A review by greeniezona
Ghetto Klown by John Leguizamo
4.0
I have maintained an intense fondness for Leguizamo ever since A Pyromaniac's Love Story -- a film that everyone else in the world seems to have forgotten, even as it is one of the top three movies I scour any sale of used dvds for. Still, I knew almost nothing about him personally until watching Latin History for Morons. This graphic novel had been calling to me from the library shelves for a while.
Of course, this isn't exactly a memoir, it's a graphic novelization of his Broadway show, Ghetto Klown. And it has all the strengths and weaknesses of such -- bumping and rocketing through some amazing anecdotes, even as I'd lie to occasionally pump the brakes and get some more context. Fair warning -- you'll probably want to at least gently strangle just about everyone in his life except his grandpa and Teeny. (And Wesley Snipes, I guess?) His humor really comes across throughout -- and the art (while sometimes a bit uneven) adds a gritty reality to everything.
Some interesting insights into a complicated person. Recommended to all Leguizamo fans.
Of course, this isn't exactly a memoir, it's a graphic novelization of his Broadway show, Ghetto Klown. And it has all the strengths and weaknesses of such -- bumping and rocketing through some amazing anecdotes, even as I'd lie to occasionally pump the brakes and get some more context. Fair warning -- you'll probably want to at least gently strangle just about everyone in his life except his grandpa and Teeny. (And Wesley Snipes, I guess?) His humor really comes across throughout -- and the art (while sometimes a bit uneven) adds a gritty reality to everything.
Some interesting insights into a complicated person. Recommended to all Leguizamo fans.