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A review by kevin_shepherd
Gypsy Boy: One Boy's Struggle to Escape from a Secret World by Mikey Walsh
5.0
“I hated violence; I couldn’t stand it. But I could never seem to escape it. At home, at work, and now even at school, there was always someone who wanted to beat me up.”
Up until now I thought Augusten Burroughs (Running with Scissors, 2002) had the most horrific childhood of all time. Not anymore. Mikey Walsh’s heart wrenching autobiography makes Burroughs’ adolescence seem almost tranquil and serene. I applaud Walsh’s honesty and courage but there were several occasions when I had to set this book down and step away.
My own father was often violent and cruel so I empathized with some of what Walsh wrote—but there were other aspects, other nightmarish events, that went far beyond anything I was prepared for. This is a highly recommended read, but steel yourself for an overdose of brutality and trauma.
Up until now I thought Augusten Burroughs (Running with Scissors, 2002) had the most horrific childhood of all time. Not anymore. Mikey Walsh’s heart wrenching autobiography makes Burroughs’ adolescence seem almost tranquil and serene. I applaud Walsh’s honesty and courage but there were several occasions when I had to set this book down and step away.
My own father was often violent and cruel so I empathized with some of what Walsh wrote—but there were other aspects, other nightmarish events, that went far beyond anything I was prepared for. This is a highly recommended read, but steel yourself for an overdose of brutality and trauma.