Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything: A Memoir

By Alyson Stoner

Book Overview

*AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER*

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250353513
• ISBN13: 9781250353511
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Highly recommended.

If you really want to get to know Alyson Stoner, this is the book for you. I’ve never cried reading a book before, but this one got me. There was a part that hit close to home because I went through something similar. I felt so bad for her but also so proud of how much she’s grown and all the hard work she’s done.