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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
I found this whole book to end up being a complete self contradiction. How can you spend 275 pages cataloging a whole host of physical and sexual abuse, and then turn round and call their community peaceful, and blame it all instead on Irish travellers?
I expected to learn more about Gypsy life than I did given rhetoric blurb on the back of the book. What I did read was interesting to read, just not what was expected, and poorly concluded.
I expected to learn more about Gypsy life than I did given rhetoric blurb on the back of the book. What I did read was interesting to read, just not what was expected, and poorly concluded.
I always try to keep in mind that most biographies and/or non-fiction have to be taken with a grain of salt. And after reading this, I read a lot of contradictory information about the author of these novels, who either writes or dictates under the pseudonym "Mikey Walsh." Either way, I still really enjoyed this book, and its sequel. I picked it up while perusing the shelves at the library for research information on traveling populations. Thank you, graduate thesis, for continually leading me to new and interesting books. Even if they make me want to cry.
I find it quite hard to give this book a rating and review. It was written rather nicely and quite gripping. Intriguing story. Yet, not sure what to think about the controversy/critics regarding wether or not it is really an autobiography.
Ended up giving it 3 stars.
Ended up giving it 3 stars.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Insightful real-life story of Mikey’s life and so well written about Romany gypsies’ lives. Highly recommend but heartbreaking story. I listened to this as audio version and struggled to listen to Mikey narrating his own story of himself as a young child. Excellent narration
A sad and moving personal story about growing up in a Roma household. The writing is direct and easy to read and at the same time comes across as very personal. A couple things are framed or portrayed in disappointing ways, but overall I enjoyed the book and it's window into other ways of being and living.
A sad story of a boy growing up in a Romany (gypsy) family. Some parts were so terribly sad (abuse and rape) but the author tell his story with so much humor at times that it's hard to get the full emotion of all the horrible things that happened in his life. I enjoyed the story and it was a very quick read.
By the way, the author is on twitter and is ridiculously funny in real life (well I mean via. the interwebs): http://twitter.com/thatbloodymikey
By the way, the author is on twitter and is ridiculously funny in real life (well I mean via. the interwebs): http://twitter.com/thatbloodymikey
Eh. A memoir of a terrible childhood, gypsy-style. I couldn't get comfortable with the depth and breadth to which everyone was a stereotype-- and then, all of a sudden, at the very last minute, they're not?
I don't know enough about real-life gypsies to know how representative of their culture Walsh's portrayal is, so I can't say it doesn't ring true. But I'm hoping it's not particularly accurate. The European side of my family is about as anti-gypsy as anyone not actively paying dues to the Fascist Party needs to be, and Walsh makes their criticisms of Gypsies seem like a round of Kum-ba-yah.
I don't know enough about real-life gypsies to know how representative of their culture Walsh's portrayal is, so I can't say it doesn't ring true. But I'm hoping it's not particularly accurate. The European side of my family is about as anti-gypsy as anyone not actively paying dues to the Fascist Party needs to be, and Walsh makes their criticisms of Gypsies seem like a round of Kum-ba-yah.
This was a quick and interesting read, but the physical and emotional abuse that Mikey endures is almost too much to deal with. It upset me to the point of giving me bad dreams, BUT - I did finish the book, and did enjoy the insight into Mikey's childhood world. This book definitely ruins the romantic image of Gypsy life. Very disturbing.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt