Tortured Soles, by Fran Weinstein

High Heels, Low Expectations and the Hollywood Gossip Mill

Told with sharp humor and unflinching honesty, Fran Weinstein’s memoir traces one woman’s journey from dutiful immigrant daughter to seasoned entertainment news reporter who reckons with the price of ambition—and finally chooses a life grounded not in Hollywood glitz, but in grace.

The daughter of Polish immigrants who fled Nazi Germany, Fran Weinstein grew up in the post–World War II Bronx. Though she was expected to follow a conventional and exclusive path to homemaking at an early age, she forged her own, rising in the cutthroat game and glamour of Hollywood’s red carpets. Mentored by the iconic Robin Leach, creator of the groundbreaking television show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, she became a force behind the camera at Entertainment Tonight, where she transformed whispers into headlines while chasing stories in stilettos that doubled as armor.

But the higher she climbed in those backbreaking heels, the greater the cost to her spirit. Tortured Soles pulls back the glitzy velvet ropes to a gutsy career built on adrenaline, ethical tightropes, and impossible standards. Behind the scenes, Weinstein navigates painful family turmoil, mental health battles, and the corrosive pressures of an industry built on spectacle.

“Whether you are a pop culture junkie or just love a good story, Tortured Soles gives you a front-row seat to the real ‘business’ of celebrity journalism told by one of its most grounded, honest, and generous insiders. I couldn’t put it down.” – Lara Spencer, co-anchor of Good Morning America

“…for anyone who’s ever fantasized about working on the frontlines of entertainment news. From being robbed by Anne Heche, trespassing through the ashes of a child star’s apartment and a startling discovery in the private chambers of a TV judge, Weinstein puts one Manolo Blahnik in front of the other as she navigates a decidedly rocky road to run with the world’s most famous movie stars.” – Paula Froehlich, on-air correspondent and producer, “News Nation Now”