The Girl with the Self-Esteem Issues: A Memoir

by Rosie Mercado Narrated by Rosie Mercado

Overview

The Latina superstar shares the impossible true story of her fight to realize her dreams in this powerful memoir and inspirational guide filled with hard-earned, heartfelt advice for all women striving for independence.

The Girl with the Self-Esteem Issues is the remarkable story of Rosie Mercado's journey from helplessness to becoming a model, life coach, and daytime celebrity and one of the “top 25 most powerful Latinas” (People). But as Rosie reveals, that success came after years of pain.

When Rosie was only nineteen, the father of her newborn walked out with no warning. With no college degree, no career, and an addiction to emotional eating, Rosie was overwhelmed. How could she take care of a child when she could barely care for herself? Yet despite her lack of self-confidence, the courageous young woman rose from the ashes-only to fall again . . . and again. The journey included three husbands, three divorces, three children, and years of abuse, infidelity, broken promises, and sleepless nights. Rosie's life was anything but easy, especially when her weight ballooned to 400 pounds. Yet she never, ever gave up. When one door closed in her face, she picked herself up and knocked on another one. Despite the pain, the rejection, and the disappointment, there were small victories and successes. Each one gave her the strength to keep on going. Eventually, she found the courage to take control of her life, lost 240 pounds, and found the life she's always wanted.

Hers is a story of survival and triumph you will never forget.

For women who feel trapped, isolated, fat, ugly, invisible, or less than; for the motivated, girl-boss, bad bit*h, champions out there, The Girl with the Self-Esteem Issues unfolds with raw honesty, courage, and hope.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

<<Una celebración honesta y sincera de superar la adversidad>>. — Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

2020-07-21
A plus-size model tells her story of dealing with years of insecurity.

Mercado grew up in “a Mexican American family with traditional values and beliefs.” Yet outside that protective circle and especially in school, she always felt “like an alienated stranger who was about to be harassed or abused.” Each year, it seemed, her classmates “were getting thinner and thinner while I was growing larger and larger.” A part-time on-air job on a Latinx radio station in high school helped Mercado not only find her voice, but also gain enough confidence to start a makeup business. Yet despite these early successes, self-esteem issues tormented the author, who continued to believe that no one “would ever find me attractive or desirable.” So when a controlling, much older man began pursuing her, she fell in love “as only an insecure girl” could. Mercado ceded to him in everything only to have him leave just before their first child was born. Another marriage followed, but it ended as they began having problems and Mercado discovered he was having an affair. Her next husband turned out to be both controlling and abusive. Eventually, the author struck out on her own and found success, first as a makeup artist and then as a plus-size model. Then a brain cyst forced her to reassess her life and face the underlying emotional problems that had contributed to her weight (at one point, she writes, she weighed 420 pounds). Interwoven throughout with words of inspiration and advice, some of which tread along standard self-help lines, Mercado’s book offers a deeply personal exploration of the causes and effects of the body and weight issues that plague so many girls and women and prevent them from realizing their full potential.

An honest and heartfelt celebration of overcoming adversity.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177048192
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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