SemiWellAdjusted Despite Literally ..., Alyson Stoner
SemiWellAdjusted Despite Literally ..., Alyson Stoner
3 Rating(s)
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Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything
A Memoir

Bestseller

Author: Alyson Stoner

Narrator: Alyson Stoner

Unabridged: 11 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/12/2025

Synopsis

Actor-dancer Alyson Stoner narrates their 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. This audiobook contains clips from the song "Stripped Bare," by the author, Alyson Stoner.

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.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press

About Alyson Stoner

Alyson Stoner (they/them) is a multi-disciplinary entertainer, author, and the founder and CEO of Movement Genius, a mental health company providing therapist-led content to improve well-being. As the writer and host of the award-winning Dear Hollywood podcast, Stoner advocates for industry and policy reform centering the protection of children in traditional and digital media. With multiple certifications and fifteen years of group facilitation experience, they’ve led and contributed to programming for the United Nations, the World Health Organization, LGBTQIA+ centers, and leading universities. During childhood, Stoner appeared in over 200 films, TV shows, and tours, including Camp Rock, Phineas & Ferb, Step Up, Cheaper by the Dozen, and iconic music videos with Missy Elliott and Eminem. Today, they’re focused on impact-driven and community-based initiatives, such as designing Artist Wellbeing Essentials, a robust digital toolkit including expert-led education and tools for performers to pursue their passions in a healthy and sustainable way.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ashley on August 14, 2025

No notes 🥹 Alyson’s memoir has allllll of the things. Reflection indicative of immense growth, transparency, laughs… 𝕡𝕚𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝚑𝚘𝚝 ☕️🫖 (sorry Alyson, my inner publicist got the best of me for a sec 😅 if it gets em to read, I think its worth it… 💩, am I now part of the problem? Gah, 𝙎𝙚𝙢𝙞-𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡-𝘼𝙙𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 is......more

Goodreads review by Helena on August 17, 2025

Like most people my age, I grew up watching Alyson Stoner in Cheaper By the Dozen, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Camp Rock, but I never really knew much about their life until a few years ago, when they came out as queer. In 2018, they released their song When It's Right, where they talked abou......more

Goodreads review by Dani on August 15, 2025

This one was one of my most anticipated August releases, and it didn’t disappoint. Alyson Stoner looks back on their child stardom with such maturity and writing from someone who has clearly put work into being who they are today. It’s a sad reality that we’re in the era of hearing of all of the tra......more

Goodreads review by Marissa on August 13, 2025

Alyson Stoner’s memoir details their life growing up as a child star and the many challenges and adversities they have overcome since. I was struck by their ability to remember key details (they credited the diary they kept as a child) and the maturity in which they reflected back about it. A few ti......more

Goodreads review by Belle on August 12, 2025

Another necessary read on the topic of child actors and the child entertainment industry as a whole. If you’ve been following Alyson’s journey or listened to their podcast Dear Hollywood, then it should come as no surprise that Alyson is a force, and through shedding light on the realities of what b......more

Quotes

"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 needed." —JoJo 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 stardom." —Stephanie 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 recommended.” —Bruce 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

"Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything peels back the glittering facade of childhood stardom to reveal the complex and often hideous realities that lurk beneath the surface. With raw honesty and remarkable insight, Stoner crafts a narrative that's both deeply personal and universally resonant. A must-read that empowers, educates, and illuminates." —Blair Imani, author of Read This to Get Smarter

"I read Semi-Well-Adjusted in one gulp. Stoner’s memoir demands that we reimagine the lives of the children who entertain us. The book will make you want to scream at the adults who failed Alyson and you will also revel in their joy, resilience and humanity. This memoir is a queer coming-of-age story woven with empathy, where Stoner reckons with a toxic industry and the ways that family and faith can support us or fail us. Their coming out is also a coming in—coming into the world after the social and educational isolation of round the clock entertainment labor. Their empathy—learned over time for themself—and their passion to protect kids—comes through on every page." —Devorah Heitner, author of Growing Up in Public

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