maivytis. Manęs ta, kuriai akiniai priklausė, mylinčiai paklausė: „ooo, kas tu tokia?“. Nedvejojau: „Paris Hilton!”. Žaidimas tęsėsi: „tai gal atėjai tiesiai iš kalėjimo?“. Šitas pokalbis, Paris balsui skambant man ausyse, vis sukosi ir sukosi atmintyje. Niekada nė sekundei neabejojau jos ikoniškumu ir ne kartą, toli gražu ne ironiškai su draugėmis rėkėm pagal „Stars are blind“. Bet jei gyvenot tais pačiais laikais, kaip Paris Hilton, puikiai žinot, kad ji buvo ta, kurios nekęsti buvo madinga. Gal net sveiko proto ženklas. Kartu su neapykanta Britney, Lohan ir dar kelioms It girls. Ir nors žinojau, kad Paris istorija – neeilinė, nebuvau pasiruošusi visoms toms emocijoms, kurios mane užplūdo klausantis. Kiek kartų valiausi ašaras, kiek kartų rankos tiesėsi į ausines, turint nors menkiausią laiko gabalėlį. Norėjau jį praleisti su Ja.

Paris knygoje nebandė gintis. Nebandė aiškinti, kad nedarė klaidų. Nėjo dvasinio nušvitimo keliu. Tiesiog pasakojo savo istoriją. Neapsimesdama rašytoja. Neapsimesdama, kad nesuvokia galimybių, kurios buvo jai suteiktos. Tikėdamasi, kad skaitytojas suteiks galimybę atviram pokalbiui. Kartais užbėgdama už akių: „aha, turbūt jums negaila apvogtos milijonierės, ką?“. Bet iš Paris buvo pavogta kur kas daugiau, nei materialūs dalykai. Iš jos buvo pavogta galimybė spręsti, ką daryti su savo kūnu, ji patyrė seksualinę ir fizinę prievartą, emocinį ir fizinį smurtą, gyveno laikais, kai moterims ADHD diagnozė dar buvo nauja ir neištirta teritorija, kai jos intymiausias gyvenimo detales prieš jos valią narstė visas pasaulis. Ir jei kas nors, perklausę viską, ką Paris tekę patirti, vis tiek galvos, kad ji neverta empatijos tik todėl, kiek pinigų jos sąskaitoj... Tų žmonių man gaila gal net labiau, nei Paris. O tikėti aukomis, neabejoju, vis dar turėtų būti prioritetas.

Nenoriu iš būsimų skaitytojų atimti tų sukrėtimų, kurie laukia skaitant Paris memuarus, o ir nežinau, ar empatijos būčiau jautusi t i e k daug, jei negirdėčiau vis lūžtančio jos balso, bet norėčiau tikėti, kad tai – gydanti knyga. Gydanti tuos, kurie buvo mokomi nekęsti kitos moters. Gydanti tuos, kurie patyrė ką nors panašaus. Ir gydanti ją pačią. O gyventi laikais, kai It girls atsiima savo istorijas ir jas pasakoja pačios, yra būdas ir man pagydyti tą mažąją Patriciją, kuri staipėsi su per dideliais akiniais ir kuriai buvo bandyta įrodyti, kad reikėtų kitos moters nekęsti, pilnos istorijos nežinant.

[Lucinda Garza Zamarripa]

No voy a ponerle calificación al libro porque (al igual que la memoir de Jenette McCurdy) me siento rara al "calificar" un libro que narra cosas delicadísimas.

Decidí escuchar el libro de Paris Hilton porque es un icono de la cultura pop, porque recuerdo leer fascinada sobre la casa que tenía para sus perritos, porque su perfume estuvo entre mis repisas, y sobre todo porque ya sabía que sería mucho más que solamente fiestas y rosa.

Sí, es una mujer (muy muy MUY) privilegiada, pero eso no le quita haber sufrido tanto durante los años tan vulnerables de la adolescencia. Bien y pudo haberse quedado callada sobre los abusos de la industria que "endereza" a los jóvenes con humillación y violencia, pero después de muchos años encontró la manera de hablar de algo de lo que tal vez nunca sane con tal de proteger a otras generaciones.

