Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography

I'm giving this book two stars instead of one because I was, on occasion, entertained. There are moments which draw emotion and moments which give insight, interspersed with a confusing mix of truly hilarious jokes and incredibly insensitive, tonedeaf ones. (For example, one “bad ending” choice involves a “grandmapa” which is a grandparent of indeterminate gender who keeps misgendering Neil the boy as Nell the girl.)

Overall, however, I didn't care for it. The novelty of the second-person narrative wore off within the first two chapters and the writing style itself is too filled with hyperbole and outright lies (for example, speaking as if he remembers being born) for the sake of laughs which fall flat. I don't know if I learned about his life or not, because it's difficult to determine which bits are honest and genuine. Sure, the ones where his career is destroyed or he dies are obviously not true - those I expected as amusing asides to the gimmick of the book - but even the right path is rife with confusing moments and sometimes a “wrong” path reads as so believable it's hard to tell.

I chose this book hoping to be entertained while learning more about Neil Patrick Harris. I'm not a “fan” in that I don't particularly follow his works, but I do like him in general and thought it'd be interesting to read the autobiography of an out gay man in the public eye. Unfortunately, this book just didn't deliver and I feel more confused and clueless now than I did before reading it.

I received this book from BloggingForBooks in exchange for an honest review.

First, I just want to explain this book. It is the story of Neil Patrick Harris's life. However it is a twist on the typical autobiography. When you get to the end of the chapter, there is a footnote that gives you between 1 and 3 choices of where you can take the story next. This book is not meant to be read cover to cover. Rather it is meant to be read multiple times, choosing different stories to tell.

This book was so unique and I loved it. I don't tend to read non-fiction, let alone autobiographies, but this book was just as entertaining as what I typically read. Between choosing how the story would end, plus the second person POV, it was great. I also loved the “guest” writers like Kelly Rippa and Barney Stinson. I loved how it was written as if you were experiencing Neil Patrick Harris's life. I decided for this first time reading that I would go with always choosing the happier option or most entertaining one.

Some of the endings throughout the book are hilarious. Especially the Joss Whedon one! This book was full of fun, quirky lines that had me giggling to myself and getting weird looks. But it was worth it. This was a fun light read that I really enjoyed diving into. Neil Patrick Harris's humor and shows are great and this book really showcased that. I also really loved the drawings and pictures throughout the book.

I think this is one of those books that you have to have the physical book for. Between the pictures and the drawings, and even the little footnotes, I don't think an ebook format would work well. Even the idea of flipping through the book following into the next story would not translate well in a ebook format.

On a side note, the back blurb is great. It just added to how much I enjoyed this book!