Mikel Jollett, songwriter and founder of the band The Airborne Toxic Event, recounts his childhood living in an experimental Commune better known as the cult, Synanon. HOLLYWOOD PARK takes readers through Jollett’s life after his mother takes him and his brother out of the “school” at Synanon and begins a new life. Jollett’s childhood outside of the commune consists of poverty, domestic and emotional abuse, and addiction.
Jollett searches for the support he wasn’t able to find in his mother, and fill the gap where abandonment once was. Jollett’s early life wasn’t an easy one, but neither was his brother’s Tony. HOLLYWOOD PARK gives readers a glimpse into the life the children who lived in Synanon’s “school,” hundreds of miles away from their parents who left them at 6 months old and how this tragic childhood follows them throughout their whole lives.
Mikel Jollett’s memoir is an incredibly powerful piece of writing that allows Jollet to grapple with and discover how significantly his childhood upbringing affected his mindset and attitude towards life. The book takes readers through his escaping of Synanon, living with a mother that feels like nothing is ever her fault, and living with a heroin addict and ex-con for a dad. This path eventually leads him to Stanford and his transition as a famous musician.
While we learn about the hardships that Jollett endures, we don’t really see his reflective-self come through until the second half of the book. I found the second half to be incredibly rewarding for this reason, but I found the first half to add valuable context and storytelling that proved to be quite powerful. Jollett’s memoir is raw and emotional and brings to light a beautiful father-son dynamic that really shows how important it is to have heroes to look up to.
Trigger warnings: emotional and domestic abuse, alcoholism, addiction, usage of drugs
Jollett searches for the support he wasn’t able to find in his mother, and fill the gap where abandonment once was. Jollett’s early life wasn’t an easy one, but neither was his brother’s Tony. HOLLYWOOD PARK gives readers a glimpse into the life the children who lived in Synanon’s “school,” hundreds of miles away from their parents who left them at 6 months old and how this tragic childhood follows them throughout their whole lives.
Mikel Jollett’s memoir is an incredibly powerful piece of writing that allows Jollet to grapple with and discover how significantly his childhood upbringing affected his mindset and attitude towards life. The book takes readers through his escaping of Synanon, living with a mother that feels like nothing is ever her fault, and living with a heroin addict and ex-con for a dad. This path eventually leads him to Stanford and his transition as a famous musician.
While we learn about the hardships that Jollett endures, we don’t really see his reflective-self come through until the second half of the book. I found the second half to be incredibly rewarding for this reason, but I found the first half to add valuable context and storytelling that proved to be quite powerful. Jollett’s memoir is raw and emotional and brings to light a beautiful father-son dynamic that really shows how important it is to have heroes to look up to.
Trigger warnings: emotional and domestic abuse, alcoholism, addiction, usage of drugs