Rosie proves she can write

By Natalie Calderon

I've always been a fan of Rosie O'Donnell. She's funny, she gives away free things and she's nice to people. It doesn't take much to win me over.

My sophomore year I watched her show everyday, faithfully. If I was in a bad mood, I knew there was one thing that would cheer me up � Rosie.

My friend Eileen saw her show live and I was so jealous. Especially when she came home with a talking Rosie doll! "Dreams come true, with Rosie," it said when you squeezed it. Ahh, Rosie was the best.

Although I am no longer a Rosie faithful, I still get excited when I watch the show. And when I heard that this season was to be her last, it made me a little sad. Sniffle.

So it was no surprise when I stumbled upon her new "memoir," Find Me, in the bookstore this past weekend. Of course I scooped it up with enthusiasm. Sometimes I don't know why I keep going into bookstores.

I have at least ten books sitting on my shelf right now waiting to be read. I really don't need anymore. But I knew this was a book I had to have.

So anyway, during a routine weekend stop at Target on Saturday, I opted to stay in the car and browse through my newly purchased book.

I read the description on the jacket, and I was hooked. "Part memoir, part mystery, Find Me is a compelling and utterly original tale that will break your heart as it heals it," the first line reads. Cheesy, but true!

So I started reading Find Me and I couldn't put it down. In the car, while my roommates shopped at Target, I read like a maniac, flying through the chapters with incredible speed and agility. And I entered the life of Rosie O'Donnell.

In a Celestine Prophecy-like manner, Rosie weaves the details of her obsessive friendship with a troubled woman in between chapters that colorfully highlight her life.

She talks about her relationship with her mother, who died when she was just 13; she talks about weight issues, about dreaming of Angelina Jolie, and how much she loves Barbra Streisand.

But most poignantly, she talks about herself � about her obsessions, her vulnerabilities, and her heart.

What a great book. I finished it on Saturday night, when we got back from Target. I feel like I know Ro now, like we're buddies. And I have to say, I am proud of her. And she still makes me laugh.