Out of the Corner

by Jennifer Grey

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A deeply candid and refreshingly spirited memoir of identity lost and found from the star of the iconic film Dirty Dancing “A funny, dishy, occasionally heartbreaking coming-of-age story.”—The New York Times“Savage and engaging . . . Grey’s memoir is interesting not only for her journey out of darkness but also for what her story reveals about what women encounter in the entertainment business, and the fortitude required to make it.”—The Washington PostIn this beautiful, close-to-the bone account, Jennifer Grey takes readers on a vivid tour of the experiences that have shaped her, from her childhood as the daughter of Broadway and film legend Joel Grey, to the surprise hit with Patrick Swayze that made her America’s sweetheart, to her inspiring season eleven win on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.Throughout this intimate narrative, Grey richly evokes places and times that were defining for a generation—from her preteen days in 1970s Malibu and wild child nights in New York’s club scene, to her roles in quintessential movies of the 1980s, including The Cotton Club, Red Dawn, and her breakout performance in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. With self-deprecating humor and frankness, she looks back on her unbridled, romantic adventures in Hollywood. And with enormous bravery, she shares the devastating fallout from a plastic surgery procedure that caused the sudden and stunning loss of her professional identity and career. Grey inspires with her hard-won battle back, reclaiming her sense of self from a culture and business that can impose a narrow and unforgiving definition of female worth. She finds, at last, her own true north and starts a family of her own, just in the nick of time.Distinctive, moving, and powerful, told with generosity and pluck, Out of the Corner is a memoir about a never-ending personal evolution, a coming-of-age story for women of every age.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography, Biography Memoir, Autobiography, Adult

333 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2022

About the author

There are multiple authors with this name on Goodreads. This profile is for Jennifer^^Grey, actress.

Reviews

[Francisca Ribeiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

you know what, i came for the dirty dancing content but i stayed for the episodic chapters, insane stories, unexpected celebrity anecdotes, and the inspiring outlook on coming of age.

[Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️]

My library hold expired before I had time to finish it...so waiting for my hold again...

So excited to start this. Might have the words “this overload” playing uin my head the whole time I’m reading it. Gonna be great.

XXXXXXXX

Doing the final Dirty Dancing dance scene with my sister in the living room WAS my childhood. Johnny and Baby FOREVER. I need this in my hands.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a good memoir, but this wasn’t it.

Unfortunately the structure of the book felt frenetic, likely owing to her flip flop childhood having jettisoned between the east and west coasts several times during her formative years.

Jennifer’s book would’ve benefited from a serious dose of storyboarding. A lot of the stories and life experiences were mostly sequential (I think), but then there were half told nuggets of context inserted after the fact with “let me rewind..” and “let’s back up a minute.” These non-sequiturs were after thoughts and never really helped to flesh out the subject matter.

My main takeaways:

The language choice was overdone; far simpler words could’ve been used.

She hero worshipped her father, it was made blatantly clear from the first chapter.

Jennifer was also a child of privilege and I don’t think she could have truly failed even though she sometimes thought she was [failing].

There’s a tinge of resentment towards her mother about Jennifer’s “decision” to tweak her own nose.

Matthew Broderick came off as a massively selfish narcissist who put his needs before an easy to influence significant other who was at the peak of their career.

She skipped over most of the 90s and went straight into marriage and motherhood in the early aughts. Two things she could control following her stalled career. She didn’t say as much, but it was inferred.

The last chapter read like introspective and philosophical drivel best left in a journal.

TL;DR: Hollywood can be cruel, but Jennifer came out as a banged up survivor. Granted, she made a number of foolhardy decisions along the way.

I stubbornly finished this memoir, while repeatedly wishing I had chosen another book.

[paige (ptsungirl) · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Memory at times may be a merciful editor."

°•*⁀➷

I wish I still liked Jennifer Grey.

- Paige

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written, with a candor that's refreshing. The feeling it left me with, everything is temporary so live your best life.

[Meags · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Marvellously juicy and refreshingly candid, 80s icon Jennifer Grey really laid it all bare here and she did it damn well. 👏👏👏

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I was excited to see that she had written a memoir so I put it on hold at my library right away.

I'll start off with saying that I only know of Jennifer Grey because of Dirty Dancing, which I loved as a young adult. Then after I remember never really hearing about her again, so I figured this book would talk about what happened. It did.

There's something about this book that I just didn't resonate with nor like. The amount of name dropping of big stars seemed to be an endless list. I don't doubt at all she got to interact and become friends with a lot of these people, but in reality I believe she's mainly known for Baby in Dirty Dancing. Because of the movie, I guess I had thought she was like her character while this book totally changes that perception of her. It really amazes me how much drugs the people in Hollywood do, and she wasn't really a huge star.

In regards to her romantic relationships she was all over the place it seemed like. But I didn't know that she had dated Matthew Broderick or had that terrible car accident in Dublin with him. I had also forgotten that she dated Johnny Depp. Boy did I screech reading that section as he's a teenage heart throb for me and he's been in the news lately with the trial between him and his whack ass ex wife.

The book gave me a good insight of what she wanted to share of her life and I can't say that I was impressed. I did feel bad for her for her health issues that stemmed from the car accident many years prior. I am happy that she finally got to become a mother because mother hood is special. But overall this book didn't make me a fan of hers. I'll continue to always love the movie Dirty Dancing but this memoir just didn't do it for me, sadly.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting life. 🤓 Definitely some privilege in there. 🙄

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was bored. I couldn't believe she could even write this much about herself, as she didn't have the career necessary to sustain that many pages. Much of the time it wanders off on inconsequential long details that no one but her would care about; in that way, it's more a journal that she should have kept to herself. The majority of the book could be summed up as "I love my daddy", interspersed with name dropping of various celebrities she dated or was around, and enough drug taking to make her sound Hollywood legit. She comes up as very naive, both about how to handle her career, that looks matter in her industry, but most especially about men-Broderick in particular. Also I agree with some of the comments that her language choices were verbose, flowery, when the simpler would do. Much ado about nothing. More appropriate for her daughter to read as a journal

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars for Out of the Corner (audiobook) by Jennifer Gray read by the author.

Jennifer Gray comes across very open and honest. She has a lot to get off her chest in this autobiography. First and foremost she addresses her nose. The story about that and many other things were much more complicated than I’d thought. I think this is a must read for all of the Dirty Dancing fans out there.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, this book was great! It was such an easy read because Jennifer Grey is an incredibly engaging writer. So cool! For me it had just the right amount of self-reflection, celebrity gossip, fun content and inspiration. Her writing is so descriptive, it takes you right into her fascinating world.

And have some tissues nearby if you go to YouTube like I did and start watching the Dirty Dancing audition clips and Patrick Swayze interviews.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - didn’t make it past the first few chapters…..it was all about her nose and how she didn’t want her nose job. It may also be that I don’t care anymore about rich people problems.

[Julie Terry · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only finished this because I used an Audible credit and I was hoping it would get better. She does narrate it and she sounds lovely. The book is well written. I just absolutely did not care for the story. I thought she would discuss past movie roles or actors she worked with but she really didn’t. It didn’t hold my attention and overall I was sorely disappointed.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allow me to share a transcript of my inner monologue as I listened to Jennifer Grey’s FANTASTIC new memoir:

Prologue: Dammmnnnnn her MOM is the one who wanted her to get a nose job? That’s…so harsh!

Chapter One: Wait…Jennifer is the daughter of JOEL GREY? The Broadway veteran (who I saw perform with Sutton Foster in Anything Goes?) HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS?!) [Probably because I am an ‘80s baby and MUCH of ‘70s pop culture—including Joel’s performance in Cabaret—is lost to me…I still have never seen that iconic film!]

Chapter 13: Oh yes, gimme ALLLLL the behind-the-scenes gossip about how Dirty Dancing came to be, Jennifer….this is what I came for ... [pauses audiobook to watch Dirty Dancing screentest ]

Chapter 16: Holy HELL Jennifer was in a traumatic car crash with Matthew Broderick?! And it happened RIGHT before the Dirty Dancing premiere? HOW did I not know about this?! [Probably because I was 5 and it happened about 2 years before I started tuning into Entertainment Tonight, THE “show about the stars” you watched if you were obsessed with them—and I was—throughout much of the ‘80s and ‘90s]

Chapter 18: Wait, wait, WAITTTTTT…Jennifer Grey was ENGAGED to Johnny Depp?!! HOLD THE PHONE.