Otro tema es el de la sexualización extrema y el tratamiento horrendo hacia mujeres tan jóvenes en la industria del entretenimiento (como Britney, Lindsay, Amanda...) en los 2000, la explotación en los tabloides y la falta de empatía por parte de los consumidores. That was fucked up, y es una conversación que sigue vigente tras el #MeToo y la nueva cultura de las redes sociales.

Que hablando de redes sociales... algo que no se puede negar es el papel (para bien o para mal) de esta señora a la hora de ser pionera tanto en tecnología como en la cultura de los influencers. Está cabrón.

Obvio no estoy de acuerdo con TODA su visión del mundo, pero creo que es un testimonio interesante y valioso para la cultura pop. Ah, y también hay muchísimas descripciones de outfits y de lujos más superficiales, ¿pero qué es la marca de Paris Hilton sin eso?

[Mediaman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unworthy memoir that's essentially PR spin to justify all sorts of bad life choices by a little rich girl that wants to blame everyone else and "ADHD" for her issues. Other than a great 90 pages that reveal her rebellious teen years in horrific teen boot camps, the rest of it is embarrassing for Hilton and she doesn't appear to even realize it or care. As she states clearly, all she wants is to be famous and this book is just another thing that makes her feel that way.

The first major issue is that Hilton from the start overstates her claims of having ADHD and that since it wasn't diagnosed until her mid-20s that she has not responsibility for her wild actions. She cannot claim she had ADHD as a child or blame her many illegal teen choices on ADHD since she was never diagnosed. She was simply a spoiled rich kid that didn't want to do anything anyone told her and hung out with the wrong people. She was drinking and partying wildly by the time she was 16. Due to her very bad choices she flunked out of school and was abused by boys, including her claim of being sexually assaulted by a guy who drugged her drink.

So her parents sent her away to full-time boarding school in the middle of nowhere that ended up being a cultlike camp where they tried to scare her straight. Skip the opening section that's worthless and go straight to page 89 where she reveals shocking details of how she was mistreated and how her parents refused to allow her to come home for two years. She attempted repeated breakouts and ended up not being able to trust anyone in her life (including aunt Kyle Richards). It's fascinating insight into why she became the cardboard, unemotional person we know her as today.

Then she returns home at age 18 intellectually uneducated. She is placed back in tenth grade, fails again, gets moved around, and ultimately skips school to become a model in order to lead her on the road to the fame she so much desires.

The rest of the book is glib and unimpressive. She has an abortion and expects sympathy of her "struggle" to deal with her emotional choice, saying "When there is no right way all that's left is what is." Huh? Obviously she doesn't believe in right or wrong despite claiming to be a practicing Catholic. Then later in the book she wants the same sympathy for her inability to get pregnant by her husband and pays big money for IVF (never admitting some of her younger choices could have caused fertility issues). Paris Hilton wants everything done her way without any expectation of consequences or being held responsible for her actions.

She doesn't mention much about The Simple Life beyond some incorrect data about the series. She claims the first episode was a "massive hit" at 13 million viewers (that season #1 American Idol had 28 million while her show came in 34th place) and she says "an astounding 79 percent of the adult audience." 100% false and something no prime time series in the history of television has ever achieved). Her co-author (who obviously did simple Wikipedia searches to pad this book with pop culture items from each year) incorrectly read the Wikipedia entry for The Simple Life's ratings.

Here's what Wikipedia actually says: "The Simple Life drew 13 million viewers, increasing Fox's adults 18-49 rating a phenomenal 79%." Namely, in the narrow young adult demographic group, the first episode of The Simple Life increased the previous week's Fox numbers in that time slot by 79%. That means it could have gone from 4 million the previous week to 7 million adults under age 50--that's not 79% of the couple hundred million adult audience! What percentage of people in America were actually watching that show? Five percent. It did do fairly well for the low-rated Fox network, but it was nothing like the truly massive hit numbers for American Idol or even the higher-rated reality show My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancée.

Then there's that infamous sex tape. She does her best to claim she was drugged and not an active participant, that she was shocked when it was released. There are a few problems with that. She didn't sue at first, even though she implies she was raped. The boyfriend who shot the tape ended up suing Paris for slander for her public statements against him, as well as suing her parents and publicist; that's when Paris sued back and the two settled out of court for a cash settlement. So while the book claims she didn't make any money off the tape, that's simply not true based on public reports.

