Throughout her entire career, Brittany Spears has been an object of public intrigue. Her music shaped an entire genre as well as a generation. “Iconic, Britney Spears is just iconic. She is the face of Y2K pop and has continued to carry her influence for the last 20 years. She is so talented, charismatic, energetic, and overall – iconic,” says Ramapo student Juliana Grbic. From a rapid rise to stardom as a teen, the extreme commercial success of her albums, to a series of messy public episodes and scandals that led to her being placed under a conservatorship by her father, to the viral “free Brittany” hashtag that led to her being freed from said conservatorship, the public eye has always been on her, in constant wonder of what her life was really like. In February 2022, Spears announced that she would be releasing a memoir, which would go on to be her most significant address to the public outside of social media since she was released from the conservatorship.
Before the release of the book, some snippets were posted online without context and quickly went viral. Fans and observers were on the edge of their seats, expecting some colossal secret or revelation to be included in the book. They may be disappointed, as it can be seen as more of an insight into Spears as a person than a full disclosure of all her and the music industry’s deepest secrets. She often glazes over what we may consider the touchstones of her career, instead choosing to provide insight into her personal relationships and emotions. According to Lauren Michele Jackson of The New Yorker, the memoir “is not the last word. It is not even a tell-all. Spears, too, is still searching.”
Another noteworthy aspect of the book is the audiobook, narrated by actress Michelle Williams. Audiobooks are typically narrated by the author, but Spears explained that because of the “heart-wrenching and emotional” contents of the book, she would not be providing her own voice-over. (The New York Times). The reception of Williams’ narration was highly positive, her impression of Justin Timberlake going viral online, and her range in also delicately narrating the more somber sections of the book.
Memoirs can be an amazing insight into someone’s life. According to Ramapo English teacher Mrs. Steier, “Fiction can be very satisfying but there is something special about hearing the true story of a person’s lived experience in their own words. It’s an exercise in empathy.” Overall, Spears’ memoir is a delicate, and detailed but straightforward telling of her story.
