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Discovered by a talent agent singing outside a theater at the tender age of 11, Rosanne Cartwright is whisked into a Hollywood life full of glamour, movie roles, and a darkness that no one will protect her from. She suffers through sexual abuse by her agent and other directors, and while she wants to escape, she is the sole breadwinner for her family as her father is injured from World War I, her mother has no job, and her younger brother has lived most of his life on the streets. Her life is not her own, as her agent arranges her name, her roles, her housing, and even her marriage. Everyone has a breaking point, though.
Noring quickly sets the stage for Rosanne’s story, and her description of the abuse she suffers is heartbreaking, but not graphic. The book reads like an autobiography of a famous Hollywood actress who wants to spare others from the abuse she suffered. The story is very realistic, and, even though it starts in the Great Depression, it speaks to today, especially in light of the current #MeToo movement where it has come to light that many women suffer through abuse to obtain jobs or move forward in their careers. The book also addresses the attitudes of the 1940s culture toward homosexuals and African-Americans by incorporating them into people Rosanne is close to in her life—one is her husband and one is her lover. The book will keep readers wondering if Rosanne can realize she has a choice to control her own life before she has to sacrifice everything she has grown to love.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review