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A review by kthealey
Based on a True Story by Norm Macdonald
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
A story within a story, paced like a fever dream with looney tunes logic, interjected with what norm would probably describe ironically as his life’s “highlights”.
As a disclaimer, I loved this book. He really dug deep & was able to hit you in a million unexpected ways with hard truths about the cruelty of the world, interlaced with jokes that are essentially someone getting pied in the face or stepping on a rake. norm as a character is cruel, obnoxious, stupid, and hateful, making a caricature of himself as the villain in his own life, often because it’s hilarious.
My biggest complaint was the out of place and frankly dated “jokes” l at the expense of a trans woman, making her out to be an aggressively masculine liar and manipulator. Norm loves a joke where the punchline is somebody’s unwittingly done something gay, but this just comes off as offensive and like a terrible stereotype from an 80’s movie… embarrassing for a book released in 2016. He loves to poke fun at fragile masculinity, but only with the satisfaction that it’s just a joke and everyone can go back to the comfort of being a straight cis man when the punchlines been told.
It’s disappointing to know your hero would treat you like a circus attraction, especially after an entire soul baring journey like this.
As a disclaimer, I loved this book. He really dug deep & was able to hit you in a million unexpected ways with hard truths about the cruelty of the world, interlaced with jokes that are essentially someone getting pied in the face or stepping on a rake. norm as a character is cruel, obnoxious, stupid, and hateful, making a caricature of himself as the villain in his own life, often because it’s hilarious.
My biggest complaint was the out of place and frankly dated “jokes” l at the expense of a trans woman, making her out to be an aggressively masculine liar and manipulator. Norm loves a joke where the punchline is somebody’s unwittingly done something gay, but this just comes off as offensive and like a terrible stereotype from an 80’s movie… embarrassing for a book released in 2016. He loves to poke fun at fragile masculinity, but only with the satisfaction that it’s just a joke and everyone can go back to the comfort of being a straight cis man when the punchlines been told.
It’s disappointing to know your hero would treat you like a circus attraction, especially after an entire soul baring journey like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Transphobia, Stalking, and Suicide attempt