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You Loved Her in Star Wars, Now Discover Her Hysterically Funny Books

Carrie Fisher was a wonderful actor, but an even better writer

By Denise SheltonPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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You Loved Her in Star Wars, Now Discover Her Hysterically Funny Books
Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash

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Carrie Fisher’s role as Princess Leia Organa in the Star Wars saga gained her the adoration of the masses, but she also wrote some terrifically funny, wise, and engrossing books. If you’ve never read any of them, here are some titles you should check out:

Postcards From the Edge

By Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Postcards From the Edge is Fisher’s best-selling first novel loosely based on her own life. The main character, Suzanne Vale, is the daughter of an iconic golden-era movie star and is struggling with drug addiction, mental health issues, and the pressures that come with growing up in Hollywood.

Fisher’s parents were actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher. Her struggles with substance abuse and bipolar disorder are well-documented in the press, interviews she gave, and her writings.

This might have been a grim exploration of an all-too-familiar Hollywood horror story, but this book is elevated by the incomparable wit and wisdom of its author. Fisher had an exceptional ability for self-examination that pulled no punches.

“She wanted so to be tranquil, to be someone who took walks in the late-afternoon sun, listening to the birds and crickets and feeling the whole world breathe. Instead, she lived in her head like a madwoman locked in a tower, hearing the wind howling through her hair and waiting for someone to come and rescue her from feeling things so deeply that her bones burned.”-- Carrie Fisher from Postcards from the Edge

Surrender the Pink

By Mae Mu on Unsplash

In her second novel, Surrender the Pink, Fisher follows the adventures of Dinah Kaufman, a soap opera writer who attempts to force her way back into the life of her ex-husband Rudy, a famous playwright. It isn’t until she nearly succeeds that she’s able to write him, quite literally, out of her life.

“Sometimes she’d just walk around the city alone. Watch the people, smell the food, the bus exhaust, the smoke coming up through the grating. She’d feel protected somehow, found a sense of belonging in the hectic sprawl. And the next minute she’d feel like the one who couldn’t break the code, hit the right stride, catch the wave. Potholes and traffic and bums, oh my. With all the honking and the hum of movement, the living, breathing blur of noise gently pressing in on her, the great purr of the Metropolitan Cat turning into a dull roar. She’d feel so silent on the inside, her head as quiet as a stretch of sand, a cathedral silently worshipping the life that was all around her, storing it up for later when she needed some 'too much' to draw upon.”--Carrie Fisher from Surrender the Pink

Delusions of Grandma

By Repent of Your Sins & Seek Lord Jesus on Unsplash

Like most of Fisher’s books, Delusions of Grandma is semi-autobiographical. Her heroine is Cora Sharpe, a pregnant screenwriter whose relationship with her baby’s father is rocky. Afraid that she’ll die in childbirth, Cora begins to write long letters to her unborn child detailing the events leading up to her pregnancy.

What follows is an exploration of love, family, and relationships that will leave you breathless with laughter and touch your heart.

“I have never been much at nonverbal communication. Additionally, I don't have much of an attention span, and what I lack in patience I make up for in ambivalence and an inability to sleep.”--Carrie Fisher from Delusions of Grandma

The Best Awful

By Tengyart on Unsplash

Fisher returns to the story of Suzanne Vale, the protagonist of Postcards From the Edge in The Best Awful. The book is essentially an exploration of her relationship with Bryan Lourd, the real-life father of her daughter, Billie, and her battle to stay sane.

When we rejoin Suzanne’s story, she’s a successful celebrity talk-show host with a gay ex-husband and a six-year-old daughter. When bipolar Suzanne decides to stop taking her medication, all hell breaks loose.

A psychotic break lands Suzanne in a mental institution, and she must struggle to get well so she can be with her daughter.

“You know the bad thing about being a survivor... You keep having to get into difficult situations in order to show off your gift.”--Carrie Fisher from The Best Awful

The Princess Diarist

By Marc Schaefer on Unsplash

In addition to her novels, Fisher was a screenwriter, script doctor, playwright, and non-fiction author. Star Wars fans should be especially interested in her 2016 memoir The Princess Diarist, based on the personal journals she kept while filming the Star Wars movies.

“If you look at the person someone chooses to have a relationship with, you’ll see what they think of themselves.”--Carrie Fisher from The Princess Diarist

Carrie Fisher was a remarkable woman. She will be remembered for her iconic film roles and perhaps, more importantly, for raising awareness regarding mental health and substance abuse issues and for her fearless, funny, and uncompromising prose.

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About the Creator

Denise Shelton

Denise Shelton writes on a variety of topics and in several different genres. Frequent subjects include history, politics, and opinion. She gleefully writes poetry The New Yorker wouldn't dare publish.

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