Wise Girl: What I've Learned about Life, Love, and Loss

Sopranos star Jamie-Lynn Sigler has experienced more in her life than many people twice her age, including severe anorexia, paralysis from Lyme's Disease and extreme career changes. This book contains fun backstage tidbits about The Sopranos and the recording business, in addition to valuable insights about the many pressures of normal teen life. Sigler is honest about her mistakes and discusses ways to help other young people avoid image problems. She even revealed that Sopranos producers were secretly auditioning other girls for her part as Meadow because she was so thin. Instead of using her fame to write a fluffy celebrity tell-all, Sigler is eager to have her written experiences help promote the National Eating Disorder Association, for which she is now a spokesperson. Pictures that show Sigler in the worst stages of anorexia are powerful. The description of her secret 2 1/2 hour daily exercise routine is vivid, but the before and after pictures reinforce everything. A valuable chapter at the end also advises readers on the warning signs of anorexia and how to get help. This is an important and enjoyable book for young women to read. Sigler's voice is refreshingly conversational, but a good editor should have helped her smooth over some of the language to do justice to the heartfelt topics she discusses. I hope she will continue to write, as she has a lot to share with readers. --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

This novel,by Jamie-lynn Sigler, is a wonderful story. It is a perfect book for teenage girls to read to teach them about the pressures of being a teen and a star. It is a wonderful example of how a strong conviction can help to overcome anything. It teaches girls about the dangerous effects of eating disorders and how to get yourself out of a deep hole. This is a story about a girl goiung through what everyone goes through, love, loss, and the daily pressures of life.

I picked up Jamie-Lynn Sigler's book, Wise Girl, because I have an eating disorder. I wanted to be inspired to move forward with my recovery. I wanted to feel connected to someone else who had once been lost in obsessions with food and weight. And I wanted to be moved to take a stand for eating disorder awareness - just as Jamie has done by speaking publicly and sharing her story. Well, Jamie definitely touched my heart and motivated me to continue fighting my eating disorder. And she also reaffirmed my desire to speak out in the fight against women hating their bodies. But Wise Girl did much more than that. It is so much more than a moving account of a trip to hell and back with an eating disorder. Wise Girl is a journey of self-discovery - a chronicle of lessons learned in the life of a courageous, young woman. Jamie has been through a lot in her twenty-something years, and she shares her experiences in a way that is both enlightening and entertaining. I learned so much from Jamie and simultaneously enjoyed every minute of it. Jamie writes with incredible insight, frankness, and honesty. Her casual and conversational tone made me feel like I was getting to know a new friend. I definitely got what I wanted out of Wise Girl, and I found so much more. Whether you are suffering with an eating disorder or not, this book is for you. You will be amazed by what you can learn from such a young and wise girl. Jenni Schaefer, author of Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too (McGraw-Hill)

Wise girl is a very smart, inspirational, and true book. It is about her life and how she deals with fame and perfection. Jamie shows people through this book to be smart in your actions, how to deal with relationships, how important family is, and what her horrible eating disorder caused her to do and change. She shows how hard to be famous is and how she keeps in contact with friends and family. The title explains it all. Jamie is a very "wise girl" and is sharing that with the world. She tells people how to make smart decisions. What amazes me is how she is so down-to-earth and seems like a completely normal person.

I am a father of a young teenage girl. I had heard about this book and wanted to purchase it for her, and ended up flipping through it myself. Well, I found myself reading the whole ting in one evening (due to its easy read) and loved it. She is a grown woman with a lot to say and I know she will help anyone who puts aside 3 hours of their life, and reads the book. I should add my daughter loved it as well!