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readingwhilemommying 's review for:
Spare
by Prince Harry
Book Review - Spare by Prince Harry
"Harry spills the tea!”
Cheeky headlines are the hallmarks of tabloids and gossip papers--especially in the UK. Slap a rhyming, pun-filled header on a story about a celebrity & willing readers gravitate toward the ink-splotched paper, plunking down the money to get the salacious details. This same strategy is now the standard for social media. Why do so many (including me) get such a kick out of seeing movie stars at the grocery store ("Celebs! They're just like us!)? Yet how often do we really think about the person on the other end of the tale? What's true? Who's lying? Aren't they signing up for this by being famous? In this intimate, revealing, profound memoir, Prince Harry tells his side of this story. And, in my opinion, it's one of the best I've ever read.
Like Jennette McCurdy, Harry's story shines a light on the "other" side of an issue, in this case the monarchy and tabloid culture. While the book is divided into three sections, Harry's life after Diana died, his military service, his life with Meghan, it still manages to have one thread woven throughout—how humanity is muzzled by large-scale power structures, particularly those built on money and tradition. Sound too lofty for a book about the spare and (in one story) his frozen penis? Maybe. But that's what elevated it above the usual for me. It speaks to an issue that, in today’s day and age, is getting worse. And it’s not just affecting so-called royalty. Many days it seems power, ego, lies, nastiness, and a lack of humanity reign (very often fueled by social media) and “death bed” ideals (what I call the things you’ll hold onto when dying)—family, joy, love—are suppressed or, worse, abandoned completely.
I won't go through the parts that were leaked before publication but instead speak to the bigger issue he touches on. After Diana's death, Harry assumed, even at 12, that things would change. The paparazzi and the entire tabloid culture would stand down and keep the promises they made—no more endangering the lives of people with aggressive behavior or incessant lies. Yet, as we clearly see by the end of the book and his family’s move to America, it’s worse than it's ever been. And it was made worse when Harry dared to marry a biracial woman and expected them to be supported, defended, and protected by his family. Yet there weren’t. Sadly, the monarchy works in concert with the tabloid machine to stifle truth, perpetuate lies about one royal to “beef up” the public goodwill given to another, and to craft lie-riddled narratives that are underpinned by the ego of the subject AND the media to satiate a willing public. Some of the hardest parts of this to read for me were when Charles (Pa), William (Willy), and even the Queen (Grammy) had the chance to stand up and say, “no, this is NOT how we’re going to do this.” Unfortunately again and again they did not.
What I found interesting was how relatable Harry’s story was to the state of our world. Diana’s death gave the tabloids and the monarchy an opportunity for a reset—a chance to self-reflect, course correct, and work to advance humanity, not degrade it. Unfortunately, the chance was squandered and it all came back and now is worse than ever. And the “spare,” or Harry, the one furthest from assuming the throne, seems to be the only one able to see just how damaging and, frankly, ridiculous it all is. Family, life, humanity, and, yes, true love, seem to have firmly put him on the side of, “I’m not gonna take it anymore.”
Good for him, I say. Honestly, I'm tired of hearing, "This is just part of being famous." Diana's death was supposed to bring about change—and it didn't and, 25 years later, it's gotten worse. And, sadly, the Institution aids and abets it. Harry speaks to an issue that plagues even our country today—humanity being muzzled by nastiness, lies, power-trips & ego. He has experience and a platform on which to speak to that issue AND try to institute change. But speaking truth to power and change takes time. I'm glad he is living a wonderful life—with true love and family—away from the heart of the mess. I truly do hope his family comes around and realizes that tradition, power, and ego should never come before love.
"Harry spills the tea!”
Cheeky headlines are the hallmarks of tabloids and gossip papers--especially in the UK. Slap a rhyming, pun-filled header on a story about a celebrity & willing readers gravitate toward the ink-splotched paper, plunking down the money to get the salacious details. This same strategy is now the standard for social media. Why do so many (including me) get such a kick out of seeing movie stars at the grocery store ("Celebs! They're just like us!)? Yet how often do we really think about the person on the other end of the tale? What's true? Who's lying? Aren't they signing up for this by being famous? In this intimate, revealing, profound memoir, Prince Harry tells his side of this story. And, in my opinion, it's one of the best I've ever read.
Like Jennette McCurdy, Harry's story shines a light on the "other" side of an issue, in this case the monarchy and tabloid culture. While the book is divided into three sections, Harry's life after Diana died, his military service, his life with Meghan, it still manages to have one thread woven throughout—how humanity is muzzled by large-scale power structures, particularly those built on money and tradition. Sound too lofty for a book about the spare and (in one story) his frozen penis? Maybe. But that's what elevated it above the usual for me. It speaks to an issue that, in today’s day and age, is getting worse. And it’s not just affecting so-called royalty. Many days it seems power, ego, lies, nastiness, and a lack of humanity reign (very often fueled by social media) and “death bed” ideals (what I call the things you’ll hold onto when dying)—family, joy, love—are suppressed or, worse, abandoned completely.
I won't go through the parts that were leaked before publication but instead speak to the bigger issue he touches on. After Diana's death, Harry assumed, even at 12, that things would change. The paparazzi and the entire tabloid culture would stand down and keep the promises they made—no more endangering the lives of people with aggressive behavior or incessant lies. Yet, as we clearly see by the end of the book and his family’s move to America, it’s worse than it's ever been. And it was made worse when Harry dared to marry a biracial woman and expected them to be supported, defended, and protected by his family. Yet there weren’t. Sadly, the monarchy works in concert with the tabloid machine to stifle truth, perpetuate lies about one royal to “beef up” the public goodwill given to another, and to craft lie-riddled narratives that are underpinned by the ego of the subject AND the media to satiate a willing public. Some of the hardest parts of this to read for me were when Charles (Pa), William (Willy), and even the Queen (Grammy) had the chance to stand up and say, “no, this is NOT how we’re going to do this.” Unfortunately again and again they did not.
What I found interesting was how relatable Harry’s story was to the state of our world. Diana’s death gave the tabloids and the monarchy an opportunity for a reset—a chance to self-reflect, course correct, and work to advance humanity, not degrade it. Unfortunately, the chance was squandered and it all came back and now is worse than ever. And the “spare,” or Harry, the one furthest from assuming the throne, seems to be the only one able to see just how damaging and, frankly, ridiculous it all is. Family, life, humanity, and, yes, true love, seem to have firmly put him on the side of, “I’m not gonna take it anymore.”
Good for him, I say. Honestly, I'm tired of hearing, "This is just part of being famous." Diana's death was supposed to bring about change—and it didn't and, 25 years later, it's gotten worse. And, sadly, the Institution aids and abets it. Harry speaks to an issue that plagues even our country today—humanity being muzzled by nastiness, lies, power-trips & ego. He has experience and a platform on which to speak to that issue AND try to institute change. But speaking truth to power and change takes time. I'm glad he is living a wonderful life—with true love and family—away from the heart of the mess. I truly do hope his family comes around and realizes that tradition, power, and ego should never come before love.