GETTING NAKED

A book that urges self-acceptance in the face of adversity.

Actor Bertinelli (One Day at a Time, Touched by an Angel) previously shared her life story in a memoir, Enough Already (2022). Her latest book is less autobiography and more self-help, a collection of her thoughts on aging and everything—good and bad—that comes with it. She begins by reflecting on a downturn in her life: “My second marriage was over and proceeding through the cesspool of legalese that results in divorce. Every day was a boxing lesson in which I felt like I was the punching bag. My Emmy-winning cooking series was canceled.” The following chapters detail her journey to self-acceptance, with recollections including her first hot flash (She “felt like a slab of meat on the grill at El Pollo Loco”) and having her breast implants removed, which led to scary infection. One lovely chapter describes an impromptu skinny-dipping session at her home: “Tonight, I flippered through the water and felt…good….What a revelation. To be comfortable in my own skin.” She writes about her former obsession with her weight—she was a spokesperson for Jenny Craig, a decision she now seems to regret, writing, “I look back now and cringe when I think about being part of the obsessed diet culture and ­industry. I probably did more harm than good.” Bertinelli is refreshingly open in this book: She owns up to her past vanity and writes candidly about topics, including menopause, divorce, and her experience as a survivor of child sexual abuse. She is delightfully self-deprecating, at one point acknowledging straying from her point: “Why did I get on this tangent? It’s just me. I go on tangents. I could open a store, Tangents-R-Me.” But there’s no self-hatred here: It’s all love, acceptance, and internal beauty.

Hopeful, sweet, and very charming.