A Playmate and Classic Actress in Her Revealing (and Inspiring) Memoir — The Naked Truth: The Fall and Rise of Dona Speir

By casual observation, there appears to be a revival of interest in all things in the 1980s. The Second Wave British Invasion music that dominated the airwaves for much of the decade has found a new audience amongst millennials, many of whom were born post-grunge. In fashion terms, I curse myself for throwing away my collection of skinny ties from the 80s that would be the rage of today had I kept them. But beyond this general interest, there appears to be a curiosity for culture in general that goes beyond easy nostalgia, and seeking to understand the mindset we experienced in the years from 1980 to 1989, can shed some light on this. what makes us tick in 2019.

The allure of the 1980s that hasn’t been lost is glitz and decadence, which is most clearly displayed in its pages. Playboys magazine and the next culture that surrounded the late publisher, Hugh Hefner and the renowned Playboy Mansion. Who better to offer insight into that than Miss March 1984’s Dona Speir, the stunning California blonde Centerfold, who parlayed her Playmate status into a series of cool action films that spanned into the early 1990s.

In his memoirs, The Naked Truth: The Fall and Rise of Dona SpeirCo-written by Chris Epting, he delves into his own struggles with drug addiction and physical abuse and their prevalence in his personal and experienced circles.

“People have been pushing me to write a memoir for a long time, but the timing wasn’t right,” she says, explaining that there have been diverse factors at play in the past being erased. “People are not only interested in what women are saying now, but they are actually listening and responding to us.” Realizing that now was the time, he began working on the book in earnest a couple of year and a half ago. That schedule for the release of his memoirs also marks his 35th birthday Playboys pictorial, more a coincidence of timing than strategic planning, as he describes it, but it bodes well for promotional purposes.

Another barrier to writing faster was his relationship with Bill Cosby. While he does not paint Cosby in a positive light, it differs in several significant ways from the testimony of those who brought him to trial. “Bill is not only a part of my life, but my whole family,” he explained. Her book lays out some of the painful and hard memories her own sister did not know about until Dona spoke out after Cosby was sentenced to jail last year.

However, it is vital to understand that while this book offers a personal behind-the-scenes look at the unique culture and setting in which he worked, it was not written solely to entertain. “I want people to know that there is hope in dealing with addiction and abuse for those who seek help and speak out,” he continued. “In the book, I identified the signs of trouble and how to deal with them.”

In recent years, Dona has worked as a Recovery Coach, Sober Companion, and Interventionist. He had in fact been sober since the age of 23, which, according to him, was very uncommon at the time. “It made me a little bit ostracized among my friends because I was surrounded by it and didn’t jump back.” Obviously that’s a good thing.

The Naked Truth: The Fall and Rise of Dona Speir is now available on her website and on Amazon. For more information about this book and to learn more about his work, visit: DonaSpeir.com