cover image Finding It: And Satisfying My Hunger for Life Without Opening the Fridge

Finding It: And Satisfying My Hunger for Life Without Opening the Fridge

Valerie Bertinelli. Free Press, $26 (273pp) ISBN 978-1-4391-4163-2

In her latest memoir, TV personality (and Jenny Craig spokesperson) Bertinelli explores questions of change and identity after having lost 40 pounds, a personal project she described quite publicly in 2008's Losing It. Newly svelte, Bertinelli's next challenge is facing the fact that weight loss is not exactly a cure-all: ""I discovered that the life I want isn't about reaching a single goal."" Bertinelli's obsession with food and weight maintenance is all-consuming, and, once pleased with her body, she finds herself unable to conceive of what's next. What she reveals about life at 48, aside from weight loss issues, is enjoyable and oftentimes hilarious: struggling with the adulthood and sexuality of her son Wolfie, searching for God, and waxing regretful over her lack of formal education. She shouldn't: her talent for humor, candor and fostering intimacy with readers is apparent on every page. Looking at middle-aged life with a boyfriend and a mixed family, Bertinelli is ceaselessly honest and pretense-free, and should get readers cheering for her accomplishments-even if they're no more than looking fantastic in a bikini at 48.