Book Review: Paris The Memoir

Paris Hilton is a well-known American socialite, entrepreneur, and media personality. Her newest book, “Paris: The Memoir,” was released in 2023 and it’s compelling due to its honest and raw portrayal of the author’s experiences. The book provides a rare glimpse into Hilton’s personal life, including her time spent at CEDU and Provo Canyon School, a youth behavioral school in Utah.

Publisher provided a ARC for review, however all thoughts and opinions our own. This post contains affiliate links. We earn a small commission for items purchased.

Hilton’s experience at CEDU and Provo Canyon School was traumatic and deeply unsettling. In the book, she describes being sent to school by her parents when she was just 15 years old. At the time, Hilton was struggling with behavioral issues, and her parents believed that the school would help her get back on track. Hilton isn’t exactly sure how her parents found the school, but in the rare conversations with her parents, her mom claims that they were told the school was the best option for getting kids to behave.

Ultimately, Hilton’s experience at the school was anything but helpful. She recounts being subjected to sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at the hands of the staff, who she claims would beat and restrain students for minor infractions. She also describes being force-fed medication and placed in solitary confinement for extended periods of time.

During the year and a half bouncing between schools, Hilton managed to run away several times but was always dragged back against her will. It wasn’t until she threatened to go to the newspapers about what the school was doing to her and the other kids that her parents relented and she was able to come home.

In particular, Hilton’s memoir is inspiring in the way it portrays her determination to overcome the trauma of her past. She is open about her struggles with anxiety and PTSD, but also about her efforts to use her experiences to help others.

Hilton does acknowledge that in the past she had said and done hurtful things which feels like an acknowledgment of a lot of the criticism she gets on social media for being a mean girl and saying racist things. No behavior excuses this but Hilton points out that after leaving school, she didn’t know how to function, and instead of going to therapy she simply tried to forget about the abuse.

One of the key messages of Hilton’s memoir is the importance of shutting down youth behavioral schools like Provo Canyon School. These schools are often unregulated and can subject students to abuse and mistreatment. By sharing her story, Hilton writes about a desire to raise awareness about the dangers of these schools and to advocate for their closure.

This memoir is not all about her experiences at the abusive schools, in fact, any older millennial will recognize some of the scenes she discusses, like being photographed leaving a party with Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears and nearly breaking the internet.

She speaks in support of friends like Spears, Demi Lovato, and Nicole Richie and touches briefly on her feelings when her house was broken into multiple times. Hilton discusses abusive relationships and finally meets the love of her life, Carter Reum who she married in a star-studded ceremony.

Paris Hilton’s book, “Paris: The Memoir” is a powerful and inspiring account of her experiences, including her time at a youth behavioral school. While the book is triggering for all kinds of abuse, it is ultimately a hopeful and inspiring story of resilience and healing. Hilton’s advocacy for the closure of such schools is an important message that should be heard by everyone.