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Wise Girl: What I've Learned About Life, Love, and Loss
I am so proud to be Jamie's 'dad.' She is not only a talented actress but also a bright, generous, and inspiring young lady. -- James Gandolfini
"Jamie-Lynn Sigler definitely knows how to inspire people....I'm grateful to call her my friend." -- Lance Bass, *N'SYNC
SHE'S YOUNG, TALENTED, BEAUTIFUL AND FAMOUS. BUT NOTHING IS THAT SIMPLE...
Everyone knows Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Meadow Soprano on the HBO hit television series The Sopranos. But there's so much more to her, as her candid, outspoken autobiography proves. In Wise Girl, Jamie-Lynn reveals both the perks and the pressures that have come with fame, and how uncertain, fearful times have made her stronger, more confident, and able to face life's challenges. Writing openly and from the heart, she describes the emotional and physical toll taken when Lyme disease left the healthy 19-year-old paralyzed at the height of The Soprano 's popularity; an obsession with her weight that nearly destroyed her career; and the dark side of overnight success. Her story will both surprise and inspire you. For this wise girl, the key to success isn't just what's on the outside -- it's using your brains, going with your gut, and learning from your experiences, including the mistakes, every day.
"Jamie-Lynn Sigler definitely knows how to inspire people....I'm grateful to call her my friend." -- Lance Bass, *N'SYNC
SHE'S YOUNG, TALENTED, BEAUTIFUL AND FAMOUS. BUT NOTHING IS THAT SIMPLE...
Everyone knows Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Meadow Soprano on the HBO hit television series The Sopranos. But there's so much more to her, as her candid, outspoken autobiography proves. In Wise Girl, Jamie-Lynn reveals both the perks and the pressures that have come with fame, and how uncertain, fearful times have made her stronger, more confident, and able to face life's challenges. Writing openly and from the heart, she describes the emotional and physical toll taken when Lyme disease left the healthy 19-year-old paralyzed at the height of The Soprano 's popularity; an obsession with her weight that nearly destroyed her career; and the dark side of overnight success. Her story will both surprise and inspire you. For this wise girl, the key to success isn't just what's on the outside -- it's using your brains, going with your gut, and learning from your experiences, including the mistakes, every day.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
176 pages, Paperback
First published August 6, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 12, 2014
I bet this would have been a very, very different book if she'd waited until she was older to write it -- I've never (to my knowledge) seen anything she's been in, but this came out around the height of The Sopranos, when Sigler was 21. The book is chatty and informal, and I get the sense that she felt (as many, many 21-year-olds do) that, well, she'd made it into adulthood and knew it all. That's not to say that I think she was/is a know-it-all -- just that she was young, and an actress rather than a writer, and as a consequence this is short on depth. It might be interesting to see something from her when she's older and can look back with a bit more distance and reflection -- I'm guessing this was written because the show she was on was popular, she was popular, and a publisher thought to seize the moment and offer her a book contract.
February 21, 2022
I was really interested when I saw this book written by Jamie-Lynn. I thought it would be interesting to read, especially considering she wrote it when she was twenty-one. However, not long into it, I realized that it was a book that she was likely told to write at twenty-one when she was at the height of her fame on the Sopranos.
I feel like the book was a decent attempt at talking about her eating disorder, relationships, lyme disease etc. The thing was, she was too young to write it. At twenty-one, her information about her eating disorder was good and informative. I think it would be an important read for other young girls to find out the dangers of body image, comments, and eating disorders. However, I think it would have been better to read about Jamie-Lynn's life now, as a actress, wife, and mother and to find out if the eating disorder carried on throughout her life, how does she intend to discuss this subject with her own children, what was it like to move from the Sopranos and continues acting, etc.
This was an okay book but written by someone who was too young to write about her life to that point.
I feel like the book was a decent attempt at talking about her eating disorder, relationships, lyme disease etc. The thing was, she was too young to write it. At twenty-one, her information about her eating disorder was good and informative. I think it would be an important read for other young girls to find out the dangers of body image, comments, and eating disorders. However, I think it would have been better to read about Jamie-Lynn's life now, as a actress, wife, and mother and to find out if the eating disorder carried on throughout her life, how does she intend to discuss this subject with her own children, what was it like to move from the Sopranos and continues acting, etc.
This was an okay book but written by someone who was too young to write about her life to that point.
August 1, 2022
why is this written at like an eighth-grade reading level lol. it's crazy how patronizing it is in tone
March 21, 2016
"...I feel like I'm healthy now and I can handle my problem, but it's something I will have to deal with for the rest of my life, like it or not. It stays a part of you - like a scar. You can be healed, but it's still there, even if it's just a faint reminder." From page 28.
This book was easy and quick to read. It was written in a conversational tone, so it may have been intended for the tween or teen as an audience. She doesn't get deep about the eating disorder or her recovery. She does talk a lot about The Sopranos and what getting famous was like for her. A decent read if you're curious about her.
Not recommended for those suffering from a eating disorder because she does list some of her ill habits.
This book was easy and quick to read. It was written in a conversational tone, so it may have been intended for the tween or teen as an audience. She doesn't get deep about the eating disorder or her recovery. She does talk a lot about The Sopranos and what getting famous was like for her. A decent read if you're curious about her.
Not recommended for those suffering from a eating disorder because she does list some of her ill habits.
February 19, 2017
If I were still a librarian I would seriously consider weeding this book. This isn't a knock on Sigler. She published this when she was 21, when The Sopranos was in full swing, and when she was on the cusp of a music career. Over a decade later, the TV show and its ending are cultural icons, its lead actor (about whom she speaks so fondly in Wise Girl) is dead, and Sigler's music career doesn't seem to have gone anywhere. Funnily enough, I looked her up on Wikipedia just before writing this, and it appears she had her first child yesterday.
March 4, 2012
Was a quick read. Mainly a story about her struggle with her eating disorder. She's gone through a lot and it's a good story for the younger audience. I just happened to pick up at a discount book store. I've never watched The Sopranos (probably one of the few) but after reading the book I'm interested in going back and matching up her stories in the book to the plotlines in the tv show. Not bad impression overall.
June 28, 2012
This book got me through anorexia. I was modeling and hearing all of the things you hear in today's society. This book happened to come out around the time period I was dealing with this and helped me to change my lifestyle. This helped me to see the perspective and direction my life was quickly going and look a my life differently. I would say that at that time as a teenager this book saved my life. This book impacted my life at such a needed time so I give it 5 stars.
December 21, 2012
"Wise girl" is about Jamie Lynn Sigler and her disorder. The book gives good tips on life and what you should not do with your life. Jamie wrecked her life because she cared about how she looked and hoe poeple looked at her. This book has a helpful message and an interesting character but it is some what depressing.
January 4, 2015
Reading the book was like sitting down to talk with Jamie-Lynn Sigler. It was honest, funny, and I got a glimpse into the life of a celebrity. I hope she continues to write down her thoughts and speak out for those with eating disorders!
July 7, 2010
She writes about her troubles with anorexia, but also tells how she got to where she was in her career at the time this was written.
July 11, 2010
Jamie Lynn gave me her book as my birthday present, the same year it was published. It's interesting to read the side of her life which she struggled with most - her weight.
January 20, 2016
Total drivel.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews