I have to admit up front that I am a huge Pam Grier fan, so it’s only logical that I would also love her recent memoir Foxy, My Life in Three Acts. When I found this book on the shelf, I definitely was surprised to realize that although I have seen Pam Grier in many movies and television shows, I knew very little about her personal life. I’m glad that I read the memoir, because it portrays the life of a survivor who has confronted many obstacles throughout her life.
Pam Grier has had one tough life. She was raped as a child, and later raped again as a young adult. She’s been extremely unlucky in the area of love, dating Richard Pryor and Freddie Prinze-two comedians plagued with drug addiction. She was abandoned by her father, and later abandoned by a lover during her battle with cancer. Her life makes my hard life seem easy.
Throughout all of her trials and tribulations, however, Pam Grier emerges as a resilient and strong-willed woman. She throws all her energy and talent into creating a successful career for herself. She refuses to submit to one of the loves of her life or convert to Islam in order to marry him. She eventually walks away from dysfunctional relationships with self-destructive or selfish men. She learns to live a more simple life and depend on herself. She battles cancer and comes out a victor. She is a survivor.
I always enjoy reading memoirs about people who have lived a hard life and have still managed to find peace in their lives. Reading such memoirs often make me think that what I thought was difficult is minor compared to the horrors that other people have had to face. Reading memoirs about women who have remained strong in the face of heartbreak also gives me strength. After reading Foxy: My Life in Three Acts, I now have a newfound respect for Ms. Grier and hopefully after reading it you will too!