Chapter 21: [pauses audiobook to watch a montage of video clips of Jennifer with Derek Hough on Dancing with the Stars]

Epilogue: Well how much did I LOVE this read? Is that…a tear in my eye? [sniff, sniff]

On a parting note, I loved how Jennifer walked the fine line of holding the feet of past lovers (ahem, Matthew Broderick) to the fire in terms of the emotional ringer they put her through while at the same time owning up to her own role in the decisions she made that had a major impact on her life and her career. Below, I’m transcribing what she said in the final lines of the book, as she talked about how meaningful the experience of writing her memoir was and how she thinks memoir writing should be taught in schools, if only because it’s such a powerful exercise of reflection:

“How might your retelling of your life change the way you see yourself [in your memoir]…what if the worst things ended up being some of the most transformative things? The things necessary to launch you into your next rendering? Until then, I offer you these scenes from my life … maybe your own memories rise up to meet them and your own life come back to you. Enjoy, it goes by so fast.”

[Karen J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out Of The Corner by Jennifer Grey
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Who didn’t love “Dirty Dancing” I loved the movie and loved Jennifer Grey. She writes a wonderful memoir of her journey through life. Extremely well written and very thought provoking.

[Olivia Kowalski · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I actually could not finish this, which is sad because I do like her as an actress . To me, the book was written in a way that made me feel like someone was speaking very quickly and incessantly at me . The sentences were long, filled with commas and didn’t seem to really end . Sometimes my brain would read the sentences so quickly I would have to reread . Someone described it as frantic and I agree .

I know she’s been through a lot in her life but I’ll be honest, I found the long diatribe about the nose to be cliched and vapid, as she goes back and forth with how much she loved herself and didn’t want to do it but did it anyway . Over and over . I tend to read memoirs about people who have truly been through it . I’m sure she’s had traumatic events happen in her life but she comes across as entitled . At least in what I read. The stories didn’t really connect for me… it seems like random “remember the time ?” It didn’t translate well in book form. Perhaps I should have got the audio book version but now I really just wish I didn’t buy the book . I hope other people enjoy it .

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wow! How little do we know about the celebrities we love and the struggles they face underneath the curated glam. Jennifer’s story is one of heartbreak, but also perseverance. She shares (with candid honesty) her experience as a young teenager in Hollywood and how certain events shaped her life. She openly talks about addiction and mental health struggles, she reveals the fallout she faced after a nose-job gone horribly wrong and the effect it had on her sense of self-worth and identity.

Jennifer also opens up about her relationships, pregnancy and other life events (like the car crash in Ireland) that had a profound effect on her life.

And most of all, this memoir is written with such acute self-awareness, openness, humour and honesty.. I really enjoyed listening to every minute of it. It was super refreshing!

I was and still am a huge fan of the Dirty Dancing, I grew up with that movie and it was a huge influence on me throughout my early teen years, but I never stopped to wonder about the behind-the-scenes and it was illuminating to read about how Jennifer got the role, how she trained for it, how she struggled with the final dance jump, her chemistry with Patrick… I must say, Jennifer is an entirely different person in my eyes now, and I definitely appreciate her talent and strength even more now.

This is a highly recommend memoir!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded down

A decent listen for a celebrity memoir… The first few hours of the audiobook were hideous. It seemed very bragging and slightly obnoxious. I debated DNFing, but I wanted to get to the “Dirty Dancing” experience.

So after a rough start bragging about her somewhat spoiled childhood, Jennifer Grey then acknowledged her privilege and shared how she had been in a bit of a protective bubble while growing up.

I’m a bit younger than JG, so I was curious to hear the tea she spilled about her relationships with Matthew Broderick and Johnny Depp. As she came into adulthood, her life didn’t always go as planned and she changed in ways that she wouldn’t have guessed for herself.

It’s worth listening if you’re a fan of hers.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, but I had a difficult time finishing this book. The author comes across as a spoiled brat...shallow, self-centered, and privileged. At every turn, it seems to be someone else's fault. I wouldn't recommend it.

I received this book as a first-reads Goodreads giveaway.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I would enjoy this one more. She is madly in love with Dad. Far too much about her nose, just didn't really care much as I was reading. The pictures in the book were a nice touch.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Out Of The Corner”, a 2022 first edition from my spouse for Christmas, is multilayered and I loved reading it. I enjoy acquainting artists I hardly know.

