Where Am I Now?
Author: Mara Wilson
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: September 13, 2016
Pages: 259
My Rating: ★★★
For readers of Lena Dunham, Allie Brosh and Roxane Gay, this funny, poignant, daringly honest collection of personal essays introduces Mara Wilson—the former child actress best known for her starring roles in Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire—as a brilliant new chronicler of the experience that is growing up young and female. Mara Wilson has always felt a little young and a little out of place: as the only child on a film set full of adults, the first daughter in a house full of boys, the sole clinically depressed member of the cheerleading squad, a valley girl in New York and a neurotic in California, and one of the few former child actors who has never been in jail or rehab. Tackling everything from how she first learned about sex on the set of Melrose Place, to losing her mother at a young age, to getting her first kiss (or was it kisses?) on a celebrity canoe trip, to not being “cute” enough to make it in Hollywood, these essays tell the story of one young woman’s journey from accidental fame to relative (but happy) obscurity. But they also illuminate a universal struggle: learning to accept yourself, and figuring out who you are and where you belong. Exquisitely crafted, revelatory, and full of the crack comic timing that has made Mara Wilson a sought-after live storyteller and Twitter star, Where Am I Now? introduces a witty, perceptive, and refreshingly candid new literary voice.
A look into the life of the child actress Mara Wilson.
I grew up alongside Mara as a kid. I always admired her as a child. Especially in her role of Matilda. She's one of those actresses that always seemed humble to me. Her early years as a child star really stood out to me and hit home in the book. There are a few sections in the book that got me a little teary-eyed. For example, the section of her reminiscing about the late Robin Williams. The parts about her adult life dragged on for me and were not as interesting. 

The audiobook is the way to go when reading this book. Mara narrates the whole thing herself and is a lovely storyteller. I got way more out of the book listening to her tell it. I was hoping this book would be a little more humorous but it didn't really turn out to be that way at all. There were times that I was really enjoying the story and others where my mind would totally drift off. It was nothing to brag about. Another average memoir. The timeline threw me off and jumped around a lot. Nothing was concise. 

I love how Hollywood never got to this girl and I enjoyed hearing about her normal child upbringing despite being in the public eye. Mara is very relatable when she talks about growing up. How she faced depression after the death of her mother, her very first kiss, to the loss of her virginity. I feel any girl can benefit from reading her story. At times, it was very inspirational to me. If you need a good easy read then I highly recommend this one. The chapters are shorter which is nice. I really needed more depth but all in all it was enjoyable. 
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Hi, I’m Mara! It doesn’t rhyme with Sarah. I’m a writer and performer who spent my childhood acting in movies beloved by adorably bookish little girls and adorably bookish grown-up librarians. I was also on that one really sad episode of Broad City and several very sad but also funny episodes of BoJack Horseman and Welcome to Night Vale. And I’m a tall hot blonde billionaire genius on Big Hero 6, because animation makes dreams come true. Mostly, though, I tell stories and write! My first book, Where Am I Now? was published in 2016, and named a best book of the month by Entertainment Weekly and Goodreads, and a best book of the year by NPR and The A.V. Club. My play Sheeplepremiered at the New York International Fringe Festival, and my writing has appeared on Elle.com, McSweeney’s, The New York Times, Reductress, VanityFair.com, The Daily Beast, Jezebel, Cracked, Talkhouse Film, The Toast, and now here!