“I’ve never been good at playing the game, but I’m great at telling the truth.” In Over The Influence by Johanna “JoJo” Levesque she does jut that. Revealing the highlights and pitfalls of her life and career in the entertainment industry with introspection and vulnerability. Being a fan of her music and powerhouse voice I leaped at the opportunity to read her memoir and learn more about one of my favorite artists.
Over The Influence by Johanna “JoJo” Levesque
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 304
First Published: September 17, 2024
Publisher: Hachette
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Thematic Reflection
This stunning memoir is a rich combination of confessional, survivor’s anthem, and artist’s reckoning. JoJo bares her soul exposing the good, the bad, and the ugly. She does so with grace, tact, poignant vulnerability and raw emotion. Furthermore, the themes explored in this memoir pack a punch. She intimately discusses addiction and recovery, fame, control, explotation, trauma, identity, self-discovery and mental health.
Themes that stood out for me were her insights into the entertainment industry and its toxicity regarding beauty standards, body image, the sexualization and grooming of young adults, and their commodification in the industry. I also enjoyed her reflections on self-discovery and finding her identity, transitioning into adulthood and independence, and the importance of mental health and well-being.
What really struck me was how despite everyone’s attempt to control her narrative and break her spirit she maintained a strong sense of self and was intuitive. She may not have been in a position to use her voice to stand up for herself which led to so much difficulty in her journey. But, the fact that at such a young age she was sitting on a goldmine concerning self-awareness and knowledge is such a rare gift.
I also commiserated with her regarding her bumpy journey into adulthood and navigating the murky waters of independence. And, how challenging dating and romantic relationships can be when you’re young especially when in relationships with people more mature than you either age-wise or mentality wise.
Writing Style and Voice
I was beyond impressed with JoJo’s writing style. She was able to juggle being unfiltered, emotionally raw, and deeply conversational with crafting an engaging and propulsive narrative.
Her voice throughout the memoir remained witty, introspective, and human. There was no gloss or pretense just one woman sharing her truth with whoever was willing to listen and take it in. While her writing style was nonlinear as she danced across time without proper segues, it didn’t feel disjointed or jarring but managed to flow seamlessly.
You can see that at her core she’s a poet and brilliant songwriter as her writing has a lyrical quality. There’s beautiful cadences in her words and phrases with rich descriptions that capture her emotions in a palpable way connecting you with her intimately.
This memoir can come across as fragmented however I felt it fit the overall vibe making it feel like a diary mimicking a stream of consciousness writing style.
Impact and Takeaways
I enjoyed learning more about JoJo and connecting with her on a human level. I learned that we shared so many similarities regarding our mindset, romantic attachment style, and desire to explore the depths of our creativity and talent. I also enjoyed learning more about how she came to step into her authentic power taking ownership of her narrative and utilizing her natural intuition, discernment and self-awareness.
I know that learning how to do this was a process for me that took me years to figure out. Yet, seeing her reach this at her young age fills my cup in an unexpected way. I loved this memoir and highly recommend it for JoJo fans, young adults transitioning into adulthood and need help finding their voice, owning their narrative and discovering their identity.
