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  • Mean Baby

  • A Memoir of Growing Up
  • Written by: Selma Blair
  • Narrated by: Selma Blair
  • Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (199 ratings)

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Mean Baby

Written by: Selma Blair
Narrated by: Selma Blair
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Publisher's Summary

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • Selma Blair has played many roles: Ingenue in Cruel Intentions. Preppy ice queen in Legally Blonde. Muse to Karl Lagerfeld. Advocate for the multiple sclerosis community. But before all of that, Selma was known best as … a mean baby. In a memoir that is as wildly funny as it is emotionally shattering, Blair tells the captivating story of growing up and finding her truth.             

"Blair is a rebel, an artist, and it turns out: a writer." —Glennon Doyle, Author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller Untamed and Founder of Together Rising

The first story Selma Blair Beitner ever heard about herself is that she was a mean, mean baby. With her mouth pulled in a perpetual snarl and a head so furry it had to be rubbed to make way for her forehead, Selma spent years living up to her terrible reputation: biting her sisters, lying spontaneously, getting drunk from Passover wine at the age of seven, and behaving dramatically so that she would be the center of attention.

Although Selma went on to become a celebrated Hollywood actress and model, she could never quite shake the periods of darkness that overtook her, the certainty that there was a great mystery at the heart of her life. She often felt like her arms might be on fire, a sensation not unlike electric shocks, and she secretly drank to escape.

Over the course of this beautiful and, at times, devasting memoir, Selma lays bare her addiction to alcohol, her devotion to her brilliant and complicated mother, and the moments she flirted with death. There is brutal violence, passionate love, true friendship, the gift of motherhood, and, finally, the surprising salvation of a multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

In a voice that is powerfully original, fiercely intelligent, and full of hard-won wisdom, Selma Blair’s Mean Baby is a deeply human memoir and a true literary achievement.

©2022 Knopf (P)2022 Random House Audio

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What listeners say about Mean Baby

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Life changing

This book really changed the way I see reading and writing. The way Selma shares with such gut wrenching honesty is true inspiration. I loved this book, I loved how I related to some of this. I’d suggest this book to anyone who’s ever struggled with addiction, eating disorder or had a fickle relationship with their mother. It hits home, but in a way that gives you hope to truly see the beauty in life. No matter your circumstances.

Also I must mention her voice is so soothing to listen to.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Wasn’t a fan of her voice inflections

Overall I enjoyed listening to this book. What felt inauthentic was how she would change her voice to portray being upset. The transition back to her regular voice was too quick adding to the feeling of being fake. A simple pause before continuing would have allowed the listener to feel the emotion she was trying to portray.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Inhaled This

Incredible, honest, and vulnerable storytelling. It doesn't matter how much you knew of Selma Blair before, she'll tell you everything you need to know.
Especially when it comes to memoirs, I find that a lot of writers try to paint themselves as the "good guy," but Selma admits to her mistakes and character flaws in a way that made me love her even more. Well worth the listen!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Emotional and touching

I enjoyed the authors narration, her emotion was in all the right places. I was surprised by many of her admissions and authenticity.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely loved this book!

So well written. I thoroughly enjoyed how she described her life. Didn’t want it to end.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

oof

I had high hopes for this memoir. The first quarter of the novel was a vulnerable look into Selma Blairs' heartbreaking childhood. It was a solid foundation for the novel, as it highlighted the traumas that haunted her into adulthood, and I feel ultimately led to her diagnosis. However, the remaining chapters of this novel came off as phony, self obsessed, and filled with name dropping. It did not come off as genuine and provided an essence of a "pick me girl" desperate for attention. Her change in tone throughout the audiobook was disturbing. Felt as though her emotions were forced and not genuine. She would go from breaking down to complete clarity within seconds. It was disappointing and painful to finish and had me in a reading slump for months.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully written

I thoroughly enjoyed this read! Selma is an excellent story teller and narrator, not afraid to lean into raw, emotional territory to bring her readers and listeners through to the other side with her. Happy I picked this up, it’s not what I expected — it was better!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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So great

I think this was even better because Selma read it herself. She is a great storyteller and I'm grateful she shared her story with us.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Couldn’t stop listening

I have always loved watching Selma on the screen but I was never aware of her story. Mean Baby was a great insight into learning more of her life story and it was extremely engaging and enjoyable.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional

I grew up with Salma on the screen and in magazines but wasn’t necessarily her biggest follower or fan. This book however is EXCEPTIONAL

She was able to tap into feelings and thoughts and emotions of what having a more neurodiverse brain / body / experience feels like - in a way I deeply connected to

Such heartbreaking moments in her life - such deep emotions. I hope someone is telling her every day how PRECIOUS of a heart she is.

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