Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything
14 August 2025Synopsis
Actor-dancer Alyson Stoner's revelatory and incisive memoir – from family violence and betrayal, to eating disorders and religious trauma – may begin in Hollywood, but its chilling relatability will resonate with anyone navigating identity, privacy, purpose, and mental health in a digital age.
Raised on soundstages and studio lots from the age of six, shuffling between auditions for Disney Channel, Cheaper by the Dozen, or Missy Elliott music videos, Alyson Stoner experienced many of the defining moments of childhood inside the bizarre fishbowl of Hollywood. From working eighty hours a week at eight years old, to learning how to distinguish fan mail from kidnapping plots, to TV execs saying they weren't 'anorexic enough' to stop working and get help, Alyson struggled to find stability and sanity in a chaotic world.
In Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything, Alyson shares their powerful story for the first time, detailing a turbulent home life fractured by substance abuse, harrowing accounts from rehab, the messy process of discovering their sexuality in church, rebuilding a life after an early professional peak, and charting a path of self-discovery and advocacy.
With striking introspection, Alyson connects the dots across the entertainment industry ecosystem, child development, and media culture, exposing the 'toddler to trainwreck pipeline' of child stars and sparking timely conversations about success and society's enchantment with fame.
Bold, entertaining, warm, and galvanizing all at once, Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything is more than a personal memoir: it's a beacon for industry reform, a road map for breaking the bonds of generational trauma, and a testament to the freedom and strength that come from finally trusting your own voice and power.
Details
14 August 2025
9781035086559Reviews
How can a book be so heart-breaking and yet so hopeful? Alyson's memoir is a bracingly honest and necessary examination of what it actually means to be a child in the spotlight, and everything that happens after. Candid, insightful, and healing in ways I didn't know I still neededJoJo Levesque, New York Times bestselling author of Over the Influence
A ballsy page-turner that puts the greed of the entertainment industry on blast, while simultaneously being a grounded narrative of incredible tenacity, courage and healing. A compelling argument for the abolition of child stardomStephanie Foo, New York Times bestselling author of What My Bones Know
Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything is an intimate and compelling view into Alyson Stoner's unique developmental journey as a child celebrity. Stoner courageously shares the challenges of a demanding professional life through family fractures, self-doubt and personal discovery. Stoner is a gifted storyteller; this book is a perfect mix of reflection, humor, generosity and empathy. It is the rare book that can carry so many important lessons without being shrill or preachy. Highly recommendedBruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., Principal of The Neurosequential Network and #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of What Happened to You
Alyson is one of those exceptional people who brings so much hope into the world. They have turned navigating a childhood surrounded by addiction and the negative side effects of fame into a journey of discovery and a guide to breaking generational trauma and finding personal truth. I highly recommend this wonderful book!Dr. Caroline Leaf, neuroscientist and bestselling author of Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess
