A REAL HOUSEWIVES' REAL STRUGGLE

"For the next nearly six years, I always assumed I was being recorded in the car and at home. In fact, one of our housekeepers later told me that she had seen a small tape recorder under a side table in our bedroom. Of course, I was always careful to make sure the content of my conversations was very clear."
-EXCERPT from Book "Hiding from Reality"- By Taylor Armstrong.

I love reading memoirs and biographies. Although the whole hype of the Reality Show craze can be annoying sometimes, I have to admit some of my guilty pleasures include watching those shows. I guess its fun to see how women with limitless budgets spend their time and money. Hey, its not my time or my money so spend away!! After a few episodes you realize a lot of these women don 't necessarily lead happy or less complicated lives. But they are fun to watch!  They also cry and get angry, only they're in Louboutin heels and private jets. I guess some problems in life can be solved with money, and as my mother says "los problemas con pan son menos."In other words, the hard blows of life are softened with a hefty bank account. However, something like suicide, divorce and abuse will never be soft blows, no matter how much money you have.

When the news hit last year that Real Housewife of Beverly Hills Housewife Taylor Armstrong's husband Russell committed suicide, it reminded us all that these are real women, who are not immune to tragedy, death, and even a sudden change in their financial safety nest.

Taylor Armstrong and Me (Naibe) during an Interview 

Armstrong eventually started to openly talk about the abuse she received by her husband, both emotionally and physically. Coming from a background of abuse myself, I was interested in her memoir, and reading about the details of what she went through, why she stayed, and how she is coping now as a single mother.

I was pleasantly surprised by her candidness and how well written the book was. Of course I know celebrities who write memories have ghost writers and editors that help guide them so each sentence sounds polished and perfect. But I have read other memories that appeared to be written by a Junior High School version of themselves (I love ya Kyle Richards but your memoir needs help.)

I actually got to meet Taylor in person during one of my assignments. I was covering a swanky gifting lounge at the London Hotel and she was looking at hats. She even helped me pick one out and placed it on my head with a slight angle so it wouldn't look so dorky.

I wish her and her daughter well, and I hope her book makes other women in abusive relationships realize that they need to, have to, and must get out- before tragedy strikes them or a loved one around them.

check it out:
Hiding from Reality