Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster

( 34 )

Overview

“It felt like I was speeding on the Autobahn toward hell, trapped inside a DeLorean with no brakes. And even if I could somehow stop, I’d still be screwed, because there’s no way I’d ever be able to figure out how to open those insane, cocaine-designed doors.”

The two-time Emmy Award-winning actress has written her first book, a surprisingly raw and triumphant memoir that is outrageous, moving, sweet, tragic, and heartbreakingly honest. GUTS is a true triumph—a memoir that ...

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Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster

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More About This Book

Overview

“It felt like I was speeding on the Autobahn toward hell, trapped inside a DeLorean with no brakes. And even if I could somehow stop, I’d still be screwed, because there’s no way I’d ever be able to figure out how to open those insane, cocaine-designed doors.”

The two-time Emmy Award-winning actress has written her first book, a surprisingly raw and triumphant memoir that is outrageous, moving, sweet, tragic, and heartbreakingly honest. GUTS is a true triumph—a memoir that manages to be as frank and revealing as Augusten Burroughs, yet as hilarious and witty as David Sedaris.

With GUTS, Johnston takes us on a journey so truthful and relatable, so remarkably fresh, it promises to stay with the reader for a long, long time.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
A stage actress whose most famous role was as Sally Solomon in TV’s 3rd Rock from the Sun, Johnston offers a brash, loud, expletive-peppered, unapologetic account of her manic drug-and-alcohol-infused career. Hailing from a wealthy suburb of Milwaukee, Wis., and growing to be six feet tall by the time she was 12, Johnston felt like a “freak” at her Catholic grade school, learning early on that being funny was the way to deflect nasty criticism by other kids. She took naturally to the stage, studying theater at NYU under the benevolent influence of a certain gay stage actor she refers to only as “David” (many of the details are pretty sketchy, as Johnston skates from one subject to the next). Fame suddenly struck with 3rd Rock, starring John Lithgow, along with heavy painkillers and alcohol abuse, and yo-yoing weight gain; in 2006, while doing a play in London, acute peritonitis caused extended hospitalization, surgery, and deep self-examination. In her sarcastic, self-deprecating manner (“I’m a lying, pill-popping lush” is a typical self-appraisal), Johnston re-creates her desperate hospital episode and subsequent rehab in Arizona. Coming clean, she says in her unsubtle, genuine memoir, hasn’t lifted her sense of being a freak, but it has liberated her from a lot of shame and self-destruction. (Mar.)
Library Journal
Johnston, best known for her role as Sally on the 1990s TV show 3rd Rock from the Sun, hasn't written just another celebrity memoir about drug and alcohol addiction. This is a horror story, and the title tells it all. Johnston recounts growing up the object of bullying because of her height and awkwardness, but the real story is of the two months she spent hospitalized in London for a medical emergency best described by one of her doctors: "Not one of us had ever come across anything as shocking as the condition your intestines were in, at least in someone alive. Truly, it was as if a bomb had gone off." As Johnston describes it, "My intestines ripped open." But since she candidly blames this condition on her drug use, her memoir is hardly a pity party. Johnston's dry, self-deprecating, and brutal sense of humor shines through, though some readers may find that her wise-cracking grows tedious. VERDICT In this memoir, Johnston strives to draw awareness to the importance of being proud of one's sobriety. For celebrity watchers and anyone struggling to overcome the shame of addiction.—Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA
Kirkus Reviews
Johnston, the comic actress best known for her role on 3rd Rock from the Sun, recounts the catastrophic medical crisis—and the alcohol and pill addiction that precipitated it—that led her to reevaluate her life and begin recovery. The author's voluble, bawdy prose style is immensely likable, and her rigorous honesty in recounting her lowest moments is admirable. Still, readers may question the need for another celebrity addiction memoir. Johnston herself repeatedly raises the question, lampooning the narcissistic impulse that plays a part in writing such a book, and the implied answer is that her good humor and lack of vanity encourages reader identification and distinguishes her offering from similar but more self-important works. She makes a strong case; her reminiscences of an alienated adolescence (Johnston reached her striking height of six feet early) and frustrating professional experiences are never less than amusingly candid and fleetly paced, ensuring the narrative of her nearly fatal descent into abject addiction and hard-won recovery never becomes a chore to get through, and her "best girlfriend telling it like it is" demeanor makes her struggle eminently relatable. Her descriptions of the trauma done to her digestive tract and the minimal comforts of her London hospital stay are vividly and memorably rendered, grounding her ostensibly frivolous tone in authentic pain and horror—there is surprising emotional resonance under all the jokey self-deprecation. Another celebrity drug memoir—but an honest, brave and funny one.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781451635065
  • Publisher: Gallery Books
  • Publication date: 1/22/2013
  • Pages: 304
  • Product dimensions: 5.40 (w) x 8.30 (h) x 0.80 (d)

Meet the Author

Kristen Johnston is a two-time Emmy Award-winning stage, film, and television actress, most famous for her role as Sally Solomon in the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun. She also starred in numerous TV shows, films, and plays.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 34 )
Rating Distribution

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(28)

4 Star

(3)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 34 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 14, 2012

    Felt it

    Kristen's writing is not only funny, she has a way of making you feel everything she's gone through. I felt like I was there. I loved this book and hope she writes more. She's hysterical and painfully honest.

