Cover-ShadowTitle: Take Your Shirt Off and Cry
Author: Nancy Balbirer
Finished: July 5, 2009
Pages: 231
Published: 2009

It’s been awhile since I’ve had the opportunity to read and review an early reviewer book, and I was very excited when I was chosen to read this book. I am a huge fan of pop culture and love reading any book that involves the Hollywood lifestyle, a behind the scenes look into a different life from my own.

Take Your Shirt Off and Cry is a memoir by Nancy Balbirer, an aspiring actress who started off in theater classes, small plays and found herself moving to Hollywood when the opportunity to work on Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live presented itself. It was a great comedic performance in book form of Balbirer telling all these little stories about acting, boyfriends, moving, and while I’m sure many names have changed, I can’t help but wondering sometimes who these actor/director friends are, and if they are big names now.

The greatest part of reading this book is finding the humanity and realness to her personality, that isn’t found too much in Hollywood. Nancy shows both sides with the people she works with and encounters over the years, which reflects on her own lifestyle and proves how down to earth she is, how she’s trying to survive and make a living like every other person, but at the same time creates an extremely funny lifestyle that Nancy lived.

This memoir combines both humorous tales and sad, serious stories about this life trying to make it in the Hollywood spotlight and criticism. I highly recommend it to everyone.

*Challenges – 2009 Pub Challenge, 999 Challenge, 100+ Challenge, Countdown Challenge, New Authors Challenge, RYOB Challenge, Non-Fiction Five, Create a Colorful Summer, Christmas in July

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