Unbearable Lightness

A Story of Loss and Gain

By: Portia de Rossi

Narrated by: Portia de Rossi

“An unusually fresh and engrossing memoir of both Hollywood and modern womanhood.” —Los Angeles Times

In this searing, unflinchingly honest memoir, actress Portia de Rossi shares the truth of her long battle to overcome anorexia and bulimia while living in the public eye, and details the new happiness and health she has found in recent years—including her coming out and her marriage to Ellen DeGeneres.

In this groundbreaking memoir, Portia de Rossi reveals the pain and illness that haunted her for decades, from the time she was a twelve-year-old girl working as a model in Australia, through her early rise to fame as a cast member of the hit television show Ally McBeal. All the while terrified that the truth of her sexuality would be exposed in the tabloids, Portia alternately starved herself and binged, putting her life in danger and concealing from herself and everyone around her the seriousness of her illness.

She describes the elaborate rituals around food that came to dominate hours of every day and explores the pivotal moments of her childhood that set her on the road to illness. She reveals the heartache and fear that accompany a life lived in the closet, a sense of isolation that was only magnified by her unrelenting desire to be ever thinner, ever more in control of her body and the number of calories she consumed and spent.

From her lowest point, Portia began the painful climb back to a life of health and honesty, falling in love and marrying Ellen DeGeneres and emerging as an outspoken and articulate advocate for gay rights and women’s health issues. In this remarkable, landmark book, she has given the world a story that inspires hope and nourishes the spirit.

Now I Understand

Thank you Portia, for allowing your audience into the private and vulnerable place in your mind. Your candid articulation gave me the perfect experience of your struggle; something I would have otherwise never understood, but now I do.

This Book Is About Eating Disorders..and....

Low self esteem...If you can relate to either. You will enjoy this book.If you cant... you wont enjoy it....Well told...Honest...And all so very true...
WARNING:possible trigger for people in recovery as she goes into great detail....

Portia de Rossi lets you see inside her mind and beautiful soul.

This book is amazing! Portia de Rossi lets you into her mind as a sick anorexic, the little girl that longs to be "accepted" and trying to live up to modeling/actress standards in Hollywood. Listening to her read about her journey feels like she's right there with you just talking to you about her story. I love it and anyone else that takes a listen will love it as well.

Her honesty drew me in completely

I listened to Portia de Rossi read her memoir and throughout I just kept thinking how brave she was to really let the full bat-sh-t craziness of her struggle with eating disorders come through the page. Because, girl was F-ED UP!

She also had some really interesting things to say about feminism and body image, particularly within the Hollywood industry, things you don't hear a whole lot coming out of Los Angeles. She was also incredibly honest about her struggles with her own sexuality, how it fed into a real isolation and self-hatred that was intertwined with her eating disorder, and just her own sense of self.

The one thing I will say about listening to this book rather than reading it, is you don't get to see any of the images. It's one thing to hear some one say they weighed 82 pounds, but it's a whole other ball of wax to see de Rossi in her former skeletal state.

I was also hoping, as a fan of "Arrested Development," that she'd provide a little behind-the-scenes stuff, and perhaps, in another memoir she will. She should continue to write, her honesty drew me in completely.

A candid look at Anorexia and Bulimia

Having suffered from an eating disorder myself, I can tell you that this is a very candid look into the life of someone who is suffering from one. The book gives you a very honest look into the very real and, for the lack of a better word, crazy, thoughts, one has when encountering food. If you need are feeling alone in your recovery, or want to help someone recover, definitely pick up this book.