This is a must-read for any Disney originals fans or any theater kids! I absolutely loved Alyson Stoner as a kid, so I was intrigued to read about her time in Hollywood and with Disney, knowing it wouldn’t be an easy read. I should note that before you choose to read this book, there are some trigger warnings that any potential reader should be aware of.
Trigger Warnings for this book are:
- Physical and sexual abuse,
- Drug abuse,
- Disordered eating,
- Homophobia, and
- Suicidal ideation.
As we’ve seen over the past decade (or more?), Hollywood has been a hellish place for children to work, and Stoner shows how her time in the spotlight was similar to that of other child stars. She helps showcase how hard fame is for young kids and preteens; from an ever-present need to look a certain way, to the adults who are supposed to be watching out for you end up taking advantage of you (and not always just financially), and how the “adults” always seem to find loopholes around child labor laws within the entertainment industry. But Stoner’s story shows that through the hardship she found a way to reclaim herself and to just exist as herself.
Although this book does discuss the above throughout, Stoner also goes on to discuss her time on the sets of Camp Rock, Cheaper by the Dozen (my favorite movie as a child), and Step Up. If you’re looking for gossip on celebrities (other than what Alyson Stoner was willing to share about herself) that isn’t public knowledge, this is not the place for it. But it does showcase some of the good experiences she had on sets, which I found to be a good behind the scenes for me!
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