All That is Bitter and Sweet – Book Review

May 21, 2011
Toby Welch

Ashley Judd - Manningmbd

Ashley Judd's memoir is a powerful, heart-wrenching tribute to the superstar that she is. But not in the acting arena - the desire to make the world better.

All That is Bitter and Sweet is Ashley Judd's memoir. The book will tear your heart out while inspiring you at the same time. It is a powerful story of one woman's journey through the first half of her life.

While Judd obviously has a passion for making movies, the majority of the book details her work as a humanitarian. She goes to some of the most ravaged areas in the world and does what she can to make an impact. We meet some heartbreaking characters including women who are gang raped multiple times a day, people who prostitute themselves to feed their children ($2 is the going rate in third world countries for a sexual encounter, which often takes place with children underfoot), and women who are ostracized from their families when they learn they are HIV positive, usually from their husband's encounters with prostitutes. She spends a great deal of time educating people on the use of condoms; she carries a fake penis in her purse that she has pulled out thousands of times to demonstrate proper condom usage. It's hard to equate the glamorous movie star's image with a person who will stop at nothing to promote safe sex but we quickly see that the latter is the true Ashley Judd.

Judd takes us on a roller coaster ride into her family dysfunction. Her mother, Naomi, and her older sister, Wynona, as well as her two fathers (biological and step-father) sometimes resemble a circus act more than a family unit. Ashley Judd suffered from almost debilitating depression in her youth and it's sometimes surprising she hasn't suffered even more than she has. As a reader, I ached for the little girl that Ashley used to be and wished I could have scooped her up in my arms and told her she was special. Judd has received enough professional help for her childhood traumas to now be able to speak about it with clarity and truth. The story of Ashley's childhood will leave you in tears but it also shows us a magnificent triumph.

As a mother myself, I can't imagine being Naomi Judd and reading this book. While we all make mistakes as a parent, having your own so blatantly laid out for the world to see can't be easy. But since this is Ashley Judd's memoir and it is her story to tell, I applaud her for giving us the not-so-pretty details and keeping it honest.

Ashley has been married to racecar driver Dario for a number of years. While she doesn't go into great detail about their love affair, you get a glimpse into a marriage based on mutual respect and consideration for one another. As a romantic at heart, I would have loved to hear more about Judd's courtship and marriage to the man that she so obviously adores but perhaps out of her need for privacy, readers are denied that.

Ashley Judd is in her early 40s at the conclusion of the book and I longed to read more. I hope she will do another autobiography in another 40 years, if not sooner.