What thought kept going through my mind as I read Gesine Bullock-Prado’s memoir My Life from Scratch: A Sweet Journey of Starting Over, One Cake at a Time? It was this: bitter much?
Gesine is Sandra Bullock’s sister and former president of her production company. Unsatisfied with her career in Hollywood, she decides after having a sort of “waking dream” that she should be baking instead to bring happiness to others.
The memoir is sweet with memories of her love for sugar and her German and Southern families’ influence on her baking style. There are recipes included along with funny anecdotes about running a bakery. It is an inspiration to all of us who have ever dreamed of owning our own bakery.
But it is also full of bitterness about being considered Sandra Bullock’s less attractive sister, the “Sand-me-down” clothing, having to be the go-between for all the crazed fans, and the fact that no one can pronounce her name correctly (how about letting us know at the beginning of the book how to pronounce it so we don’t spend half the time saying it wrong in our heads, Ja-zeen?).
This is a story of someone trying to find herself, to break free from the shadow of a super-famous older sister and evolve into her own person. It just happens to be through baking that Gesine finds her way, and she puts it all on the table for us to read.
*This Kitchen Reader selection was chosen by Shelley at My Little Chickadees. See what the other members thought about the book on The Kitchen Reader blog.
Shortbread 
“how about letting us know at the beginning of the book how to pronounce it so we don’t spend half the time saying it wrong in our heads, Ja-zeen?”
HA! I thought the exact same thing. 🙂
I think you’ve hit it on the head; I was indeed bitter. And that’s really what my journey was, of trying to break free of my churlishness and fight my way to happiness. My mother’s death and baking were my wake up call, the shining lights that lit the path away from self pity and lack of fulfillment to a purposeful life. To a sweeter life without so much bitterness.
Hi Karen, do you have dreams of opening your own bakery? I thought this book turned me further away from ever doing something like that… it seems like such hard work! Even though Bullock-Prado said she loved running the shop it did sound as if there is no respite from the busyness.
I think you are exactly right, that it’s in the bakery that Gesine really defined herself. Until then she was just the sister of someone famous.
Hi Karen,
Looks like we were on the same page here. I agree with you and Anni. I too thought the same thing!!!
Um, are we all missing the fact that Gesine herself left you a comment on your blog? How cool is that…
I know, right? Wasn’t that SWEET?!
Haven’t we all been there though? I don’t mean the part about being the sister of a celebrity, but haven’t we all have a bad part of our lives where we just had to change it so we can be happy? I did it too by creating a business for myself and bitterness all gone. I will be sure to pick up this book. Thanks for posting a review and yes, it’s pretty cool that the author herself commented.