We individuals either consider sexuality sacred, or play the field. Jennifer Grey’s eroticism sounded fun. She used to bonk a guy she saw on a porch, en route to classes!

Not everyone reads gossip. I knew nothing about a deviated septum surgery around 1995. I only questioned the flagged momentum of her career. Interviews and new films should have followed “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Dirty Dancing”. Her description of making the 1987 dance phenomenon was magical.

Relationships have two sides but in plain facts, Matthew Broderick sounded like he was immature and selfish. He got injured but they survived an accident that two local women did not, in Ireland. He dismissed the importance of “Dirty Dancing” to Jennifer’s career. Despite the tragedy becoming public, his lawyers convinced her not to accompany Patrick Swayze on press work. Except appearing on “Friends” in 1995, she vanished, until winning “Dancing With The Stars” in 2010. Matthew used to cheat, then beg to marry Jennifer whenever she took a stand. She secretly left New York!

I am too young to know Jennifer’s talented family but appreciated their comedic, old world demeanours. Love stabilized a family that often moved. Her 90 year-old parents are alive. I do know her childhood pals and was amazed to discover which Tracy and Maggie they are!

There were cautionary health experiences. A doctor abhorrently suggested aborting an only child at age 41, over supposedly imperfect test results. Jennifer and Clark Gregg’s Stella is happily 21 years-old.

Autobiographies clarify personal stories to garner compassion and understanding. I gladly cheer for Jennifer and her family. I cannot wait to watch “Dirty Dancing 2”!

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose the audio book. Jennifer’s voice was lovely and easy to listen to. The first few chapters were very good and interesting but then the remainder of the chapters just didn’t hold my interest. It was a struggle for me to finish the book. Nothing grabbed my attention or made me want to read more.

[Elizabeth Haynes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this, but overall I didn’t. And I stopped reading when I got to part 3. It wasn’t written very well from a structural standpoint. Timelines were zig-zagged around in a non-cohesive way, and sentence construction was sometimes weird. I also found some of the excessive metaphors to be eye-rolling at times.

Moreover I was not expecting a few things: the focus on (and sometimes glorification of) drug use, the constant sexual descriptions or general sexual innuendo (even when telling a non-sexual story), and the excessive cursing (f bombs seemed to be used more and more liberally as I progressed, such that the impact was diminished). I don’t mind any of these things generally, but it really distracted from the story and didn’t make the author appear very likable or sympathetic or introspective.

It also read like it was written by someone far less mature in years than Ms. Grey. I felt like I was reading a teenage diary sometimes. I wish I’d chosen a different book.

[Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading Out of the Corner, all I knew about Jennifer Grey was that she starred in two of the most iconic ‘80s films (Dirty Dancing, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), was briefly engaged to costar Matthew Broderick, and disappeared from acting after a nose job left her almost unrecognizable.
While I think a few too many pages of this memoir were devoted to her nose, I truly enjoyed getting a candid glimpse into her life. From a privileged "good girl" upbringing with Broadway legend parents to a wild child teen coast to coast; Grey is smart, honest, and funny as she recounts her shockingly brief time in acting and her romantic relationships with Matthew Broderick and Johnny Depp (Whaaaat? I had no clue! And Winona Ryder was a neighbor during this time!) She gives readers insight into the making of Dirty Dancing and I was surprised to learn she and Patrick Swayze didn’t get along offscreen since their chemistry onscreen was sizzling!
Grey’s marriage to Clark Gregg was discussed as well as her journey to motherhood and her stint on Dancing with the Stars (though I’ve never watched). I loved seeing Grey’s journey come full circle as she finds her identity apart from her career and motherhood.
Out of the Corner is both a great memoir and coming of age story that I highly recommend to fans of pop culture and entertainment biographies.

