Grade: A

I originally decided to read Here’s The Story, a memoir by Maureen McCormick, simply because it was the ‘memoir of Marcia Brady’ or rather the actress who played her. I was curious about her life, liked the book cover and thought the Brady references would be fun – a nice, light read. Yeah right. I ended up loving this memoir because it wasn’t just those things at all – it was so much more, far from light and because of that, much more satisfying and riveting to read. You forget sometimes that these celebrities are more than the characters they play – and where Maureen McCormick is concerned I had no idea. It was like finding out that the pretty, seemingly perfect girl from high school has real feelings, a real story, a real life – that in some ways, she’s just like you.

Now, I’ve never suffered from an eating disorder, I’ve never been a drug addict, I haven’t suffered from depression – I’ve had a much easier go if it than Maureen McCormick, but still I can relate to all these shocking things and more. It’ the bits and pieces that made her human, that make me human, too – and those I think are universally relateable. McCormick’s memoir is long in the sense that a lot of stuff happens, seemingly each chapter becomes worlds different from the chapter before, as her life was a roller coaster of new things, new places, new people and new experiences and all of it was fascinating to me.

The “story” has a relatively happy ending, although being her real life and the fact that it’s still going – not everything is resolved by the end and of course it isn’t really an ending at all, just a stopping point. This memoir has everything – you’ll want to laugh and cry along with her throughout her tale and by the end of it, I was truly sorry to finish the book and move onto something new. I’d consider it a must read.

Did you watch the Brady Bunch growing up? Who was your favorite character? Have you heard of Maureen McCormick’s memoir or the life she’s led post Brady?