Synopses & Reviews
The world first met Ricki Lake in 1988 as Tracy Turnblad in the film andlt;Iandgt;Hairspray. andlt;/Iandgt;Weighing in at just over 200 pounds, the 5'3" teenager challenged what it meant to be an overweight woman in America: andlt;Iandgt;this andlt;/Iandgt;fat girl got the guy, was part of the in crowd, and could sing and dance like nobody was watching. When she got her own talk show at twenty-four, Ricki had been transformed. She was a slender, mature woman whose long-running show changed daytime television forever. And when Ricki left it all behind to follow her heart and produce andlt;Iandgt;The Business of Being Born, andlt;/Iandgt;we once again saw her in a new light, as a passionate advocate who wasnand#8217;t afraid to stand up for her beliefs and work for change. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Ricki Lakeand#8217;s life has been a series of rebirthsand#8212;from fat to skinny, married to divorced, rich to poor, and more. In her intimate, bold, and relatable book, Ricki shows us how her unique life in the spotlight offers wisdom to anyone who has ever struggled in her own skin. She takes us behind the scenes of her troubled childhoodand#8212;filled with food issues, abuse, and an unabashed yearning for a better life outside of her suburban home. She pulls back the curtain on her talk show and her early days as a and#8220;fat actress,and#8221; and she shows how she reinvented herself as an author, filmmaker, and much beloved finalist on andlt;Iandgt;Dancing with the Stars. andlt;/Iandgt;Ricki weathered near-bankruptcy and an extremely difficult divorce, but, as she writes, life always hands you the unexpectedand#8212;so you should never say never. Much to her surprise, Ricki has dated some of Hollywoodand#8217;s most eligible bachelors, appeared on the cover of andlt;Iandgt;Us Weekly andlt;/Iandgt;magazine in a swimsuit, and fell in love when she least expected it. And now sheand#8217;s ready to talk about it all. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Never Say Never andlt;/Iandgt;is an inspiring, entertaining, and down-to-earth account of one woman who defied the odds and refused to give up. By trusting her gut and following her heart, Ricki Lake turned an unconventional life into an unparalleled triumph, and this memoir stands as a hopeful, hilarious, and honest exploration of how any woman can do the same.
Review
"A sometimes-humorous, self-reflective chronicle of a triumphant journey through a troublesome childhood, chaotic young adulthood and fulfilled middle age." and#8212;andlt;Iandgt;Kirkus Reviewsandlt;/Iandgt;
Synopsis
From the beloved teen star, talk-show host, and media personality, an uplifting and revelatory memoir about turning forty, losing weight, and reinventing oneself at any age.Readers first met Ricki Lake as Tracy Turnblad in the original Hairspray. They fell in love with her as the spunky, no-holds-barred host of The Ricki Lake Show. And they came to respect her as the executive producer behind The Business of Being Born, a groundbreaking documentary on childbirth in the United States. Now, Ricki’s many fans will get to know her in a whole new way.
In this intimate, bold, and relatable memoir, Ricki takes readers into her childhood home in Westchester County, where her parents—once liberal Jews—became born-again Christians. She’ll reveal the sexual abuse she endured, and the subsequent food issues and weight problems spawned from that trauma. She’ll pull back the curtain on her life as a celebrity, from Hairspray through her decade-long talk show to the reinvention of herself as an author and filmmaker on the subject of alternative childbirth. Along the way, Ricki has weathered near bankruptcy, a brutal divorce, and a string of broken romances, while also giving birth to two sons and raising them as a single mother—circumstances that would knock some of the strongest off their feet. But not this fighter.
Timed to coincide with Ricki’s return to the television screen with a brand-new talk show in 2012, this inspiring memoir gives readers an empowering example of the way one woman learned to take responsibility for her emotions, trust her gut, and turn an unconventional life into an unparalleled triumph.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Ricki Lake andlt;/bandgt;is an actress, television host, and the executive producer of the documentary, andlt;iandgt;The Business of Being Bornandlt;/iandgt;. She is also the author of andlt;iandgt;Your Best Birthandlt;/iandgt;. She lives with her husband and two sons in Los Angeles.