Staff Pick
I read this book before Carrie Fisher passed, and I read it in a week because the jokes just kept coming and coming until suddenly I'd be at the end of the chapter. The little Star Wars stories sprinkled throughout the book were hilarious. However, what shines brightest is Carrie Fisher's unique brand of humor. It's all the sarcasm I miss from her tweets that made me cackle, but with bonus personal anecdotes about flawed coping mechanisms. If you're a bigger fan of Star Wars than I am, you'll love this book. If you miss Carrie Fisher as much as I do, you'll love this book. And if you just need a dose of humor, chances are you'll love Wishful Drinking too. Recommended By Junix S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Finally, after four hit novels, Carrie Fisher comes clean (well, sort of ) with the crazy truth that is her life in her first-ever memoir, adapted from her one-woman stage show, Fisher reveals what it was really like to grow up a product of "Hollywood in-breeding," come of age on the set of a little movie called Star Wars, and become a cultural icon and bestselling action figure at the age of nineteen.
Intimate, hilarious, and sobering, Wishful Drinking is Fisher, looking at her life as she best remembers it (what do you expect after electroshock therapy?). It’s an incredible tale: the child of Hollywood royalty—Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher—homewrecked by Elizabeth Taylor, marrying (then divorcing, then dating) Paul Simon, having her likeness merchandized on everything from Princess Leia shampoo to PEZ dispensers, learning the father of her daughter forgot to tell her he was gay, and ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed.
Wishful Drinking, the show, has been a runaway success. Entertainment Weekly declared it “drolly hysterical” and the Los Angeles Times called it a “Beverly Hills yard sale of juicy anecdotes.” This is Carrie Fisher at her best—revealing her worst. She tells her true and outrageous story of her bizarre reality with her inimitable wit, unabashed self-deprecation, and buoyant, infectious humor.
Review
"Fisher is a language obsessive, a nimble verbal acrobat who puns and somersaults around a page with glee...If you are a fan of Fisher's fiction, a follower of her mental illness or simply a looky-loo stargazer curious about her Hollywood heritage, andlt;iandgt;Wishful Drinkingandlt;/iandgt; will likely make you laugh." -- Slate.com
Review
"[T]here are also sparkling bons mots bespeaking [Carrie's] quirky intelligence and sweetness. Spoken like a true princess." -- andlt;iandgt;Elleandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"There are more juicy confessions and outrageously funny observations packed in these honest pages than most celebrity bios twice the length...With acerbic precisions and brash humor, she writes of struggling with and enjoying aspects of her alcoholism, drug addiction and mental breakdowns. Her razor-sharp observations about celebrity, addiction and sexuality demand to be read aloud to friends." -- andlt;iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/iandgt; (starred review)
Review
"[Fisher] has a talent for lacerating insight that masquerades as carefree self-deprecation...The effect, ultimately, is extraordinarily painful while being extremely entertaining...[S]he's done her best to make sense of it all, and throughout, her humor has held up. In her own defiant manner, she's fought the good fight." -- andlt;iandgt;The Los Angeles Timesandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"She's still funny as hell...Her stories bubble, bounce, and careen with an energy...Get someone to read this rollicking book aloud to you." -- andlt;iandgt;Entertainment Weeklyandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Fisher makes each crushing tragedy hilarious." -- andlt;iandgt;Peopleandlt;/iandgt; (4 out of 4 stars)
Review
"Clearly, you should buy this book....she has expert comic timing and, perhaps more importantly, better stories than most drug addicts....Fisher is unafraid to write, brutally and vividly." -- andlt;iandgt;New York Postandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Fisher, unlike most celebrities (especially ones spawned from other celebrities) can actually write, and...andlt;iandgt;Wishful Drinkingandlt;/iandgt;, though an extremely short book, is super salacious and entertaining." -- Jezebel.com
Synopsis
Finally, after four hit novels, Carrie Fisher comes clean (well, sort of ) with the crazy truth that is her life in her first-ever memoir.
In Wishful Drinking, adapted from her one-woman stage show, Fisher reveals what it was really like to grow up a product of "Hollywood in-breeding," come of age on the set of a little movie called Star Wars, and become a cultural icon and bestselling action figure at the age of nineteen.
Intimate, hilarious, and sobering, Wishful Drinking is Fisher, looking at her life as she best remembers it (what do you expect after electroshock therapy?). It's an incredible tale: the child of Hollywood royalty -- Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher -- homewrecked by Elizabeth Taylor, marrying (then divorcing, then dating) Paul Simon, having her likeness merchandized on everything from Princess Leia shampoo to PEZ dispensers, learning the father of her daughter forgot to tell her he was gay, and ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed.
