Customer Reviews

I Am What I Am

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was wonderful and warm, an invitation from John to come into his home, relax in the living room, and listen to him tell funny and personal stories about himself and his very close knit family. From the way his sister, Carole, wrote it, you can hear John speaking throughout the book.

This book and the first book, Anything Goes, shouldn't be compared. These really are two different stories. Anything Goes is about John's career to date, I Am What I Am is about the person. Get the first if you're interested in a successful career, get the second if you're interested in John the person.

Personally, I wouldn't mind at all having John, Scott and the dogs as my next door neighbors.

I love John Barrowman -- I poured thru his first book and couldn't wait to read this one!! It did not disappoint!! I love the way he writes like he's talking to you in his living room! He and his family have so much fun together, they remind me of my own relationship with my sister and parents! I was laughing out loud over his pratfalls, and tearing up over his doggie devotion! As a single person with 4-legged "kids" of my own, I can certainly relate!

That being said, I was very disappointed by the physical book. It literally fell apart on me while I was reading it. It's a paperback and right away, the spine and covers came off, then the actual book fell apart, first in chunks and then page by page. I'm bummed, because I had hoped to add this to my library, right next to its predecessor.

So, to amend my rating:
Book content - 5+ stars
Physical book - 0 stars

Let me say first that I am a fan of John Barrowman. I like his work, have seen him on stage, screen and TV. That having been said, I found this book (and it's predecessor) to be a bit of a cheat. After going to great (sometimes absurd) lengths to create an illusion of intimacy with the reader, he shows us a carefully crafted version of himself that is no more, nor less that what what will bolster his existing public persona. That is not intimacy, that is manipulation. His rather enormous ego can also be distracting (Is he really saying with a straight (pardon the pun)face that Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd were his "co-stars" in De-Lovely? If you blinked, you missed him...) He is a charming and talented man, both he and his readers would have been better served with more frankness and less posturing than is on display here.

In this follow up of John Barrowman's Anything Goes, John with his sister Carole have taken us by the hand into John's wonderful family and entertainment life. Having been the handsome character Captain Jack Harkness in Dr.Who and the lead in Torchwood, John tells more stories. He tells of his partner Scott and their dogs. More of his family's antics when it comes to playing pranks on each other. And a few sweet and naughty things he's done.

It is a quick and funny read. There are many pictures of John's family and friends. I recommend it.

Loved it. 4 stars because I wanted more! The only criticism is that quite a lot of the events of the first autobiography are repeated, perhaps not in as much detail, but as I had only read Anything Goes the day before it was unnecessary to remind me. That didn't stop me alternatively laughing, crying and laughing till I cried throughout.

Much of the same from his first book. Repetitive stories of backstage actitivites, fan encounters and situations addressed in first book. But I do find him interesting and entertaining.

I loved this book. I am a huge fan of John Barrowman and this book was inviting and warm. He really engaged the audience and made you feel like you were sitting down with him having a chat.

Mr. Barrowman is one of many of one of my favorite actors, this book is for anyone.

As with Anything Goes, I Am What I Am is full of funny and sometimes self-deprecating anecdotes. Thoroughly enjoyable.