“Knowing who I am, why I am who I am, might help me understand the roots of my fearfulness and insecurity”

SOLA: Hollywood, McCarthyism, and a Motherless Childhood Abroad is a memoir written by Julietta Appleton, where she shares her life experiences from childhood to adulthood. Being a daughter of parents who were part of the Hollywood industry wasn’t easy, even during the McCarthyism movement, when people who supported communism were banned and many of them had to leave the United States. From a very young age, Julietta struggled with different problems like the death of her mother, growing up on another continent, and suddenly becoming a teenager without real adult support. These affected her adolescence and adulthood.

One of the things I enjoyed the most was the voice of the author. I know this is her debut, but she really knows how to tell a story, including the fact that she had a life that deserves to be told. The narrative has a lineal order, it's easy to follow the story and understand what’s happening in every chapter. The language is straightforward too, doesn’t use many rhetorical figures like metaphors, but tells the necessary so the reader can connect easily with the story and never lose interest. I know that Appleton's experiences are very different from mine, but at the end of the day as a women adult I have felt the same fear, rage, and desire to do more for my gender as her. It was an unexpected and incredible journey to read her memories, know this woman, and learn that we are not alone but accompanied by our women ancestors. Before continuing, I want to highlight the stance she takes in this book: the personal is political.

If I have to say why I don’t give five stars to this book, it’s because I'm not American and I felt out of context about some traditions, and historical matters, even if the author gives a bit of information about it. In the beginning, it was difficult for me to connect with the principal character because of this situation, but this changed as I continued reading.

Before finishing, I must stand out for the topics covered in this book. Appleton raises her voice to talk about different kinds of violence, for example, the lack of autonomy in childhood. She shows us the control relationships between adults and children, based on adult centrism. As women we live violence too: abuse, rape, limitations, and obstetric violence. In addition, she talks about self-discovery, knowing our own body, discovering sexuality, and the importance of sexual consent. We need more voices like Appleton's, willing to deal with uncomfortable topics honestly.

Finally, I'm going to list some trigger warnings, these topics may be sensitive for some readers: violence, abuse, child abuse, rape, drugs, racism, and depression.

PS. I want to apologize if there are some grammatical mistakes, English is not my first language.