Not My Father's Son

This is not your typical celebrity memoir. It is beautiful, sad, and ultimately hopeful, but not in a cloying or cliched way. I am lucky not to have experienced the family trauma Alan Cumming describes, but the way he tells his story gave me a new appreciation for what it means to grapple with such a complicated, traumatic history and to survive.

I listened to the audio book. Alan Cumming's narration is also very good.

I started listening to this on my way to school, and almost gave it up because the opening was so hard to take at 8:30am. So glad I kept listening! This is a memoir and a double mystery rolled into one, with wit and humor and style galore. I binge-listened to this while sick with a cold and it was the perfect distraction. Fantastic book; I highly recommend the audio version if you can get it because Alan himself is the reader and everything sounds better in a Scottish accent.

ugyan csak egyetlen cikket olvastam alantől, mégis többre számítottam. az frappáns volt és vicces, ez a történet viszont túl hosszúra nyújtott, sokszor önismétlő és néha meglehetősen érdektelen.

sajnálom, de engem nem tud annyival lenyűgözni, hogy nehéz gyerekkora volt, mert verte az apja. (mivel ugyanezt éltem át, csak nem írtam belőle könyvet.) amikor pedig már többedjére mondta el, hogy minden partit és baráti összeröffenést körbehaknizott az itt leírtakkal, akkor kicsit megsajnáltam azokat, akiknek többször is végig kellett hallgatniuk.
jobban belegondolva lehet, hogy szóban érdekesebben adja elő - talán inkább a hangoskönyv verziót kellett volna választanom. hát most már mindegy.

Whew! I'm so glad I liked this as much as I did! I've been a long-time fan of Alan Cumming–such that I read his other book, [b:Tommy's Tale 627205 Tommy's Tale Alan Cumming https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1176463599s/627205.jpg 1076338] when I was in high school. Tommy's Tale a) is not... super appropriate for high schoolers... and b) is not that great, sort of a queer Bridget Jones-y thing. BUT NEVER MIND ALL THAT, Not My Father's Son is a truly engaging memoir with some real mysteries at its heart. It's a heartbreaking look at the way Cumming's abusive father warped Alan and his brother's childhood, interlaced with his joyful adulthood and the strength he's found within himself and his community. Also, a genuinely compelling mystery regarding lost relatives on his mother's side. Definitely recommended for existing fans of Alan Cumming, but would also be a good read for fans of memoir even if they don't care for Alan's work as an actor.

Cumming lets us into his family and his story with such generosity of spirit. This book is a reflection on his childhood at the hands of an abusive father and his investigation into his maternal grandfather for Who Do You Think You Are. Considering the subject matter you would expect it to be a heavy read but it flies along with its feet barely touching the ground. Cumming's voice is natural and welcoming, like a friend opening up over a pint. I finished it with a smile on my face and wished I could give him a hug.