    16 out of 16 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 19, 2012

    Amazing, Honest, Funny, Surprising Book

    I have absolutely no idea how I came across this book. I usually dont even read memoirs. But by some weird twist of fate, I noticed this book and decided to buy it.... And it was the most inspirational book Ive read in the last few years.....and I read A LOT! Kristen Johnston is a hilarious writer, so the book reads more like a really good story than the common celebrity biography type books. But what really got to me was how seriously honest it was and personal, and revealing, and surprising. I was both laughing and breaking a sweat simultaneously, because there are parts that are so open and honest that Im not used to hearing people talk about them. But she kept it funny as well. I love the way she writes because I rarely ever come across something that is both serious and hilarious at the exact same time....and motivational/inspirational. Im probably making a mess out if this review, because I cant properly explain how much I loved this book. So to sum it up Ill just say: READ IT! Its good! And to Kristen Johnston, if you ever browse the B&N reviews: Thank you! :)

    10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 15, 2012

    Cringe worthy laughs

    I aboslutely LOVE Kristen Johnston. This book made me laugh out loud and feel horrified and sad for her at the same. The book made me want to be her friend. I tweeted her when i finished the book to tell her just how much i loved it. She actually replied. If you have ever been addicted to something or if you just appreciate some good laughs get this book. You will NOT regret it.

    9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 28, 2012

    Thank you Kristen for writing this. It's not just another book a

    Thank you Kristen for writing this. It's not just another book about celebrity addiction, it's real and honest to the (funny) bone and I think it should be required reading in High Schools. We are all freaks trying to escape on our own coconut boat and it's all good.

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 18, 2012

    Love

    Read it in one day So fantastic

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 20, 2012

    Guts

    Great read. She doesnt sugarcoat things, yet still hilarious

    4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 24, 2012

    Worth Reading

    Kristen is open and brutally honest about her substance abuse dependency and how it ruined her health and career. Her experience is written with the sense of humor and absolutely no BS, she tells it like it happened. I hope Kristen finds the daily strength she needs to maintain her life as it is now, and hope that she realizes that anyone who reads her book will be looking forward to another publication from her in the future.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 15, 2012

    Grat book

    I lived this book you can tell it was written by her. Iy tellsher storyof addiction but at the same time is so funny.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 12, 2012

    Amazing!

    I don't really read books. I have to read a few for school and such and just can't get through them. I try and read classics and celebrity reads too but I get bored easily. Now this book, I just couldn't put it down. I sometimes struggle with some of the issues discussed in this book and felt it so relate-able. Kristen is an amazing story teller and you will not be able to put the book down. It is sad and funny and just shocking. All I can say is, read it. I don't read much but I am so glad I finished this. Amazing amazing amazing. Must read!

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 12, 2012

    read in one sitting - could not put it down

    Brilliant, heartbreaking, honest, hilarious. If you've ever loved and had you heart repeatedly broken by an addict, you will not be able to put this book down. It was as if she was quoting from my journal at times. An amazing voice; I hope she writes more!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 5, 2012

    Good

    Good fast read

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 1, 2012

    Powerful, hysterically funny, and raw

    I couldn't put this down. She is raw and painfully honest about her journey to a level that is awe-inspiring. This book is also laugh-out-loud funny. Her account is a testament to the power of recovery - for both the addict and anyone in their circles and beyond. I LOVED it - and will re-read it!

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 4, 2012

    Great book

    I enjoyed reading this book only because the author was so brutally funny and open about her addiction and rehab. You have to read the book if you want or need a laugh. Warning: she uses vulgar language so if this bothers you, then do not buy this book.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 16, 2012

    A must-read

    This book was excellent! I can not express how much I insist on this being a must-read for anyone who has or is close to someone who struggles with a substance abuse problem.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 24, 2013

    Love. Love. Love!

    Pass this book along to anyone you may think needs it. It helped me :)

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 1, 2013

    interesting and funny

    Interesting and funny. She doesn't go into really why she was an addict or how she handles not using now, but the book is funny and has a unique point of view of celebrity life. She's a classy lady. Hope she writes more books.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 16, 2012

    Loved this book!

    I couldnt put this book down. She had me laughing and crying. Read it ... you will be glad you did.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 22, 2012

    A knockout!

    Kristen Johnson, one of THE funniest ladies around, has written a page-turner that somehow manages to be sad and extremely amusing at the same time. A must- read!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 22, 2012

    I want a refund on my purchase!!!!!! Another pity party from a oh poor me i got famous too much money n was bored blah blah blah!!!!!

    Don,t waste your time!!!! Just another class b celebrity bemoaning about being teased n youth as most of us are - i.e. not popular, not picked home coming queen yaddie yaddie yay......success n tv show n became an ungrateful brat showing her inmaturity though bad behaviour, alcohol, drugs, parties, etc.. poor little blonde girl!!!!! GET OVER YOURSELF!!! NO NEW STORY HERE!! Do no waste the read!!! Total crap!!!

    0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 18, 2012

    Amazing!

    I laughed and cried. Kristen does a great job in describing all the things she went through. I thought this was an awsome book and I would highly recommend it!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 34 Customer Reviews
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