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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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English
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THE GREAT PEACE

Mena Suvari

A Memoir

A memoir by actor Mena Suvari, best-known for her roles in American Beauty, American Pie, and Six Feet Under.
THE GREAT PEACE is a harrowing, heartbreaking coming-of-age story set in Hollywood, in which young teenage model-turned-actor Mena Suvari lost herself to sex, drugs and bad, often abusive relationships even as blockbuster movies made her famous. It's about growing up in the 90s, with a soundtrack ranging from The Doors to Deee-Lite, fashion from denim to day-glo, and a sad young woman dealing with the lasting psychological scars of losing her virginity against her will at age 12, believing she has little more to offer than her body, yet knowing deep inside she has and desires so much more from life.

Inspired by Mena's relatively recent discovery of diary writings and poetry she wrote during this troubled time and then put in storage for years, this book builds on these entries with gritty authenticity and hard-earned maturity. Despite many years of interviews and many miles on the red carpet, Mena has never revealed any part of her horrific adolescence and early career. You can imagine why. The devastation, the shame, the healing she had to do in order to find the courage and conviction to want to share it. After years of being taken advantage of by older, more powerful men--a photographer, a manager, a DJ--Mena finally learned how to stand on her own two feet, and reclaimed the power that had been locked inside her the whole time.

Within these vulnerable pages, Mena not only reveals her own mistakes, but also the lessons she learned and her efforts to understand and grow rather than casting blame. As such, she makes this a timeless story of girl empowerment and redemption, of somebody using their voice to rediscover their past and redeem and understand their mistakes, and ultimately come to terms with their power as an individual to find a way and a will to live - and thrive. Poignant, intimate, and powerful, this book will resonate with anyone who has found themselves lost in the darkness, thinking there's no way out. Ultimately, Mena's story proves that, no matter how hopeless it may seem, there's always a light at the end.

Mena Suvari is an actor whose 25-year career includes the Oscar-winning movie American Beauty and classic teenage film series American Pie, along with the award-winning TV anthology American Horror Story and HBO classic Six Feet Under. She currently has five independent movies in various stages of post-production. This is her first book.
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Published 2021-07-27 by Hachette Book Group - New York (USA)

Comments

An honest and unadorned Hollywood confessional that casts a light on the darkness behind the scenes. Read more...

While the experiences she details are devastating, her ability to weave them into a narrative of empowerment is what makes this so moving. In bringing her struggles to light, Suvari reclaims her story and will surely inspire others to do the same. Read more...

ABC's "GMA," first exclusive broadcast interview Read more...

Mena Suvari] has decided to tell everything... spares no details. Read more...

Suvari has written something more personal, a sort of diary of her spiritual journey. Read more...

In an interview, the actor opens up about her new MeToo-inspired memoir, The Great Peace, and the abuse she writes about surviving ... her writing is strangely intoxicating. In unfussy prose... Suvari transports the reader... What's most impressive is Suvari's willingness to admit to mistakes and even at times risk coming off as unlikable. She wants people to read and relate to her story, but beyond the notion that the truth has set her free, there isn't a didactic moral takeaway. Read more...

...a harrowing, often painful story of the all-too-prevalent ways young women are preyed upon, and the work it takes to find hope and healing. Read more...

Suvari's bracing tale of abusive patterns and building new beginnings is wrenching, potent, and ultimately inspirational. Read more...

...The book is a relic of Hollywood's pre-#MeToo era, documenting the ways in which Suvari says she "looked like a Fabergé egg on the outside but was hollow inside." Beginning to model at age 13, she grew to believe her looks were primarily what she had to offer. She now thinks she confused that kind of attention for love.... She tells a story that is harrowing... Read more...

Review and Interview: ...Suvari has pushed past a slew of toxic phases, confronting them with a friendly countenance and calm distance... Read more...