I Am Jennie (2012) A somewhat interesting look into reality television and one porn star's journey. The salacious details, especially written in the somewhat bragging tone, could have been cut in half. And it still was not completely clear why Jennie made the leap to hard-core porn. I did appreciate her unsparing take down of the way sex workers/models draw distinctions between themselves and "real" prostitutes.The behind the scenes look at reality television was interesting and uncomfortable and raises the question of whether anyone is really being helped when the gas is figuratively and literally thrown on the fire to cause the fireworks that draw viewers. A poignant life-story that reads like a novel. Jennifer Ketcham, a former adult actress and reality-TV celebrity, tells the painful, authentic and cathartic story of how she became the hyper sexualised Penny Flame and the remarkable transformation that allowed her to reconnect with herself, friends, lovers, family and sobriety. The destructive force, the deep-rooted causes and the emotional numbness of addictions are portrayed with an honest and deft narrative that does not over-rationalize, re-interpret or make excuses for her past life. This book is unsettling on many levels precisely because we know that it is not fictional. A young woman actually lived through these experiences before she was able to pull herself out the lucrative, self-effacing and dehumanizing lifestyle of the porn sub-culture.I am Jennie is also the positive, life-affirming mantra that enables Ketcham to rebuild her identity, reconnect with her emotions and overcome her addictions. This book is a remarkable story of courage, of hope, and of inner-strength that reaffirms the remarkable transformative powers of the human spirit. It is a story of love and life, of the bonds of family, of the vital support provided by friendships, and ultimately of redemption that comes through authentic contrition and the desire to make amends.These memoirs are a sort of Bildungsroman – set in the age of Internet, social media and easily accessible pornography – in which a young girl must first experience the harshness the adult-entertainment industry on the path to becoming a woman. A must read for anybody who has witnessed, lived with or suffered through addiction. It is a beacon of hope for those who struggle daily with such challenges or doubt that positive transformation of one’s fragile life is truly possible.