Never Say Never by Ricki Lake

Never Say Never, with a foreword by John Waters, is a memoir highlighting the many versions of actress Ricki Lake.

She reached the spotlight as a 240-pound teen star of Hairspray. She talks about her relationship with Divine during and after the movie, and I was surprised to know he was only 350 pounds when he died. That is a lot; however, it seems a norm these days. It is sad to think he died on the edge of a show business breakthrough, after figuratively working his ass off to get there.

Ricki had several minor hit film roles, a dramatic weight loss, and then starred in her own talk show, The Ricki Lake Show, which ran for many seasons.

She has an admirable way of talking about her private romantic encounters (like calling them Mr. Charisma or The Sensitive Heartthrob). The second section talks about her natural child-birthing and working on The Business of Being Born, a documentary on natural versus hospital childbirth, in which she shows the video of her own son's birth. The last chapters are about her rise up the leaderboard on Dancing With The Stars. She didn't win, but I respect the technique and energy a schedule like that would require. It seems like everyone from Dancing With The Stars gets a book deal as part of the package, winner or not.

I learned about weight loss and natural childbirth, and Ricki was a fun person to be with for a while. If you are interested in natural childbirth, the documentary sounds well made, and the book is an interesting window into that process. Well-written, funny and entertaining.

2012 / Hardcover / 304 pages