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A review by kimberlyf
Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett
4.0
I had a really difficult time deciding how I wanted to rate this book and here’s why:
I went in with the expectation that the author would talk heavily on the subject of what it was actually like to live in a cult. Although he did refer to cult life, you do not get the stories that you crave about the lifestyle. Which, honestly, was maybe an unrealistic expectation because he was only a small child when he escaped with his brother and mom. That being said, I would assume he probably wouldn’t remember too many exact situations that unfolded. I mean, how many things do you remember from when you were 5?
What I really loved was Mikel’s story telling ability. There is no doubt that he has a gift there. I also enjoyed that the first half of the book is told from his perspective as a child. There were a lot of questions of “why is this happening” and unknown bc the mind of a child has a lot of unknown. But the second half of the book was told from his perspective now, looking back on those experiences and situations and, ultimately, analyzing them. It was him coming to terms with what happened to him and making peace with it.
If you are looking for a book filled with cult-lifestyle stories, then you may be a bit disappointed. But if you are looking for a beautiful story about grief, trauma, addiction and the power to change the narrative of your life, then you found the perfect read.
I went in with the expectation that the author would talk heavily on the subject of what it was actually like to live in a cult. Although he did refer to cult life, you do not get the stories that you crave about the lifestyle. Which, honestly, was maybe an unrealistic expectation because he was only a small child when he escaped with his brother and mom. That being said, I would assume he probably wouldn’t remember too many exact situations that unfolded. I mean, how many things do you remember from when you were 5?
What I really loved was Mikel’s story telling ability. There is no doubt that he has a gift there. I also enjoyed that the first half of the book is told from his perspective as a child. There were a lot of questions of “why is this happening” and unknown bc the mind of a child has a lot of unknown. But the second half of the book was told from his perspective now, looking back on those experiences and situations and, ultimately, analyzing them. It was him coming to terms with what happened to him and making peace with it.
If you are looking for a book filled with cult-lifestyle stories, then you may be a bit disappointed. But if you are looking for a beautiful story about grief, trauma, addiction and the power to change the narrative of your life, then you found the perfect read.