Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything: A Memoir

Alyson Stoner traces their experiences working in the entertainment industry to create awareness surrounding child labor and exploitation. Their memoir paints Hollywood as an environment that is, at best, ignorant of children’s particular needs, making abusive dynamics the rule rather than the exception.

Stoner structures the memoir chronologically, beginning with anecdotes from their foray into public performance at the age of seven years old. This formal choice conveys how early Stoner learned to tailor themselves to a high-pressure, capitalistic structure:

At seven years old, it didn’t register that I was being groomed to be sold. I was no longer a child; I was a commodity. Cindy depended on her clients to make money, and physical beauty—coupled with high versatility—increased my price tag. The larger context flew right over my head. I did as adults instructed me to, and Mom eagerly supported whatever helped me shine (42).

In this passage, Stoner pairs their childhood naivety with their retrospective adult reflections to create wider cultural commentary. As a young, impressionable child, Stoner only wanted to please the adults around them. They threw themselves into their acting career because they were used to complying with adults’ expectations, particularly when navigating unfamiliar circumstances, and the industry exploited that very innocence in ways Stoner was too young to recognize.