Too young?

“Thank you Miley, for giving this book to our daughters.”

So reads one of the comments on Amazon for Miley Cyrus’ autobiography Miles To Go. Another customer comment referred to one of the surprises in the book: “She even shares details about her personal downtime, eg. playing Guitar Hero on the hard level at least twenty minutes a day.” Not exactly jaw-dropping stuff. Sometimes it’s just too hard not to be a cynic.

Should Miley Cyrus be writing a biography aged 16? No. Should anyone? No. What makes a good autobiography is the power of hindsight. No matter how mature people say Cyrus is (see the Evening Herald interview with her a couple of weeks ago), the reality is it’s impossible to know, aged 16, what has truly shaped you.

For the record, I haven’t read the book, and I’m pretty indifferent to Cyrus – I see why people adore her, and see why others despise everything she represents.

Moab Is My Washpot is Stephen Fry’s autobiography which covers the first 20 years of his life; just a few more than what Cyrus writes about here. What makes Fry’s so interesting though is that he was in his 40s when he wrote it, and therefore knew the key events that were important bringing charm, wit, and most importantly, reflection to his words.

There are obviously certain events that Cyrus realises are important – the relationship with a Jonas brother or the bullying in school. But a year or two on, the effects haven’t fully sunk it. I’d much rather know in 25 years time how angry she is that Nick Jonas screwed up how she acts in every relationship since. The ‘it just made me a stronger’ approach doesn’t cut it.

The fact mothers are praising the book is another siren. What better role model for your daughter than a talented, young Christian Bible Belter who promotes her morals?

But wait! Haven’t we been here before? Ms Spears? How a few years can make all the difference. If Britney had written an autobiography aged 16, we might fully realise now how ridiculous a concept it really is. We’d be quoting extracts, pointing out how she went off the rails and how it must have all been lies.

Who knows how Miley will change in the next few years, and she is perfectly entitled to become whatever kind of woman she wants, without the pressure of hoards of fanatical mothers.

Another minor issue I have with the book is that it wasn’t even Miley Cyrus who wrote it. Ghost Writer Hilary Liftin is the woman behind the words. Obviously a lot of people have ghost writers and Cyrus is not alone (David Beckham, Ronald Reagan are just two examples of celebrities looking to ghost writers). It still bothers me though. It’s another reason to chip away at the book’s credibility.

Obviously Miley Cyrus has more to tell than the average 16 year old, so she has fans who will want to read about it. In reality though it’s not an autobiography, and is an insult to people who have far more worthwhile stories to tell. It’s just another weapon in the Miley Cyrus brand, and it will obviously sell endlessly.

While she stays on track though, young girls could be reading much worse. I just don’t understand why anyone over the age of 15 would even give it a second look.

The poor girl isn’t in a position to be completely honest, as everything she does is just so carefully monitored.

Come back to me in 30 years Miley.