Customer Reviews

Take It Like a Man: The Autobiography of Boy George

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I recently went to see Taboo, Boy George's semi-autobiographical musical about the 1980s club scene. It was then that I first became interested in his life and wanted to know more than the musical showed. I knew little about his life, as I'm not old enough to have read those infamous newspaper headlines. To be completely honest I wasn't that interested in George before I saw Taboo, I'm very heavily into my rock music...bands such as Placebo,Hole,Nirvana,Tool, PJ Harvey etc...and as Culture Club were a pop band and George is now doing his DJ thing I thought it wasn't really my cup of tea. I first bought a copy of this book for my sister's birthday as she saw Taboo with me and said Boy George's story was really interesting. When it arrived in the post I decided to have a quick read, just to see if it was as good as all the reviews on Amazon said. Well, once I started to read, it was almost impossible to stop and wrap the book up. I was hooked and knew that I would have to order my own copy. So I did. It's very rare that I find a book that captures me and interests me as much as `Take It Like A Man'. I read at every available opportunity, sometimes reading until 2am because I just couldn't wait to see what happened next. The book is written quite like George is sitting next to you, talking you through his life, the tone is friendly and inviting willing you to read on. George also laces the whole thing with a fantastic bitchy humour, even in the harrowing chapters about his drug addiction. I was very interested to read about his days as a punk, singing with his ex-boyfriend's punk band `Theatre of Hate'. I also found I was able to really relate to many things George spoke of such as experimenting with punky clothes,hair and make-up from wearing bondage trousers to listening to bands like The Clash and The Cure. Reading about the adventures of the wonderful Phillip Sallon and the ever-dramatic Marilyn was nearly always hilarious! There were also many times when I felt so sorry for George, for example when he detailed his incredibly stormy relationship with Jon Moss and the messy ending to the affair. By the end I was in tears, but I also had a big smile on my face: Here was someone who was honest and had just as many weaknesses as everyone else but somehow people expected him to be massively strong in times when anyone would have broken down. However he got through it all, he battled and the ending was full of real hope and therefore extremely uplifting. What I've gained from this book is so much respect for this man,it's odd how you think you would have hardly anything in common with someone and then suddenly you realise that you have more in common with them than you thought possible. Okay so chances are I won't be rushing out to buy a Culture Club album anytime soon but I'm immensely glad that George is still alive and well. I look forward to a sequel in the near future.....

This is a great example of how to do an autobiography the right way. So many celebrity bios and autobios I have read in the last few years flirt with the truth but never face it head on. It seems most celebrities feel they have so much to lose by just being honest with their fans that they won't open up and tell it like it is. George is refreshingly candid, incredibly funny, and seems to have learned a great deal from his past mistakes. Some might argue that George's waning popularity since the heyday of Culture Club is the reason for this revealing, warts and all autobiography. That maybe he wouldn't be so forthright if he still had massive celebrity at stake. I would wholeheartedly disagree with that, as he has always been pretty honest about who he is and where he comes from. Who can forget his infamous Grammy acceptance speech for Best New Artist ("thank you, America...you've got style, you have taste, and you know a good drag queen when you see one!" ) and the collective GASP! that was America's response. I am of the opinion that that moment was the begining of the end for Culture Club,partly because the dreaded Best New Artist Grammy Curse, and partly because America at that time just wasn't ready for an openly homosexual, cross dressing soul singer. ( I still doubt they would be now, but that's not really the point. ) If you've no interest in Culture Club, or "Boy" George O'Dowd, then I doubt this book is really for you. But if you're a fan ( and if you've gotten this far, you must be at least curious ) I can highly recommend this book. It is at turns bitingly funny, deliciously camp and sometimes sad. A great read.

I never read biographies of singers and rock people...just not interested. I picked up this book in my boyfriend's office and just could not put it down! I laughed , I cried and, more than anything else, I missed him terribly once the book ended. His biography is so honest and real, warts and all, that you cannot help liking the guy and feeling as if he's your best friend by the time you get to the last page. I also found fascinating the accounts of the London scene... so many places and people he mentions I have actually met in person. So I was totally absorbed.

While this book has over 400 pages, it didn't take me long to read it. In fact i had a hard time putting it down. Boy George who has charmed us with his music ever since the early eighties, tells his story with such candor and the witt that he is famous for. I think after all these years and all that he has been through, he still hasn't lost his sense of humor. Between talking about his long time heroin addiction to his romance with drummer Jon Moss, George shows us in Take It Like A Man that he is more than just a pop superstar, but a human being with a heart and soul. George if you ever happen upon these pages, just remember that we love you and wish you the best always.