There are other errors in the book or things she just refuses to address like fights with her celebrity "friends" or other reality shows she did. Some of this is because the book feels like it was almost totally written by someone else or by committee to spin Hilton's image positive. Through it all the message is clear--Paris Hilton wants to be seen as a victim, a poor little rich girl that created a brand and an empire. But what she really comes across as is an undereducated rebel with no morals who is willing to do anything for a buck.

She even writes at one point, "I'm not saying the world revolves around me; I'm saying MY world revolves around me." No, Paris, with this book you're clearly saying that those are one and the same despite neither being reality.

[nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

READING VLOG

*I went ahead and compiled all the songs mentioned in the book into a single Spotify playlist for an enriched reading experience.

From quoting Björk in 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 to stanning homegirls like Demi Levato by way of Taco Bell, this book, if anything, proves one thing:

How we failed women in the early 2000's.

Where in God's name was empathy??? Myself included, I'm ashamed that I was lead to believe that Lady Paris was some ditzy blonde with a privilege that blinds agency. In actuality, she was incredibly hurt. Because media, tabloids, and the general public shamed her without knowing the truth.

From our "LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!!!" years, how did we go about not asking for Hilton's side of the story? Why did we not talk things out? And how did we let things slide, let things like her sex tape end up being dedicated to 9/11 victims? How in the hell did we pack ourselves with so much judgement without knowing the facts?

It's through Hilton's incredible survival story of different CEDU schools and moments of sexual assault and molestation do we understand the heavy Weinstein world that still had a chokehold on the public in the early 2000's. But in every agonizing struggle Paris went through, she saw the best in things. She put on good face. As a way of survival, as a way of reaching towards a better future. She is the last of her kind: a strong woman who navigated a patriarchal world while still maintaining good gest and fun in her own brand, her very identity.

Most people don't make it out alive. Most people don't even get to reach their full self, their full potential. And to see Hilton survive the treacherous ways we've failed women is a ways in seeing how much we've come around, though we've got a long road ahead of ourselves.

#sliving

[Elizabeth Chadsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you watched This is Paris (if you didn’t, do it), you probably have an idea of what to expect from this book. I did and it surpassed my expectations, it was intense, infuriating, inspiring and so interesting. I listened to the audio, as I think is best when an author reads their own memoir, and now I know I’ll end up buying a physical copy because there was so much said that resonated with me; I’ll be highlighting tons of this wise woman’s words. Paris was always a force and it’s so cool to see her making real, lasting changes for children who need their voices heard (and believed). There’s so much I want to say but can’t try to put into words, I won’t be doing it justice. 10/10, that’s hot, read this book.

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

A raw, unflinching honest look behind the facade that is the Paris Hilton we see most often. Ive always been able to tell that the dumb, baby-voiced blonde was an act, and I still wish she would take that mask off more often, but I also understand how it’s a natural reaction to an overwhelming level of fame, and I’m sure it’s nice to keep her true self to those closest to her. While I doubt she would ever admit it otherwise, I do tend to believe her about her involvement in the sex tape release. If she was involved after all, then kudos to the convincing and heart wrenching defense. I resonated with her more than I expected, especially in a world that is harsher and far more judgmental when it comes to women.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t know much about Paris Hilton other than what you see over the years in news feeds and tabloids (understandably often skewed or inaccurate). I had no plans to read this until I saw review after review mentioning depth and heartache. So I decided to give it a chance.

Paris’ honesty, introspection, drive, and humor made this an amazing book. It hit me emotionally harder than I expected and I have such respect and admiration for her after reading this.

[Kati *☆･ﾟ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this memoir blind. Not having heard much about Paris since the time in the early 2000s when she was still referred to as an It-Girl and Party-Girl with Nicole Richie at her side. I haven’t even seen (yet) the documentary that is somewhere out there.


So I basically knew nothing about her life going into this and I must say, I was deeply impressed, shocked (or more like horrified) but in contrast also well entertained (especially her early years before her parents royally fucked up) and captivated by the way she told stories from her life.

This was really great, I loved. The writing was good, the story flowed, she did a fantastic job narrating the audio and I couldn’t put it down. I practically listened to it in one sitting (?). If I’d also purchased the ebook there would be countless quotes I wanted to show you.

I loved her honesty, her bluntness, the cursing and most of all the way she spoke about her ADHD and how it effected her life.

Highly recommended to everyone who is interested.

