As an avid lover of the Star Wars series, reading that Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia, passed in late December was nothing less than heartbreaking. As a child, Star Wars was a series that my brother and I watched over and over again, as that is one of the only movies we could agree on. And now, my love for Star Wars is even greater, as it is something that I enjoyed as a kid and can still enjoy now. You can imagine how excited I was when Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiered in 2015 and then Rogue One: A Star Wars Story premiered in 2016. Carrie Fisher’s passing hit me hard and I figured a great way to memorialize her would be to read her book, The Princess Diarist.
Fisher is an author of many books, but this one was significant to me because it detailed her experience getting cast as and becoming Princess Leia. Most intriguing to me, the book features excerpts from Fisher’s journal that she kept during the filming of the first Star Wars. Her writing is consistently honest and matter-of-fact so it really feels like you are reading her internal monologue. Each page is authentic to her experience and emotions, as she holds nothing back in her writing. She details everything from the creation of the famous hairstyle Princess Leia wears to her experience signing autographs and things fans said to her while doing so.
As a Star Wars lover, I could not put this book down. Reading about her experience as Princess Leia and getting an inside scoop on some elements of the production was so exciting. Especially after her passing, reading this helped me learn more about the person behind Princess Leia, not just the movie character. And if you don’t love Star Wars, even though I don’t know how you couldn’t, this book is still a good read.