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Not My Father's Son: A Memoir (2014)

by Alan Cumming(Favorite Author)

3.99 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0062225065 (ISBN13: 9780062225061)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

It Books

review 1: As a fan of both Alan Cumming and the show Who Do You Think You Are, I was already prepared to enjoy this book, but it turned out to be even better than I expected. His story is really moving. He interweaves the recounting of his childhood with a parallel story of his appearance on the show, tracking down a mystery involving his maternal grandfather. Not for the faint of heart, as much of his childhood is horrific--but the ending is inspiring.
review 2: I did not know much about Alan Cumming but have always admired his wide-ranging talent. I felt compelled to read his book. I can't say that I enjoyed reading about the physical and mental abuse he endured from this father but I am amazed that he came away from that with the talent and skills to make a bett... moreer life for himself. Huge credit to his Mum, without a doubt. On another note, I was amazed at parallels between what he discovered about his grandfather's life - and what I have recently uncovered about my great-grandmother's life. I also recently discovered a shocking event in my great-grandmother's life that no one in the family ever talked about. While plugging along on ancestry.com, I realized that my great-grandfather "disappeared" from all Carbondale, PA records. Having studied astrology, I know that sometimes tragic things happen to people between the ages of 28-31. FYI - Cumming himself writes about a nervous breakdown at age 28, brought on by factors that forced him to face truths of his own life. I Googled his name along with the words "age 30, disaster, accident". I was led to an article about an 1883 oil works explosion in New Jersey where six men were killed. To my shock, one of the dead had the same name as my grandfather. He was 30 years old. I wrote to New Jersey for a death certificate and indeed, the man killed in the explosion was buried in Carbondale, PA - which confirmed to me that he was indeed my great-grandfather. He had been married for 2 years and had 2 little girls - one being my grandmother who was not even a year old when her father was killed. His widow did not re-marry for 19 years - and in one year, mother and both daughters married. I was stunned that my father had never mentioned that his grandfather had died so young and that his grandmother had been scarred by such a tragedy. I am amazed with the common threads that run through families. Cumming is indeed fortunate to be famous and have the show "Who Do You Think You Are" do so much research for him on his grandfather's life. The story is fascinating and is well worth the read. less

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