[Cortney - Bookworm & Vine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be honest, I have never been a fan of Paris Hilton, but after her revelation a few years ago that she has been playing a role all these years, that she's not really the person she has been portraying, I was intrigued about her memoir. That coupled with the great reviews, I decided to give it a read.

I will say there is definitely more to her than what we've all seen over the past 20+ years, and she went through and had to endure some really bad shit in her late teens. I applaud her for telling her story and continuing to fight for kids that were put in the same terrible situation she was in, but, at the end of the day, she's still Paris Hilton with her constant name dropping, designer clothes, parties, and privilege.

Decent read, but I'd really only recommend for her fans. It changed my dislike for her to ambivalence, and I will still continue to jam to Stars Are Blind because I love it.

⭐⭐⭐

[Nick Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

I was bored. Then I was absorbed. I was bored again. Then I was absorbed again. I was like oh my god this is boring. Then I was like oh my god this is absorbing.

There were a lot of 'I' statements and stories in this that felt more like an advertisement for the Paris Hilton brand than an exploration of a genuine event in her life. However, I was also quite empathetic towards some of the stories she shared with vulnerability - particularly the shocking and horrific treatment she experienced at the Provo Canyon School.

I would recommend this if you want to read a memoir that Kelly Kapoor would read.

[Fernwehwelten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solche Bücher zu bewerten ist immer schwierig - aber schlichtweg weil ich es wirklich empfehlen möchte, hat‘s fünf Sterne verdient.

To be honest, ich folge zwar ein paar Schauspieler:innen oder Musiker:innen auf Social Media, bin aber nie so wirklich tief im Thema gewesen. Die klassischen It-Girls der 2000er waren auch erst recht nie meins. Zugegeben, ich habe da früher glaube ich auch schnell vorverurteilt. Habe wenn überhaupt nur das gesehen, was die Klatschmedien gezeigt haben – und war auch nie interessiert genug, tiefer zu sehen. Umso überraschender eigentlich, dass ich die Autobiografie von Paris Hilton habe lesen wollen. Im Nachhinein weiß ich nicht einmal mehr, wie es dazu kam. Aber ich bin SO FROH, dass ich es getan habe.

Keine Frage – nüchtern betrachtet ist auch eine Autobiografie zu einem gewissen Grad Marketinginstrument. Das ändert aber an nichts an all den grausamen Erzählungen, von denen ich viel zu viele vor lauter Unglaube parallel googeln musste. Unfassbar. Beim Lesen und Hören ist es mir kalt den Rücken gelaufen, ich hatte Tränen in den Augen, habe geweint und ungläubig den Kopf geschüttelt.

Du hast keine Ahnung von Paris Hilton? Lies es.
Du hast am Rande mal was von Paris Hilton mitbekommen? Lies es.
Du glaubst, viel über Paris Hilton zu wissen? Lies es.

Am Anfang habe ich einen Moment gebraucht, um in das Buch reinzukommen, da die Sätze zum Teil sehr verworren sind und auch immer wieder zwischen verschiedenen Zeiten, Erinnerungen und Namen gesprungen wird. Das hat sich aber schnell gelegt und mit jedem weiteren Kapitel konnte ich das Buch weniger aus der Hand legen.

Eine große Empfehlung, um auch mal eine andere Sicht auf die Dinge zu bekommen, von denen man sonst vielleicht nicht so viel hört – oder die sonst nur auf eine ganz bestimmte, medientypische Weise geframt werden.

PS: Leider gibt es im Buch keine Triggerwarnungen. Es wird zwar eine ausgesprochen, bevor es zu den richtig harten Kapiteln kommt, aber es werden keine Themen genannt und auch davor werden Dinge aufgegriffen, die potenziell triggern können. Falls dazu Fragen bestehen, schreibt mir gern privat und ich gebe die Themen weiter. Passt auf euch auf.

[Laisea (grayscalebooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this with limited knowledge of Paris’ life (except for the occasional Simple Life episode growing up in the 2000s) and was kind of shocked by her troubled past. The book was a lot less dull and more surprising than I imagined. However, I also didn’t know until after finishing the book that her troubled past includes an onslaught of racist and homophobic remarks. While she owns a lot of her mistakes in this book (including her Trump support), I’m assuming she hoped those would be swept under the rug. I also felt she was acknowledging her privilege so often in the book less because of actual understanding and more-so to try to prove to the reader that she earned her money/fame.