The release date for the English version of 'Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain' by
Portia de Rossi is Nov 2010. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
"It was not my choice to develop anorexia. It ambushed me under the garb of a professional demeanor and a nutritious diet. One approach to make the work of an actor simpler was to be as slender as possible...
When Portia de Rossi passed out on the Hollywood movie set, where she was starring in her first major role, she weighed only eighty-two pounds. Her years of hard work as an Australian child model and as a cast member of one of the hottest series on American television should have culminated in this. She seemed slender and blonde, elegant and prosperous. She was genuinely dying on the inside.
Portia de Rossi depicts the complicated emotional reality of what it's like when food, weight, and body image take precedence over all other human impulses and actions in this searing, brutally honest book. She describes the intricate eating rituals that took over many hours of each day, ranging from eating precisely calculated portions of food out of designated bowls and using only specified utensils to restricting her daily calorie intake to around 300. She drove her body and soul to the breaking point via obsessive physical activity and purging when this wasn't enough.
Portia alternated between starving herself and overindulging in food when she gained popularity as a cast member of the popular television series Arrested Development and Ally McBeal. She was always afraid that the tabloids would reveal her true sexual orientation. She shares the pain and anxiety that come with living in the shadows, a feeling of loneliness heightened by her relentless drive to reduce weight. With the attention to detail and narrative abilities of a master writer, Portia brings the feelings and actions of an eating disorder sufferer to light like never before.
After hitting her lowest point, Portia started the arduous journey back to a life of integrity and health. She ultimately married Ellen DeGeneres and became a vocal and outspoken supporter of women's health and homosexual rights.
In this outstanding piece of writing, Portia sheds light on a difficult issue. Unbearable Lightness is an inspiring tale that uplifts the soul and is a must-read for anybody who has ever felt at odds with their body or themselves.