This is one of the books that captured my eye when my boyfriend said he would buy me a book but I presented him with a pile of three that I couldn’t decide between. It is a very personal autobiographical account of Ryousuke Nanasaki as he grew up in Japan realizing that he was different, but not realizing or perhaps refusing to admit, that he was gay. He takes you through his entire life from first crush and every crush and boyfriend he has up until he meets the right guy. Ryousuke and his partner end up celebrating the first gay marriage to become officially recognized in Japan, which I found very fitting and deserving when he also tells you how he and his partner established an LGBT community support group. He gives a lot of well deserved credit to his very supportive friends, without whom I don’t think he would have had the drive or courage to be out and proud and become such an advocate for others like himself. It is a very inspirational story, but it also demonstrates how much more needs to be done in Japanese society regarding the acceptance of the LGBT community.
Tag: Autobiography
Action Park by Andy Mulvihill with Jake Rossen
My boyfriend and I crossed the parking lot that lay between the restaurant we had just had lunch at and the bookstore next to it. I didn’t want to go inside because I didn’t want to spend any money. He agreed to buy me a book if we did. I honestly don’t know why he even suggested this, bringing me to a bookstore is both dangerous and expensive for anyone who offers to pay for the trip. I ended up presenting him with three books that I really, really wanted, and this is the first of the three that I finished reading.
As a lifelong New Jersey resident, I have heard tales of Action Park. I was born after its glory days so I never got to experience it. Fortunately for me I found this chronicle written by the original owners’ son. The story is crazier than I could have ever imagined, it is unfathomable how much Gene Mulvihill got away with. The entire time I was reading I was waiting for the chapter in which he was sent to jail for either negligence or evasion and I was shocked and appalled that it never happened. Even if you have never heard of Action Park this is a story that you don’t want to pass over. And if you went to Action Park before all of its safety concerns were acknowledged and dangerous attractions were removed, you’re going to want to hear what went on behind the scenes. I know that there is a documentary out there, there is probably more than one even, but I think you’ll get more out of this book than you would a film if you’re interested in learning more about the park.
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
One of my favorite authors is Augusten Burroughs. I was fairly young the first time I read his memoir, Running with Scissors, and after finishing it I knew I had to read more of his books. I have a small collection of them, and a few more that I still need to add. It has been a long time since I read one of his books, so I thought it was time to re-read and write about his first autobiographical work.
The chapters aren’t numbered, they all have unique titles. Being a child was very different when Augusten grew up, that being the late 1960s into the 1970s. You were only required to go to school until the age of 16, it was easy to skip class, and everything seemed to be a lot less strict than it is now. Today, you absolutely would not see a 13 year old boy on a public transport bus by himself and think, oh, that’s normal, and this is probably the least concerning thing about Augustens childhood. It is incredible that child services or the police were never called on behalf of the author, because so many unusual and alarming things happened to Augusten that I find it hard to believe that no one ever noticed.
This memoir is full of strange and distrubed characters, from the author’s alcoholic father, to his mothers mad psychiatrist. If you enjoy a crude writing style, he’s a very honest writer; nothing is sugar coated, and don’t mind if things get a little gross, definitely read this. After finishing it, you will absolutely be interested in reading the rest of Burroughs novels.
Nonfiction and Nonsense 