Freddie & Me: A Coming-of-Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody [Paperback]

Mike Dawson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 2008

High Fidelity meets Wayne’s World in this utterly charming graphic memoir about a young man’s life-long obsession with the rock band Queen.
All of us have had that one band with which we identify, the band that was always there for us during good times and bad. For Mike Dawson it's always been Queen and Freddie Mercury. Not unlike “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Freddie & Me takes readers on a rock-opera-like journey—from Mike’s childhood in the UK, through high school in New Jersey, and into the nineties, when grunge ruled the day and Queen was terminally uncool. As Mike works to navigate the trials and tribulations that accompany the road to adulthood (with Queen behind him every step of the way), he must grapple with the fears we all find ourselves facing: committing to one person for the rest of our lives, pursuing our dream job, coming to terms with our familial responsibilities, and even facing our own mortality. With humor, sensitivity, and some wonderfully imagined appearances by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, George Michael, and Andrew Ridgeley (among others), Freddie & Me is a touching reminder of how our favorite music is the soundtrack for so many of our most important memories and moments. And how one note can bring them all flooding back.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's usually wise for a memoirist to have either an intrinsically interesting life or unusual sensitivity to the meaning of personal experiences. Dawson, unfortunately, has neither. The premise of his comics memoir is, as he puts it, that when I think of Queen I can remember my whole life: he's been obsessed with the British rock band and its late front man, Freddie Mercury, since he was a child living in England, and they're the madeleine that triggers memories of his life's significant events. But he barely explains why they mean so much to him, other than that they rock (Mercury's sexuality is mentioned briefly, once), and his recollections are the common stock of geeky, misunderstood adolescent male cartoonists. Dawson's black-and-white artwork is smoothly paced, fluid caricature in the vein of Joe Sacco or Alex Robinson, and his narration neatly evokes the hyperdramatic worldview of a teenager; some of the individual anecdotes he recalls are amusing, as when he imagines the breakup of Wham! or shows himself as a 10-year-old belting out Bohemian Rhapsody a cappella at a talent show and being hustled off stage. While Dawson rambles at times, anyone who was ever obsessed with a creator will recognize some of the whimsical story. (June)
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From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–As a boy in England, Dawson saw the rock group Queen on television; his older brother offered him a cassette of the group's Frankie Goes to Hollywood album and an obsession was born. In his first full-length book, he gives readers a gently nuanced autobiography in which Queen's lead singer, Freddy Mercury; Mike's little sister, Sarah; their grandmother; and of course Mike himself undergo many of life's stunning changes: emotional independence, self-expression, illness, and loss. When the family leaves England to live in New Jersey, Dawson imports his devotion and spreads his enthusiasm for Queen among his new schoolmates. As an adult, he re-creates these early- and middle-adolescent years with candor, sweetness, and emotional insight. His black-and-white images depict highly individualized characters–including the wide-nosed, orthodontics-wearing author–and panels are constructed to great effect. For teens who have found one particular song or singer to provide the theme music for their lives, as well as for budding artists, Dawson's story is, indeed, rhapsodic.–Francisca Goldsmith, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; First Edition edition (May 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596914769
• ISBN-13: 978-1596914766
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,344,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, Humorous Comic Book Saga, August 6, 2008

By 

Arigon Starr "Native American Artist" (West Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Freddie & Me: A Coming-of-Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody (Paperback)

As a long-time fan of the rock band Queen and of the comic genre, what a pleasant surprise to see both elements combined into a terrific coming-of-age graphic novel. Mike Dawson's story is every rock fan's story. He describes his journey from England to America, with every youthful, cringe-filled incident somehow made better by the music of Queen. The artwork is terrific and I admire Mr. Dawson's bravery in telling his life story in painful detail! The book is a must for Queen fans -- there are so many things we've all done as fans in this book (like fantasize about meeting our heroes in person) that are told and drawn with flair and hilarity. I'm looking forward to Mr. Dawson's next book, Queen-related or not!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The title says it all, December 24, 2008

By 

Josh Neufeld "stoshmaster" (Brooklyn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Freddie & Me: A Coming-of-Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody (Paperback)

One of the few autobio graphic novels that justifies being labeled a "memoir." Dawson uses the British rock group Queen as a vehicle for discussing different periods of his unique personal history of growing up in England and moving to the States as a boy. He tells an episodic story in a way that still has the flow of a continuous narrative. Dawson's portrayal of his family dynamics expertly sketches in a sense of everybody's personality -- and the warmth they all feel for each other -- without ever once getting sentimental. The section "Guitar Solo," on the way memory works, is an absolute tour-de-force; it's a textbook example of the singular narrative power of comics.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!!, October 9, 2008

By 

Quelyn - See all my reviews

This review is from: Freddie & Me: A Coming-of-Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody (Paperback)

Freddie & Me is an engaging graphic novel intelligently narrating the journey through adolescence of Mike Dawson. Once I started reading it I could hardly put it down & I read the whole thing in 2 days. A lot of parts left me laughing out loud as I could relate. This is a great gift for any Queen Fan, or any one who is a fan of a good graphic novel!