In these stories and reflections about how crafting has kept her sane while navigating the highs and lows of family, love, and show business, Tony Award-winner and the star of TV's Younger Sutton Foster shares memorable moments—including her fraught relationship with her agoraphobic mother; a painful divorce splashed on the pages of the tabloids; her struggles with fertility; the thrills she found on the stage; her breakout TV role in Younger; and the joy of adopting her daughter Emily. Accompanying the stories, Sutton has included crochet patterns and recipes.
Foster’s recollections are punctuated by recipes, a crochet pattern, gardening tips, and at times, unfortunately, simplistic empowerment speak ... But such moments are fleeting and don’t deter from the book’s overall appeal. Foster’s tale is laced with self-deprecating humor, detailed childhood memories and insight about the many challenges of becoming a stage and television actor ... Foster makes a persuasive case that hobbies are a salvation, and a universal one at that. More people can probably aspire to crocheting a blanket than can tap dance to multiple Tonys, as Foster has. Hooked shows its author to be both exceptional and much like the fretting rest of us.
There are also plenty of details about her well-known Broadway and TV productions (including an interview with her idol, Patti LuPone) as well as a blanket pattern, making this a good fit for fans of performer’s memoirs and crafters alike.
Foster dazzles with this deeply personal debut ... In prose both brutally honest and deeply empathetic, she writes of her struggle with panic attacks and of knitting, collaging, and baking as a way to ease anxiety about major life events—including a very public divorce—but also as a means to celebrate more joyous moments ... Those struggling with mental health or family problems will find this incredibly moving.
