If you are a fan of memoirs, you need to read this book. I’ll be honest, I had never heard of Mike Jollett or his band The Airborne Toxic Event (although my fiancé had) before picking this up. Mike Jollett escaped a dangerous cult, the Church of Synanon, when he was very young and the memoir follows his tumultuous upbringing.
I could not put this book down, as the perspective slowly starts to expand from his limited view of the world as a child to understanding how to find his voice in life. Jollett’s story is incredibly moving as you learn about his struggles growing up and how strongly these experiences affected his life and beliefs for decades after. Jollett is such a talented and poetic writer, with the ability to place the reader directly in his shoes for a raw and immersive read. I found Hollywood Park especially fascinating from a psychological point of view due to seeing how the trauma, neglect, and abuse experienced when Jollett was young affected his relationships later in life. This book is not about the cult itself, but rather the heavy impact of the cult on Jollett’s life and his struggle of perseverance.
Thank you so much to Bookish First and Celadon Books for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. This one releases 5/26/2020 and you will not want to miss it!
I could not put this book down, as the perspective slowly starts to expand from his limited view of the world as a child to understanding how to find his voice in life. Jollett’s story is incredibly moving as you learn about his struggles growing up and how strongly these experiences affected his life and beliefs for decades after. Jollett is such a talented and poetic writer, with the ability to place the reader directly in his shoes for a raw and immersive read. I found Hollywood Park especially fascinating from a psychological point of view due to seeing how the trauma, neglect, and abuse experienced when Jollett was young affected his relationships later in life. This book is not about the cult itself, but rather the heavy impact of the cult on Jollett’s life and his struggle of perseverance.
Thank you so much to Bookish First and Celadon Books for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. This one releases 5/26/2020 and you will not want to miss it!