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I knew very little about Julianna Margulies besides the fact that she was an actress. Earlier this year, I started The Good Wife (2009-2014) after constantly seeing internet friends rave about it. I got more than halfway through the first season and still haven’t finished it. It isn’t a terrible show, and Julianna is certainly amazing in it. It just wasn’t something that held on to my interest. In March, I decided to watch ER (1994-2009). After the first episode, I was hooked, and I hadn’t stopped since. Like several people, I was engrossed in the beautifully flawed relationship between Nurse Carol Hathaway and Doug Ross. And when I heard that Julianna Margulies was writing a book. I instantly pre-ordered. Because of course I wanted to read a book by the actress who played Carol Hathaway.

Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life is an invitation into Julianna’s life as she struggles with continuing to live up to the persona of the ‘sunshine’ girl, growing up, and coming to terms with who she is and what she wants.

In essence, it is about someone who has had to adjust her entire life. When she was young, she moved from city to city and sometimes country to country. And then when she was finally on her own, she had to adjust to several other personal situations including a tedious relationship.

It’s not the most scandalous or intimate celebrity memoir but it’s still a captivating read.

Throughout the entire book, it is clear that this is a real and raw person. Everything felt honest. And she did not shy away from telling the bad, even when it didn’t reflect her in a positive light. She shared her regrets, mistakes, and faults. But also her wins and achievements. It had a nice balance.

There were two stories that stuck out to me the most. The first was her explaining why she chose to leave ER after the sixth season. Her contract was up, and the network had offered her an incredible amount of money to stay on. She considered it but one night on her way home she stopped at a bookstore and when she got home, she opened the book and saw the quote “I decided to learn more, not earn more.” That is such a powerful quote.

Another story that stuck out to me involved her parent’s. I found the most fascinating thing about this book to be her relationship with her parents. She did not have the perfect childhood. And towards the end of the book she writes about how when she got older, she confronted her parents about their actions and all she needed to hear was “I’m sorry, I should have done more.” I’m not a parent but it stuck out to me when she said, “children don’t realize that we are all are just human beings, trying to find our way.”

Final Analysis

Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life is an intriguing, insightful memoir.