Carla P. reviewed on 7/10/2012 + 59 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Russell Brand, while narcissistic and self-destructive... could not help but turn out the way that he did-- up to a point. His entire childhood-- nay, up to his mid-twenties-- he was surrounded by authority figures who were only one of three things: Neglecters, mental abusers, or enablers. At the beginning of this book, he reminded me quite a bit of Chippy the squirrel... http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27...

At seven, when his beloved Mum got cancer the first time, his own maternal grandmother deemed him "a bad boy who CAUSED her cancer". What?? you don't say such things to a child! Never... that's bound to mess you up in itself...

And, then, of course, was his stepfather, Colin. A complete prat who seemed to do his best to push mother and son apart. His own father seemed more interested in his next lay than being a real father.

I think his Nan (paternal grandmother) and his Mum both neglected and enabled him. His mother had the excuse of being sick some of the time, but when she wasn't, she could've been looking out for him better, such as seeing how he was mistreated by his stepfather, for one, and kicking that nozzle out. And, the instance of abuse by a tutor-- that should've been handled. He did the right thing, going to adults he trusted-- only to have that trust shattered when they do not take care of matters...

It's no wonder he has an insatiable libido, however, considering the amount of neglect and access to pornography he was subjected to as a small child. And, as for the drug and alcohol, it was all sort of feeding that beast of having a hole inside that must be filled. Sadly, massive ego and learnt behavior of "push away before they get close enough to hurt" seems to had eschewed his chances of filling that with what he truly wanted-- a loving relationship.

But, that's not all he wanted; he wanted-- and needed-- a savior to come and not only pick him up from the gutter and point him to the right path, but to hold him on a leash, keeping him there. He knew it could not be himself, but fortunately John Noel came along, and slowly, he formed his tribe to take care of him...

You're deeply pulled into this book. You root for this man, though at times you are not sure WHY. You want him to succeed, but in the back of your mind, you're still thinking, "He's an egomanicial prat!", but you still LIKE him, and want him to do better, and that is what the true anti-hero is-- even if it isn't fiction.

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