A review by lissalovestoread
Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming
4.0
I read this book after having already viewed the episode of "Who Do You Think You Are" that comprised a good portion of the overall story that Alan Cumming is telling in this book. So for me the book became a unique opportunity to hear more about his feelings in regards to being on the show. As a fan of the show and genealogy in general, this obviously made that half of the book very interesting to me.
It can be a concerning thing to delve into the unknown of our ancestors' past, but it must be absolutely terrifying to opt to unbox the horrors of one's own past, especially in such a public way;
and in this book Alan Cumming dives into both of these situations simultaneously. The "Then" portions cover his childhood with his father, while the "Now" chapters discuss the episode of the television show. And when the weight of the issues he is dealing with threaten to become too much, he repeatedly points out his love, affection, & gratitude towards his mother, brother, & husband, immediately creating a sense of balance between the pain of the past and the good that he has in his life today; which, for me, made a huge difference, than if he had focused only on the difficulties of his own past and of his grandfather's past.
It can be a concerning thing to delve into the unknown of our ancestors' past, but it must be absolutely terrifying to opt to unbox the horrors of one's own past, especially in such a public way;
and in this book Alan Cumming dives into both of these situations simultaneously. The "Then" portions cover his childhood with his father, while the "Now" chapters discuss the episode of the television show. And when the weight of the issues he is dealing with threaten to become too much, he repeatedly points out his love, affection, & gratitude towards his mother, brother, & husband, immediately creating a sense of balance between the pain of the past and the good that he has in his life today; which, for me, made a huge difference, than if he had focused only on the difficulties of his own past and of his grandfather's past.