Oscar-nominated actress and star of the new musical drama Rise,Ā Rosie Perezās never-before-told story of surviving a harrowing childhood and of how she found successāboth in and out of the Hollywood limelight.
Ā
Rosie Perez first caught our attention with her fierce dance in the title sequence of Do the Right Thing and has since defined herself as a funny and talented actress who broke boundaries for Latinas in the film industry. What most people would be surprised to learn is that the woman with the big, effervescent personality has a secret straight out of a Dickens novel. At the age of three, Rosieās life was turned upside down when her mentally ill mother tore her away from the only family she knew and placed her in a Catholic childrenās home in New Yorkās Westchester County. Thus began her crazily discombobulated childhood of being shuttled between āthe Home,ā where she and other kids suffered all manners of cruelty from nuns, and various relativesā apartments in Brooklyn.
Ā
Many in her circumstances would have been defined by these harrowing experiences, but with the intense determination that became her trademark, Rosie overcame the odds and made an incredible life for herself. She brings her journey vividly to life on each page of this memoirāfrom the vibrant streets of Brooklyn to her turbulent years in the Catholic home, and finally to film and TV sets and the LA and New York City hip-hop scenes of the 1980s and ā90s.Ā
Ā
More than a page-turning read, Handbook for an Unpredictable Life is a story of survival. By turns heartbreaking and funny, it is ultimately the inspirational story of a woman who has found a hard-won place of strength and peace.