Book Review: "Valley of the Dolls" by Jacqueline Susann

On the 50th anniversary of its release, "Valley of the Dolls" feels strangely relevant, even for an 18-year-old millennial. 

The novel, written by Jacqueline Susann, was released with great success in 1966. Since then, 31 million copies have been sold in 30 different languages.

 

Susann even went so far as to say, "The '60s will be remembered for The Beatles, Andy Warhol and me."

 

The book tells the story of three young women who rise to fame in New York City. They have all sorts of salacious experiences, and use prescription pills or "dolls" to get through their often disappointing lives. 

 

This trio makes Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus look tame. 

 

Any creative writing teacher will tell you to write what you know, and thank God Susann came along and did just that.

Susann worked as an actress in television, films and on Broadway for years before writing "Valley of the Dolls." She was married to publicity agent Irving Mansfield, lived in a penthouse on Central Park South and was rarely seen not clad in Pucci. She knows the characters in the book like the back of her hand.

 

And how rare it is that someone in the entertainment industry can actually write a decent novel. This is a long leap away from reality star Lauren Conrad or actor Ethan Hawke's terrible stabs at writing fiction based on their real lives. 

 

The book is painfully honest. Fame is not all glitz and glam and she knows that, and she chose to show the rest of the world the truth. Life is hard, and there are rarely any truly happy endings.

 

"Jackie, it seemed, understood by instinct that her readers were ready for the raw side of love ... for a franker sexuality and a tougher kind of story," Michael Korda wrote for The New Yorker.

 

I'm not famous, and instead of living in the city that never sleeps, I live in quite the opposite. However, I can somehow relate to most of the things the characters feel. At some point, most will experience the mixture of emotions from moving away from home, the excitement you feel when you're young and have the world at your feet, the sting of infidelity, depression, loneliness and, perhaps, even addiction. 

 

Susann's stepgrandson, Whitney Robinson, told the New York Times that "Valley of the Dolls" is "very Tumblr-friendly."

 

The book easily could have been set in 2016. The strong message of the dangers of prescription pills is one every generation should hear, especially at a time where the anxiety pill Xanax's effect is being romanticized and advocated by popular culture.

 

Justin Beiber, Paris Hilton and Wynona Ryder have all confessed to using Xanax illegally. Superstar rapper Future has a song called "Xanny Family" that talks about his squad partying and taking Xanax in a recreational fashion. Chicago native Chance the Rapper said, "Last year, I got addicted to Xans, Chance the Rapper, almost missed my chance" in his song "Finish Line/ Drown". 

 

"Valley of the Dolls" is a timeless classic, and if you haven't read it, you should take the opportunity now on its 50th anniversary. But let me warn you not to start the book on a busy week; you won't be able to put it down.