Rebel Rising

November 1, 2023

Wilson, who starred in Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids, writes a candid and often humorous memoir about her path to Hollywood and journey to love herself, sharing lessons learned and personal experiences--from her most embarrassing moments, to challenges with fertility, weight gain and loss, and rejection. Prepub Alert.

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May 15, 2024
The Australian comic multihyphenate recounts the elements that have made her life so rewarding and adventuresome. In her droll, anecdotal memoir, Wilson (b. 1980) describes a modest childhood in northwestern Sydney as the oldest daughter of four raised by parents who ran a busy dog handling and breeding service. Always considering herself "smart and strategic," the author attended an all-girls Christian boarding school. After doggedly pursuing a law degree, a change of heart eventually transitioned her to Hollywood, where film auditions (and barely scraping by) dominated her life. In a swift succession of witty chapters, Wilson chronicles how the evolution of her memorable Bridesmaids role, which was created for her, and subsequent work in the Pitch Perfect series and beyond catapulted her to cinematic stardom. Surprising episodes of self-deprecating embarrassment, cathartic diary entries, and letters to herself add depth and dimension to Wilson's late-blooming life story, which includes the leaked tale about losing her virginity at 35 and her challenging relationship with food and weight. She writes earnestly about an early diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome and how, in her late 30s, she visited a Los Angeles fertility center to freeze her eggs, which inspired efforts at a healthier lifestyle. Still, the author fearlessly exudes "big girl" pride as a rare plus-size actor in Hollywood. Most controversial is a candid section filled with accusations of harassment from Sacha Baron Cohen "and other assholes" while on the set of the movie The Brothers Grimsby. Wilson's tone oscillates from witty and wry to snarky but feels authentic throughout, particularly in closing chapters addressing her current lesbian relationship and her public coming-out moment, which she outmaneuvered from an opportunistic newspaper journalist. A lively and reflective celebrity memoir seasoned with comedy and sincerity.

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