For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to compare Jennifer's memoir to her peers for a moment such as Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, even Jessica Simpson. Those memoirs went deep... Like Marina trench deep. They told the good, the bad, the heartbreakingly ugly and everything else in between.
With Jennifer's memoir I feel it's very surface.
We hear a lot about Jennifer's nose and even a chapter on Jennifer's training bra, but a toxic relationship for example that she finds herself in at 16 is just skimmed over with bullet points. This I would have wanted to hear more about as I can only imagine it would have had a massive effect on her and the women she becomes. As for the rest of the book it's what we can/have already read from Google so a tad disappointing

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some parts are more interesting than others, but I was entertained and at times touched by Jennifer Grey's memoir. I liked reading about her experiences and friendships that I wasn't aware of. I enjoyed getting to know more about Jennifer through her book.

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dirty Dancing was a movie my family watched over and over again when I was a kid. I love it still and it only becomes more powerful as I get older; the scene where Baby confronts her father for letting her down rips my heart out. Jennifer Grey's charm, innocence and intelligence makes the movie more than just a popcorn flick. For that reason alone I was interested in reading this book.

I had no idea Joel Grey was her father, so it was interesting to read about her youth surrounded by performers and the business. I was also surprised to read about her drug use. As with many autobiographies where the author still has a lot of living to do, this book trails off at the end. It is an entertaining and informative read, but I didn't come away from it with any significant takeaways.

[Phoebe (readandwright) Wright]

Immediately had to watch Dirty Dancing upon finishing.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dirty Dancing is one of my all time favorite movies so when I saw this I immediately started reading it 2 days ago. It was a quick read especially once you get past the earliest days of her life. I ended up pleasantly surprised at how good it was and how well Ms. Gray handled the narration. She’s led a fascinating life, first as the child of a famous actor and the privilege that comes with that and then as she handles a prestigious drama school. She was engaged to two different Hollywood and or Broadway actors when she was young. And she was the lead in the blockbuster movie Dirty Dancing. Probably the pinnacle of her whole career. Of course the story didn’t stop there but I’m stopping there.

I’m not one for reading memoirs although I did when I was a lot younger. But I can honestly say I really enjoyed her story and I’m glad I read it. Recommended!

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book because it's Jennifer Grey and I LOVED her in Dirty Dancing but I was unpleasantly surprised that she is nothing like I invisioned her to be. Stupid right?? I 100% know that a celebrity or movie star may not be what we perceive them to be in real life. On that note, here is my review.
I always thought she was adorable. Including her nose. It was just her, nothing bad to say about it. She did a great job as Baby in Dirty Dancing. I just liked her.
The book starts off talking about how she ended up getting a nose job begrudgingly and regrets it. She was always secure in her body but it was the people around her, including her mother, that persuade her for the sake of getting more work in the movie industry. I felt even a little bad for her. And liked her a little more because of it.
Then she starts talking about her childhood. And keeps talking about her childhood, and continues to talk about her childhood. Most of this book is about her childhood, which was the polar opposite of what I was expecting and completely blindsided by she tells us her parents adore her and she always felt loved, in my opinion, the way the story unfolds is that they were pretty much absent. This bothered me because as she is talking about the rediculously stupid and dangerous things she got herself involved in, I kept asking, "where were your parents?"
So 75% of the book is childhood into early 20's. Then she talks about her relationship with Matthew Broderick. I did appreciate while she didn't outright say he was a horrible boyfriend, she did paint him in that light by just reflecting on things he would say to her and his actions. I never really understood why everyone liked MB, I was never a fan so this portrayal of him in my eyes fit perfectly. What a jerk!
I was pleasantly surprised by the friends she had and still has. It's always interesting to find out which celebrities are best buds and how they met.
But the ending of her book seems rushed. Very rushed. Fast forward through decades... and maybe that's because her success was earlier on in her life but it just left me feeling uneasy about her. I think maybe it's just the way the book is written. There could have been more, I don't know how to phrase it. It was a very slow roll through childhood and then just lacking in details as she got older.
It left me liking her less and I don't like that. I can appreciate her not caring what others think of her but she comes off as kind of a snot. Like she comes from famous parents ( I didn't realize who they were until this book) but if you aren't into theater, who cares. Which the way it's written, is that she really only got the opportunities she had because of her parents and who her parents knew. She was/ is talented but never really did anything that took effort to make a real career for herself. She talks about self sabotage at the end, and I agree she had a lackluster adult career because she didn't do anything about it. She just continued involving herself in other people's lives instead of investing in her own.
I think this is a revaluation she comes to by the end of the book but the way it is written makes it hard to tell.