Spare

I don’t read many memoirs, but I found Harry’s story incredibly captivating.

I decided to pick it up after reading an essay by his ghostwriter, and I’m so glad I did. Often heartbreaking, but filled with lightness and humor too, it’s a book that I genuinely couldn’t put down. Harry’s journey made me laugh, cringe, cry, and want to scream at the page. Brilliant.

This was the only nonfiction book I read this year. And yes, I am a nonfiction author, but I prefer to read fiction! I thought this was a deeply personal and emotional book that made me cry many times throughout.

As a therapist who works with clients with trauma, I thought this was a poignant and bittersweet way of showing how trauma shows up in our lives, and the hard work we have to do to get through it. Harry also shows us that vulnerability isn’t a bad thing, sometimes we just need to tell our truth and our story.… show more.

I was pleasantly surprised by the empathetic stories Prince Harry shared of his closest relatives.

Especially poignant are portrayals of his father, now King Charles, whose cultural reticence prevented him from directly expressing affection towards his son and showed love in small touches, like notes under pillows and stroking his hair before bedtime after Princess Diana’s horrific accident.

Especially gripping were Prince Harry’s personal reflections when he came to terms with a secondary role to the Throne. Enjoying traditional masculine outdoor pursuits and initiated into hunting by “blooding” in the Scottish Highlands, he decides on a military career which allowed… show more.

The book is beautifully written by J.R. Moehringer and touched me for a number of reasons.

Harry was a sensitive child, born into a situation that showed his sensitivities no mercy. The depictions of his schooldays and the loss of his mother are entirely convincing, as are the insights into family life in the royal family. He comes across as a decent man, trying his best to find a useful path in life, and the story of how he fell in love with Meghan and how she helped him to break free is utterly heartfelt.

The hate-filled newspaper headlines drawn… show more.

I love reading celebrity memoirs, and I have read a lot of them! But I am not particularly enamored of the British monarchy. Still, this one, if only for the history, seemed worth my time.

The title alone touched something in me—to grow up thinking one is a “spare” anything seems an awful load to carry. The book details Harry's recovery from being born into a dysfunctional family, which, if you take away the castles and privilege, could have been mine.

His story is one of tragedy, adventure, love, and transformation. Bittersweet? Yes. And ultimately triumphant. I loved every page. 

Who hasn’t grown up with stories about princes and princesses? What’s a royal life really like?

Prince Harry’s book gives a genuine look into his life, his emotions, his relationships, and the total knot of rules and protocols one must endure when one is the eighth in line to the throne. This is a fascinating read. The villains are definitely the paparazzi and the hero, Harry, is quite flawed, but loveable.

I might never believe anything written by the press again.

Spare, by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is a funny and touching read about what it takes to overcome situations that are out of your control, overwhelming, and inevitably the same struggles we all face. 

We all face the pressure of unfair expectations, unfair judgement, and familial or cultural pressure to conform, but few of us must do this on a world stage, let alone overcome the trauma of the early death of a parent or combat trauma. 

Reading this book made me both glad I was not a royal and inspired that a mere likable human being can… show more.