A review by michaelkerr
Boys Keep Swinging: A Memoir by Jake Shears

3.0

3.5 stars. Samuel Butler once observed that "life is like playing the violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on." Most of us have probably felt this way at some point (or constantly), but Jake Shears captivating memoir is a truly great illustration of this quotation. A bullied gay kid, Shears used humour and performance as defence mechanisms. He stumbled and fumbled his way through his youth with no clear notion of where he was going - and it all could have gone so wrong at so many turns. Fortunately for us, he fell into music and found his way to the world stage. This is a well-done memoir and will be particularly enjoyed by those of us fascinated by pop culture.