The Spare by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

 This is a tell-all autobiography of the second son of King Charles and Lady Diana.  It follows Harry's life from the time that his mother was killed in a car accident while being chased by paparazzi until the time of his grandmother's death in 2022.  He speaks candidly about his struggles in school, his rivalry with William, and the constant harassment he and later Meghan received from the press. 

This book was hugely popular when it came out two years ago.  I am not usually interested in celebrity biographies, but when I found it available on Libby, and because it was so popular, I decided to give it a try.  It is read by Prince Harry himself, and is very interesting.  It made me look at the royal family in a totally different way.  It does come off a little whiny, but I appreciated that it seems the whole book is written to defend his wife.  The first part tells how Harry sunk gradually into depression and anxiety because of his mother's death and into PTS after his service in Afghanistan. Then it shows how Meghan's love and strength pulled him out of his emotional pit and sets him on the track to become a responsible husband and father. The book makes me wonder how long England will keep the monarchy.  They do a lot of good through their different charities, but it is also really expensive to support the royal family. It is also a lot to ask of a family to endure such public scrutiny and media intrusion. I don't know how any family could have healthy relationships under that kind of pressure. (416, p. 2023)