Paris

The Memoir

By: Paris Hilton

PARIS: A MILLION MEANINGS IN A SINGLE NAME

Heiress. Party girl. Problem child. Selfie taker. Model. Reality star. Self-created.

The labels attached to Paris Hilton.

Founder. Entrepreneur. Pop Culture Maker. Innovator. Survivor. Activist. Daughter. Sister. Wife. Mother.

The roles Paris embraces as a fully realized woman.

Paris rose to prominence as an heiress to the Hilton hotel empire but cultivated her fame and fortune as the IT Girl of the aughts, a time marked by the burgeoning 24-hour entertainment news cycle and the advent of the celebrity blog. Using her celebrity brand, Paris set in motion her innovative business ventures, while being the constant target of tabloid culture that dismissively wrote her off as “famous for being famous.” With tenacity, sharp business acumen and grit, she built a global empire and, in the process, became a truly modern icon beloved around the world.

Now, with courage, honesty, and humour, Paris Hilton is ready to take stock, place it all in context and share her story with the world. Separating the creation from the creator, the brand from the ambassador, Paris: The Memoir strips away all we thought we knew about a celebrity icon, taking us back to a privileged childhood lived through the lens of undiagnosed ADHD, a teenage rebellion that triggered a panicked – and perilous – decision by her parents. Led to believe they were saving their child’s life, Paris’s mother and father had her kidnapped and saw her sent to a series of ‘emotional growth boarding schools’, where she survived almost two years of verbal, physical and sexual abuse. In the midst of a hell we now call the ‘troubled teen industry’, Paris created a beautiful inner world where the ugliness couldn’t touch her. She came out, resolving to trust no-one but herself as she transformed that fantasy world into a multibillion-dollar reality.

Recounting her perilous journey through pre-#MeToo sexual politics with grace, dignity and just the right amount of sass. Paris: The Memoir tracks the evolution of celebrity culture through the story of the figure at its leading edge, full of defining moments and marquee names. Most important, Paris shows us her path to peace while she challenges us to question our role in her story and in our own.

Welcome to Paris.

Critic reviews

“Hilton … revealed her authentic and strong self in her memoir.” – Independent

“Fascinating, moving and at times shocking” – Hugo Rifkind, The Times

Unexpectedly Amazing!

I grew up, like most people, seeing Paris Hilton in the gossip section being portrayed as this spoilt, prissy and dumb party girl, like most famous women celebrities in the 2000s, so going into this I didn't have much of an expectation on what I was going to hear.

Hearing Paris's stories regarding Provo, pregnancy, her dogs, relationships and first-hand accounts of what happened with certain events in the 2000s was shocking. She honestly (like most other famous women in the 2000s) were really not given much credit for anything or expected to be much more than pretty sex symbols, but Paris is honestly very inspiring and strong to endure what she went through and to end up in the life she's in now, being the amazing woman she is. Some parts of this book were very tough to listen to, so I can only imagine how tough it was for her to vocalise all the terrible things she went through, especially the Provo situation.

Hearing someone's first hand account is very different to reading it, and hearing it made it that much tougher to listen to. I cannot believe institutions like that lasted as long as what they did and I'm so happy and proud of Paris for stepping up to tell her story and being the voice for people who didn't have the power to be able to sit in front of lawmakers and tell them what they should do to prevent these situations, and actually get them to listen.

I also love the tips she included for certain things, as well as the method of story-telling, it was very touching to listen to a book where you can hear the embodiment of what ADHD/ADD brain is like, and made me feel heard and seen. I felt so many emotions while listening and it felt like sitting on the couch/sofa with a friend and them telling me about their life story.

If Paris releases a similar book, I will definitely be looking forward to reading it!

a great listen

appreciated going back in time with Paris to learn more about her life and what brought her here. she's smart, funny and has a strong EQ.
WORTH A READ!

9 hours felt like a couple of minutes

This audiobook is inspiring, heart-wrenching and altogether a must-read/listen. Love the fact that it was narrated by Paris herself,

Honestly Brilliant

This is not what i expected when i picked up this book. She reads it perfectly and carries it out so well. Love the recurring themes and the opening lesson on ADHD. Honestly had no idea.

Didn’t think I’d love this as much as I did

Being 36 years old, I grew up alongside Paris Hilton, always fascinated by her presence in the gossip columns. However, I was unaware of her incredibly tragic past, which many women can sadly relate to, particularly regarding gender-based violence. Paris's strength is admirable. While she occasionally touches on the lighter aspects of her glamorous life, the book predominantly delves into darker territory, shedding light on her struggles within the 'troubled teen industry' and the harrowing experiences, abuse and torture she endured at multiple boarding schools. Excellent read!