Hayden Panettiere’s memoir lays bare the toll of child fame, motherhood and grief
Following the tragic death of actress Hayden Panettiere at just 36, her recent memoir is now being viewed in a very different light.
Released just three months prior in May, the book titled This Is Me: A Reckoning offered a raw account of Panettiere’s lifelong struggles, from child stardom to adulthood.
The memoir explored fame, motherhood, addiction, grief and complicated family relationships.
While Panettiere was praised for her candour, some reviewers criticised the book for feeling more like “cliff notes” on her life.
But in the wake of her death, fans and commentators are revisiting the memoir, with some now seeing it less as a conventional celebrity tell-all and more as a painfully honest final act of vulnerability.
Panettiere’s father confirmed her “tragic passing” on Monday via an official statement, saying “she was an incredible light and a force of nature”.
One reviewer who had previously criticised the book updated their Goodreads review following Panettiere’s death, writing: “This review was written before she passed away.
“I’m obviously shocked and saddened by her death. However, I mean no harm with my review. I’m simply reviewing a memoir and not here to judge her.”
The actress spent nearly her entire life in the spotlight after beginning her career in commercials as a baby before rising to fame through projects like Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise.
No cause or manner of death has yet been shared for the actor, and investigations are ongoing.
As a young child, Panettiere played characters who overcame defeat, loss and tragedy.
Because of the praise she received for her emotional performances, the actress said she found her roles blurring with real life.
“Subconsciously, I began to associate catastrophe with adoration: people loved me because make-believe bad things happened to me,” Panettiere wrote in her memoir.
“Reality merged with my imagination and burrowed into my core memories, where all my shame and trauma lived.
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