Jennifer Buhl

I was curious about this book, and i'm glad I had a chance to read it.

I didn't have a very high opinion of paparazzi. What I liked about this book was that it was well written and read as very honest.

Jennifer was just doing a job, getting celebrity pics. She wasn't obnoxious or rude to the celebrities. Like she mentioned, most like having their pictures shown, because it keeps them in the spotlight.
There are many fun stories about different celebs, but all told with sensitivity and without sensationalism.

I found the book very interesting and it changed my mind about the paps.
… (mere)

I was curious about this book, and i'm glad I had a chance to read it.

I didn't have a very high opinion of paparazzi. What I liked about this book was that it was well written and read as very honest.

Jennifer was just doing a job, getting celebrity pics. She wasn't obnoxious or rude to the celebrities. Like she mentioned, most like having their pictures shown, because it keeps them in the spotlight.
There are many fun stories about different celebs, but all told with sensitivity and without sensationalism.

I found the book very interesting and it changed my mind about the paps.
… (mere)

I was curious about this book, and i'm glad I had a chance to read it.

I didn't have a very high opinion of paparazzi. What I liked about this book was that it was well written and read as very honest.

Jennifer was just doing a job, getting celebrity pics. She wasn't obnoxious or rude to the celebrities. Like she mentioned, most like having their pictures shown, because it keeps them in the spotlight.
There are many fun stories about different celebs, but all told with sensitivity and without sensationalism.

I found the book very interesting and it changed my mind about the paps.
… (mere)

Jennifer Buhl was struggling to make it in LA until she decided to try her hand at being a paparazzi. That’s not to say that being a paparazzi was easy. Paparazzi often tip each other off and it took Jennifer some time to make connections. She faced bullying and discrimination, both for being one of the few women in the business and for being successful. Despite the challenges, she really was successful, getting some fantastic shots with celebrities, as well as many fascinating stories to tell.

As I mentioned in my review of Jennifer, Gwyneth, and Me, I haven’t gotten into celebrity culture much, with the exception of fangirling about authors. I couldn’t say no to Shooting Stars though, because I love books which share an insider perspective on offbeat jobs. On that count, this book definitely delivered. Paparazzi have all kinds of interesting cultural quirks and tricks for doing their job. The author included details I wouldn’t even have thought to ask about. For example, I loved learning about the differences between paparazzi in America and Europe. I thought it was surprising and fascinating which shots of celebrities were most valuable.The author also included some details I’d rather not have known about, like how one manages to go the bathroom while staking out a celebrity’s house.

The last third of the book switched focus to Jennifer’s attempt to have a baby, another part of the story I could have lived without. Although I liked hearing about A.J. Jacobs’ and Rachel Bertsche’s attempts to have babies with their partners, this was different. Perhaps because I don’t want to have children, I didn’t relate to the author’s desperation to have a baby, with or without a partner. I also thought she was a bit hypocritical with her constant statements about her unwillingness to sleep around contradicted by her actions. I hate to judge a book by the author, but when an author shares their intimate, personal experiences, I need to relate to them. In this case, I didn’t relate, so the personal story felt like a distraction from the fascinating bits about the author’s career. The majority of the book was about the author’s career so overall this was an enjoyable book to read. I think someone interested in having children or more interested in celebrities might enjoy it even more.

This review first published at Doing Dewey.… (mere)