Book Review: Ashton Kutcher: The Life and Loves of the King of Punk'd
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What Parents Should Know
Kutcher deals with his parents' divorce, and then struggles
to turn his small-town naiveté into Hollywood savvy,
abandoning some of his values in the process. This book appears
appropriate for middle-grade readers, but the author makes
frequent references to sex, alcohol, drugs, and the Hollywood
social scene.
Common Sense Media Review
Aston Kutcher fans eager to know his story might not care
that this biography is poorly researched and edited. Author
Marc Shapiro offers little more than a compilation of
newspaper, magazine, and Internet articles. His slim source
notes mention interviews conducted with Kutcher's high school
principal and a college administrator, but how well the latter
knew Kutcher is unclear. Shapiro quotes Kutcher throughout the
dull and repetitious narrative but neglects to cite his sources
clearly.
Shapiro's metaphors are unoriginal. His sentences are fragmented, and his language is often inappropriate for young readers. He assumes reader knowledge of such figures as Sigmund Freud and Dean Martin. Adults might be familiar with these two men, but Shapiro's book is marketed to young readers who might not have heard of either. The book includes fourteen color photos of Kutcher and his various girlfriends and a list of his screen credits, all of which can be found, with his biographical information, on the Internet. The benefit of reading the book is in not having to glue your eyes to a computer screen.
From the book:
Kutcher was barely out of his bib overalls and life in a
one-horse Iowa farming town when he was spotted by a talent
scout at a restaurant. She convinced him to enter a local
modeling contest. He did. He won. Forget about no pain, no
gain. Ashton Kutcher barely batted an eyelash and he was in the
winner's circle.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
