The Vegas Diaries: A Memoir
- Brownell, Kristen Anne
- Advisor(s): Abani, Christopher
Abstract
Las Vegas has been endlessly mythologized in film, television, and literature, but there's never been anything quite like The Vegas Diaries. This memoir is more than simply a salacious tale of sex, sin, sleaze, showgirls, and sabotage--it is a story that takes the experience of transitioning from girlhood to womanhood in the most objectifying environment ever and makes it universal. It is a story that explores our struggle to begin life away from the family and the trauma of choosing a path our parents don't approve of. It is a story about learning to live life on our own, about the challenge and exhilaration of becoming independent, about making mistakes and having to live with them.
Much like the city of Vegas itself, The Vegas Diaries is populated with a vibrant cast of loveable but cracked characters. Stereotypes of familiar archetypes are, along with popular clichés of the city, stripped away. We get to know the cast members and through their stories gain insight into why people come to this city in the middle of the desert and why it's so difficult to leave. There's an addictive quality not just to the lifestyle Vegas perpetuates but to its landscape, the neon and hyperbole and striking juxtapositions the city is famous for.
The Vegas Diaries is about my improbable journey from nerd to Vegas showgirl dancing in the most popular casinos in the town; about my struggles with drugs and alcohol, abuse and an eating disorder; about my love affair with Bacchus' favorite city; and how I managed to escape from its seductive grip and start over. The Vegas Diaries takes you behind the curtain and shares in scintillating detail what it's like to be a showgirl: the backstabbing, camaraderie, celebrity encounters, excess, dejection, and glory. The memoir chronicles how even the worst trauma can be turned into something positive; how I was able to overcome what at the time seemed like insurmountable obstacles; how I was able to make peace with my demons; and most of all, how this journey has allowed me to discover my true self-worth.