•
“We were never young. We were just too afraid of ourselves. No one told us who we were or what we were or where all our parents went. They would arrive like ghosts, visiting us for a morning, an afternoon. They would sit with us or walk around the grounds, to laugh or cry or toss us in the air while we screamed. Then they’d disappear again, for weeks, for months, for years, leaving us alone with our memories and dreams, our questions and confusion.”
This is how Mikel Jollett begins his memoir, sharing that he was born in Synanon, a dangerous cult, and at six months old taken from his mother. At five, she escaped with Mikel and his brother Tony, but she didn’t know how to mother them and it was a difficult, abusive childhood.
This memoir is exquisitely told. Mikel is the frontman for @theairbornetoxicevent and he writes a lyrical and moving story of his struggle to find his place in this world. He is insightful, engaging, and painfully honest.
I had a pretty normal childhood, but I still found relatable elements in this book. I’m roughly the same age and grew up with the same musical idols that Mikel talks about in this book. I smiled at lyrics and references to Robert Smith and Morrissey. My sister (who listened to this just before I did) and I laughed together as Mikel talks about visiting our hometown in eastern Oregon with his mom in what turns out to be epiphanic moment.
It’s a story that shows that you can overcome a crappy childhood, no matter what hand you’re dealt. I loved this book so much. I don’t often give a book five stars, but this Hollywood Park deserves all them.
“We were never young. We were just too afraid of ourselves. No one told us who we were or what we were or where all our parents went. They would arrive like ghosts, visiting us for a morning, an afternoon. They would sit with us or walk around the grounds, to laugh or cry or toss us in the air while we screamed. Then they’d disappear again, for weeks, for months, for years, leaving us alone with our memories and dreams, our questions and confusion.”
This is how Mikel Jollett begins his memoir, sharing that he was born in Synanon, a dangerous cult, and at six months old taken from his mother. At five, she escaped with Mikel and his brother Tony, but she didn’t know how to mother them and it was a difficult, abusive childhood.
This memoir is exquisitely told. Mikel is the frontman for @theairbornetoxicevent and he writes a lyrical and moving story of his struggle to find his place in this world. He is insightful, engaging, and painfully honest.
I had a pretty normal childhood, but I still found relatable elements in this book. I’m roughly the same age and grew up with the same musical idols that Mikel talks about in this book. I smiled at lyrics and references to Robert Smith and Morrissey. My sister (who listened to this just before I did) and I laughed together as Mikel talks about visiting our hometown in eastern Oregon with his mom in what turns out to be epiphanic moment.
It’s a story that shows that you can overcome a crappy childhood, no matter what hand you’re dealt. I loved this book so much. I don’t often give a book five stars, but this Hollywood Park deserves all them.