I read Hollywood Park without any background on Mikel Jollett and his music career or the Church of Synanon at all. This made what I read all the more shocking. Mikel’s childhood was heartbreakingly unstable. He witnessed and experienced things no person, let alone a child, should ever have to deal with. Perhaps the most surprising part of his story is how he pulls himself out of the toxic turbulence of his childhood to go to Stanford and ultimately become a highly successful professional musician. His story serves as both an inspiration and an exercise in gratitude for the life I’ve been fortunate enough to live.
Not only is his story incredible, the memoir itself is incredibly well written. Starting out when Mikel is quite young, the writing is simpler and the concepts are fairly simplistic. The writing style evolves as Mikel matures and grows up, which helped me, as the reader, connect with his journey and feel more emotionally in tune with his story.
The only drawback: there was a point midway through the memoir in which the story got pretty repetitive and the narrative could have been more streamlined. Definitely not a deal breaker and would still highly recommend checking out this memoir.
Not only is his story incredible, the memoir itself is incredibly well written. Starting out when Mikel is quite young, the writing is simpler and the concepts are fairly simplistic. The writing style evolves as Mikel matures and grows up, which helped me, as the reader, connect with his journey and feel more emotionally in tune with his story.
The only drawback: there was a point midway through the memoir in which the story got pretty repetitive and the narrative could have been more streamlined. Definitely not a deal breaker and would still highly recommend checking out this memoir.