Hollywood Park (Jollett) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
A Gen-X This Boy’s Life…. Music and his fierce brilliance boost Jollett; a visceral urge to leave his background behind propels him to excel…. In the end, Jollett shakes off the past to become the captain of his own soul. Hollywood Park is a triumph
Oprah Magazine


Mikel Jollett, the front man of indie band Airborne Toxic Event, chronicles his tumultuous life. Jollett was born into one of the country’s most infamous cults and subjected to a childhood filled with poverty, addiction and emotional abuse. What comes through the pages is a story of fierce love and family loyalty ("20 books we're excited for in 2020").
Good Morning America


(Starred review) [A]rresting…. Jollett engagingly narrates his story… [and] talks about turning pain into music, getting help for abandonment issues, and finding love and starting a family.… [A] shocking but  contemplative memoir about the aftermath of an unhealthy upbringing.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review) Jollett is at his best when exploring his complicated relationship with his brother… [and] how music, and writing, became outlets for masking feelings of shame and coming to terms with the past. [An] absorbing memoir of self, discovery, and rediscovery.
Library Journal


Engaging and heartbreaking. A good choice for fans of memoirs about overcoming dysfunctional childhoods like Educated and The Glass Castle.
Booklist


A painstaking emotional accounting of a tortured youth ultimately redeemed through music, therapy, and love.… Ultimately, as he lucidly shows, music would change his life. A musician proves himself a talented, if long-winded, writer with a very good memory.
Kirkus Reviews