I guess I read this book more for a curiosity factor, as I was a fan of CC and love anything about the 80's. The facade of "BOY" during the bands glory days was hugely at odds with his inner self. His insecurity, his letcherous friends and overblown ego caused him to descend into a hell, we as readers cannot begin to imagine. By the time you get to the brilliant Epilogue you realise how much George has grown up. His fight with his demons is a lesson for all of us and especially for our children. No amount of advertising or drug education at school will teach them a more damming lesson about the decent into drug culture. He indeed is very lucky to be alive and we are all stronger because of it. He is one brave and exceptional individual.Most importantly you dont need to be a fan of his or even a fan of music. This is a journey that has lessons for us all.

This book was just absolutely brilliant. I am a longtime fan of Culture Club and Boy George in general. Any picture of him or the band instantly brings back memories of my childhood in the 80s and watching MTV. Sometimes while reading autobiographies, I find myself getting lost due to boredom, but this book had me there the whole time. Aside from the fact that I am American and had a difficult time deciphering some of the things George was referring to due to his British slang, I was truly able to see myself back in the days of the New Romantics, alongside George, Marilyn, Phillip, Steve and the others!

It was so interesting to read about the relationship between George and Jon, how it developed, how it progressed. All of the emotions he felt over the course of the relationship make the lyrics to his songs so much more symbolic and heartfelt. Don't get me wrong, George was no angel, but his honesty and willingness to admit exactly that is what draws me in.

Having been lost in my own addiction at one point in my life, all the talk of his own addictions and emotions really hit home for me. Never has someone ever described the torture quite as well as he did, and I could truly feel his pain. The physical pain, coupled with the emotional pain had me virtually tearing up as I read it. When George describes those in his life who blatantly used him - but were the most difficult addictions to kick - show a vulnerable side of George that is sometimes difficult to see due to his wit and quick tongue, but show a very sad, insecure and self-destructive man at that point in his life.

This book was brutally honest, humorous, and simply brilliant every way. I devoured it - was unable to put it down and sad when it was finished. I have "Straight" on the way to me in the mail and simply cannot wait to (hopefully) devour that one as well!

I always enjoyed Culture Club's music and Boy George's voice. I was neither a fan nor a non-fan of Boy George as a public figure. As another reviewer commented, I would like to have learned more about the music and the work of Boy George's band. Some of George's thoughts on celebrity were interesting and insightful, but I found these musings to be few and far between. Fans of soap operas and high drama will find much to love in this book-- sex, drugs, love hate relationships, celebrity gossip, more sex, extreme highs and extreme lows. There are even some great turns of phrase that left me wondering if they were contributed by the singer or the co-author. Boy George clearly has different interests than I have. I skipped over large passages of the book. The descriptions of the club scenes and fashionable people and what they were wearing were of little interest to me. This is a question of taste. Some people will no doubt find these to be some of the most interesting passages, but from my point of view, the scene is shallow and uninteresting. One must also have a high tolerance for cattiness for this to be a great read. The descriptions of most celebrities in the book are unflattering. I've never ascribed to the notion that pointing out the faults of someone else elevates your stature. George apparently does. He is, meanwhile, critical of the British press and its tendency to try to tear down famous people. (Having lived in England and read the types of reviews and articles in the press there, I agree with him on this point) Some of the descriptions of non-celebrities-- in particular a description of one of Jon Moss's supposedly overweight girlfriends-- are downright mean. The attack is made even more mean-spirited because of George's own insecurity about his weight. Clearly it is written to reflect George's state of mind at the time, and one can see where he is coming from. If it were a novel I would say by all means it should be written in this raw form. But it is talking about a real person who is not a public figure and I could not help but wince to think of how that person, and others in the book, would feel. Boy George reveals himself to have a great sensitivity and depth when it comes to his own feelings. His depth of feeling for others may exist, but if it does, it is not revealed in his autobiography. I would be very interested to read an account of this time from Jon Moss's perspective, because I imagine it would sound quite different.

I am adoring to read this book. It counts to the true history of Boy George. Yes, it is very true in its words. Ypu cry and to lauch at the same time. It shows the good and the bad side of fame and money, high and low its! I recommend to all this great book. Excellent writer! Buy it

no matter what you think of Boy George He is one of the Very Few People in the Industry that is Honest&Frank.He is full of many Emotions&reflections.I dig the early Culture Club Records.He is a Person with alot of Personality.He has overcome alot.like the song He did back in 1988 with Teddy Riley this Book will take your mind on a trip.

I was just intoduced to the 80's sensation Boy George and Culture Club when I purchased this book. It goes in depth into George's life with wonderful details about his childhood, homosexuality, fame and fortune with Culture Club, and his downfall with his heroin addiction. I'm so glad he came out to rise above it all! Boy George and Spencer Bright compiled memories of his life to produce a page-turner, one that you'll read over and over again!! I loved it!