Fantastic memoir

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Hollywood Park, a memoir by Mikel Jollett was such an incredible book, detailing Jollett's experience being born into a cult and navigating his new world once his brother and mother leave when he was a young child. I primarily listened to the audio and it was a beautiful narration. There was music from Jollett's band, The Airborne Toxic Event interspersed throughout that complimented various moments and was a really unique addition.

One of the things I loved most about Hollywood Park was the way Jollett structured his story based on his age. It starts when he is young, and it is written from that child's perspective, based on what he would know at that time. As Mikel gets older, we see him begin to learn more about the cult he was born into, establish a relationship with his father, and understand more about the emotional abuse he experienced from his mother. I was struck by how Jollett was able to make his memoir both lyrical and poetic while also feeling very conversational. He is a truly gifted writer.

4.5/5 stars