miss_tricia's review
2.0
I guess you have to be a bit self-centered to write a memoir. Rouse is. He also grew up gay in a southern small town and ate and drank his feelings away until age 30. Meh.
lutheranjulia's review
4.0
The story is a 5, the writing is a 3.5. It starts a little stilted, but as you get closer to the end of the book, you begin to realize that there is no way that Rouse could have smoothed over the early stories. The dedication of his family is touching and crucial to who he is and, in part, why he avoids who he is for a long time. There are many stories like Rouse's, but most don't end as happily. He knows it and he knows we know. The sense of obligation to tell the story of survival is ever present in the book.
satyridae's review
3.0
I've had my eye out for this since I read Rouse's other memoir. This one covers some of the same ground, but starts much earlier in his life. His voice rings true. His family is interesting and flawed. The tragic & untimely death of Rouse's brother is a crucible for all the surviving family members. Worth a read, if memoirs are your thing.
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