Junior [Hardcover]

Macaulay Culkin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2006

Junior would like to get a few things off his chest.

He does not know how to write a book. (Except [maybe] for this one.) He does not like books with introductions. (So this book has six of them.) His therapist says he has issues with closure. (Granted, this book has seven endings.) This is not a novel. (Everything in it is entirely true -- except for the large portions that are completely fictional.) And finally, Junior has no issues with his father. (Nope, really, not a single one.)

In a dizzying kaleidoscope of words and images, actor and writer Macauley Culkin takes readers on a twisted tour to the darkest corners of his fertile imagination. Part memoir, part rant, part comedic tour de force, Junior is full of the hard-won wisdom of Culkin's quest to come to terms with the awesome pressures of childhood mega-stardom and family dysfunction. He understands that "having fun and being happy are two totally different things," yet at the same time he warns, "the end of the world is coming -- and I'm going to have unfinished business." Searingly honest and brain-teasingly inventive, Junior is breathtaking proof that Culkin has found his own utterly original voice.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This self-indulgently infantile book is a novel in only the loosest sense: it looks and reads more like a book-length zine. Amid quizzes, comics, poetry, journal entries, lists (one to-do: "Pump my own gas") and bits of narrative, child star Culkin, through the persona of Junior, tackles the emotional fallout from his years struggling under the parenting—and, inseparably, the career management—of an abusive father. Though Culkin protests that Junior the character is not Culkin the author, the line seems pretty thin. Early on, Junior notes that he's "not a writer," and few readers will argue. But as a calculated piece of celebrity implosion, the book is weirdly compelling. Passages dealing directly with the father are uniformly powerful: smart and tragic. Unfortunately, this rich central conflict gets buried beneath interminable bellyaching over the writing process, half-baked philosophical musing and go-nowhere overtures to a woman who no longer loves him. Of all the ironies Culkin tries to engage (as when overgrown rich kid Junior asks, "Wouldn't it be nice to have a place in the country like we talked about?"), the book's biggest is that it's best when it sticks with Daddy. (Mar.)
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From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–This book consists of disjointed paragraphs, childish drawings, serious father issues, and a wide variety of page layouts. But the fact that it was written by a former child star and current indie actor whose battles with his father are well documented lends an overarching semiautobiographical theme that ties these pieces together into snapshots of Culkin's celebrity life. Calling this title fiction may be a bit of a stretch. There's no plot, although there are several recurring stories about Monkey Monkey Boy, former child star. The book is more a journal written by a fictional character named Junior, and it reads exactly like one. Now 25, the author may or may not have written this as part of a therapeutic process. (He drops hints that he has.) His emotions are certainly laid bare. Culkin touches on such issues as how you become who you are, how every little thing that happens to you matters, and how you make the transition to adulthood. Teens who are journaling can find a lot of inspiration in his insights. Those who have enjoyed his movies will find this peek into his soul fascinating.–Jamie Watson, Harford County Public Library, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Miramax (March 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401352340
• ISBN-13: 978-1401352349
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #782,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing., March 13, 2006

By 

Jordan Millner "elitist" (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Junior (Hardcover)

This so-called "novel" is probably the most normal thing ever produced by Macaulay Culkin.

Somewhat of a mosaic of disfunctionality. It reads like a journal with checklists and doodles, one thought failing to lead into the next, but as a whole relatively insightful. Don't expect a plot or a purpose, but tons of personality. It's terribly amusing and heartbreakingly human for a person we ogle like the Elephant Man.

I consider myself pretty well-read, but on the other hand I am a fan of Culkin's (do with this knowledge what you will), and I sat down and read the book in one sitting. I couldn't have enjoyed it more.

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely an original, March 13, 2006

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Junior (Hardcover)

Will you like this one? Depends on if you can relate to the very original and often odd style in which Culkin explores his truly bizarre life. He is, after all, a youmg man who was once a major child star, survived the destruction of his family, went on to get married early in life, had issues with drinking and drugs and so forth.

Now he's gone and written a book. In the process, some major things are left out (his relationship/friendship with Michael Jackson) and others are explored in detail. But then, this isn't strictly what I'd consider nonfiction. It is a novel, however based on reality. To call it anything else would be inaccurate. Yes, McCaulkin winks a bit at what to call the book by writing (A Novel) and then crossing out the words and writing "NOT" in big letters above it. But in interviews, he has called it a novel, so I'm going with that and calling it one myself. Besides, how can it be fact when major episodes in his life are left out?

It contains drawings, rants, diaries and statements of belief. It might even be closer to a piece of modern art than a traditional book. There are several endings.

And yet...I found it oddly compelling, even though I didn't think I'd like it. After all, not just ANYBODY can sit down and write a book that is interesting (at least, I think some will find it interesting, if only as an oddity), no matter how badly they want to. This could have been a lot worse. Culkin does have an original voice. Question is: will you find it compelling?

Those who already know of Culkin's difficult relationship with his father will have a field day with this book. He definitey touches on that subject, as well as how to NOT be his father, to be a differnt person.

So have a look at this one, see what you think. It certainly isn't for every reader. But if you're fascinated by Culkin or curious about what he has done with his life lately, this is it. Read between the lines and you'll catch glimpses of the person he s now. Who knows where he'll end up down the road?

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mostly a mess, April 26, 2006

By 

E. Northrop (MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Junior (Hardcover)

Apart from two passages where he seems to seriously write about his family/father situation, this book was a ridiculous mess. It would have served Mr. Culkin better had he taken himself seriously and wrote a memoir, because it does seem he can write well, from the couple of "real" parts of the book that remember moments from his life and address his father. Additionally, the references to being "Monkey Monkey Boy" were quite depressing, and conveyed well. I'll keep an eye out for his next effort, but if it looks anything like this, I'll give it a pass.