Wishful Drinking, the show, has been a runaway success. Entertainment Weekly declared it "drolly hysterical" and the Los Angeles Times called it a "Beverly Hills yard sale of juicy anecdotes." This is Carrie Fisher at her best -- revealing her worst. She tells her true and outrageous story of her bizarre reality with her inimitable wit, unabashed self-deprecation, and buoyant, infectious humor.
Synopsis
The bestselling author of Postcards from the Edge comes clean (well, sort of) in her first-ever memoir, adapted from her one-woman Broadway hit show. Fisher reveals what it was really like to grow up a product of "Hollywood in-breeding," come of age on the set of a little movie called Star Wars, and become a cultural icon and bestselling action figure at the age of nineteen. Intimate, hilarious, and sobering, Wishful Drinking is Fisher, looking at her life as she best remembers it (what do you expect after electroshock therapy?). It's an incredible tale: the child of Hollywood royalty--Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher--homewrecked by Elizabeth Taylor, marrying (then divorcing, then dating) Paul Simon, having her likeness merchandized on everything from Princess Leia shampoo to PEZ dispensers, learning the father of her daughter forgot to tell her he was gay, and ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed.
Wishful Drinking, the show, has been a runaway success. Entertainment Weekly declared it "drolly hysterical" and the Los Angeles Times called it a "Beverly Hills yard sale of juicy anecdotes." This is Carrie Fisher at her best--revealing her worst. She tells her true and outrageous story of her bizarre reality with her inimitable wit, unabashed self-deprecation, and buoyant, infectious humor.
Synopsis
In "Wishful Drinking," adapted from her one-woman stage show, Fisher reveals what it was really like to grow up a product of Hollywood in-breeding, come of age on the set of a little movie called "Star Wars," and become a cultural icon and bestselling action figure at the age of 19.
Synopsis
A brutally honest memoir of talent, addiction, and recovery from one of the greatest baseball pitchers of all time. As a shy nineteen-year-old, Dwight Gooden swept into New York, lifting a team of crazy characters to World Series greatness and giving a beleaguered city a reason to believe. Then he threw it all away.
Now, with fresh and sober eyes, the Mets beloved Dr. K shares the intimate details of his life and career, revealing all the extraordinary highs and lows: The hidden traumas in his close-knit Tampa family. The thrill and pressure of being a young baseball phenom in New York. The raucous days and nights with the Mets bad boys (and the real reason he missed the 1986 World Series Victory Parade). The self-destructive drug binges and the three World Series rings. His heartbreaking attempts at getting sober, the senseless damage to family and friends, and the unexpected way he finally saved his life—on VH1s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.
In Doc, Gooden details his close friendships with many of baseballs greats: Pete Rose, George Streinbrenner, Joe Torre, and nephew Gary Sheffield. For the first time ever, he reveals the full story of his troubled relationship with fellow Mets superstar Darryl Strawberry. And he tells the moving story of the Yankees no-hitter he pitched for his dying father. Doc is a riveting baseball memoir by one of the games most fascinating figures, and an inspiring story for anyone who has faced tough challenges in life.
About the Author
Carrie Fisher, the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, became an icon when she starred as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy. Her star-studded career includes roles in numerous films such as The Blues Brothers and When Harry Met Sally. She is the author of five bestselling books: Wishful Drinking—which lead to a hit Broadway production of the same name—Surrender the Pink, Delusions of Grandma, The Best Awful, and Postcards from the Edge, the basis for the popular film starring Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep. In 2009, she was nominated for a Grammy award in Best Spoken Word Performance for the audio edition of Wishful Drinking. Fisher's experience with addiction and mental illness—and her willingness to speak honestly about them—have made her a sought-after speaker and respected advocate.
Table of Contents
Parade Rest vii
PART 1: DREAMING
Whose Dream 3
Dark Side 12
Young Phenom 21
Getting There 35
PART II: PLAYING
Rookie Season 47
Cy Season 60
Party Time 70
Series Season 78
Off-Season 91
PART III: HURTING
Dusting Off 109
Burning Out 115
Sliding Back 125
Suicide Squeeze 140
No-Hitter 151
Pushing It 159
Some Dad 172
Behind Bars 182
High Low 193
Room Service 203
PART IV: SAVING MY LIFE
Fame Game 213
Candid Camera 221
Cast-Offs 227
Show Time 236
Staying Strong 247
Judgment Day 253
Ready Steady 262
Why Now? 269
Forward March 276