Monday Moment - Forever Young by Hayley Mills

 What a treat!  Another great library find - Hayley Mills' memoir Forever Young.  I grabbed it off the shelf as my mind floated back  to the joys of Disney classics - Pollyanna, Parent Trap, That Darn Cat!

I loved Hayley Mills (now age 74) - so pretty with those big blue eyes and that delightful accent. Her book reads as if she is talking to you and telling stories. What a  life. Her father, John Mills, was quite the actor in his day, and her  troubled mother was a screen writer. Her sister, Juliet, was also an actress, and there was a younger brother, Jonathan. 

When she met Walt Disney, her life changed. She writes fondly of her days at Disney and her respect for Walt. She grew up there with a seven movie contract, and Walt was quite the business man. It was tough  to escape or film something not "suitable" to the Disney image. Hence, no Lolita!

Parties, dinners, awards ceremonies, vacations - this book is a name dropper's paradise, but Ms. Mills is not bragging. This was her life and it's fun to read whom she was in awe of, and the time her mother fixed her up with George Harrison. Oh my! She also writes of normal teen issues, but alas, she was always being scrutinized. Family life had its turmoil, and  finally she had to battle for her money that had been put in a trust, but not done to her favor back in the day. 

Forever Young is well written and quite interesting as a peep into old school Hollywood. I enjoyed it immensely, and fortunately Hayley Mills came out of it on the good side, now happy with two grown sons, a respect for the positivity of Pollyanna, and a sense of humor about her life. I'm glad she wrote her memoir.