Semi-Adjusted: Despite Literally Everything

Trigger warning: Domestic abuse, child abuse, toxic work environment, rape/sexual assault, eating disorder, rehab, conversion therapy, religious manipulation,alcoholism, narcissism, and manipulative abuse/abuse of Coogan account

This books was as tough read. From growing up with Alyson Stoner’s work (e.g from Camp Rock and Phineas and Ferb) and after meeting them at an Animate convention, I jumped at the chance to read their memoir. This is haunting and a cautionary tale about child stars and the pressure they potentially receive from not only the industry that doesn’t have their best interest at heart. There were moments that genuinely made me angry/shocked about how anyone could do this to someone, let alone a child. This is a memoir that everyone needs to read.

One of the qualities Stoner succeeds in as a writer is the storytelling. Their voice comes clear and she does a fantastic job of building up the scene/moment that is happening to her. One of the best examples is in the prologue, building the scene of her in a barn along with her parents (who are divorced) and as the horses are circling around, struggling to tend to their needs. Eventually they are able to say “Help” (Stoner, 2025). The whole buildup to that one moment gravitates you in and wants you to keep reading. While I know this isn’t a fiction story, the buildup of tension and the storytelling/details was amazing to see, especially for these hard/devastating scenes. It didn’t feel as if they were summarizing (though, there are moments she does but that’s due to information she doesn’t want the reader to know) and you come out with a new perspective on how much trauma they went through and how she was able to overcome those challenges to have the life they wanted/deserved. Despite, being an amazing performer/the backbone of some of mid 2000s projects (Camp Rock and Hannah Montana), reading this novel made me respect them more on how their determination to want to protect the new generation of child performers, since sadly a lot of Hollywood won’t.

The biggest takeaway I got was how the people around influenced her to the point where it made her self-conscious. These adults, a lot of them were hurting her more than helping her. Yes, Missy Elliot, Bonnie Hunt, Nick Cooper, Vincent (attorney), and her biological dad tried to help her throughout her life. A lot of these adults made me so stunned at the treatment/comments they would say to them. One of the biggest examples is when she goes into detail about the creator of Mikes Super Short Show telling her that they should shave their legs. The first thing I thought is a grown man shouldn’t be looking at any child’s legs like that. It’s disturbing at how much predatory behavior went on in those days and continue to go on. I felt sickened and hurt at how much this happened to them and other experiences. Other experiences include an audience member during an awards show for Missy Elliot showing off her boob to the kids, a TSA agent “patting” her down just so they could get a picture, and people on the internet editing her photo and posting them on sites not meant for them. It’s just…ugh, I was so stunned and never have I reacted to a book the way I did. I am so sorry to them for what they went through and the lack of care/support she got.

Another aspect that I appreciated was the style of writing. Never once did I feel them portray themselves as “the victim”, as much as they were a victim of circumstance/pressure of being a child star. I love how they expressed every moment they had in this novel with grace/maturity. They allow themselves and the readers to reflect and see the bigger picture. I will say, it was smart of her to contact Demi first before going on Child Star since the relationship was tumultuous. I was glad to see Demi take responsibility, despite struggling herself. It’s not often for when people do things due to the fact they are struggling, they often don’t take a lot of responsibility or shift the blame on the circumstances they have. So to see Alyson get peace for what happened years ago warmed my heart and reading that section of how Alyson got hate because of certain “lovatics” was shocking. Not saying I would’ve been that person due to this event happening when I was around 8, but to see the amount of toxicity fans can get is hard to read but it does happen and I’m glad Alyson is able to move forward in their life and find some peace.

I won’t tell you much more since this a read I recommend reading if you are thinking about becoming a star or if you’re a parent and potentially thinking about putting children in the entertainment industry.