Book Review: Hollywood Park (ARC)

Title: Hollywood Park
Author: Mikel Jollett
Source/Format: Celadon Books; Paperback ARC
Publisher/ Release date: Celadon Books; (Expected) May 26 2020

Book summary:
Hollywood Park is a remarkable memoir of a tumultuous life. Mikel Jollett was born into one of the country’s most infamous cults, and subjected to a childhood filled with poverty, addiction, and emotional abuse. Yet, ultimately, his is a story of fierce love and family loyalty told in a raw, poetic voice that signals the emergence of a uniquely gifted writer. Read more on Goodreads

What I thought:

I didn’t know what to expect when I received an ARC of Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett. The only thing I knew was that the synopsis immediately caught my interest. It recounts Jollett’s life after Synanon, and the eventual beginnings of The Airborne Toxic Event. This memoir was an emotional roller coaster, but I don’t feel like I can squeeze everything into this review.  However, there were a couple of things that definitely stood out.

In the beginning, it was written from the point of view of Jollett’s childhood self. As he got older and experienced various things, the POV shifted too. It painted his life in a way that the reader could easily visualize it, and contributed to being a page turner. There were all the sad moments that had me on the verge of tears, but of course, there were the times that made me smile too.

By the end, I found that I really enjoyed Hollywood Park. Three words from the synopsis caught my attention in particular: “…raw, poetic and powerful…” I think this is the perfect way to sum it up. I recommend checking it out if it sounds interesting to you.

*I received this book from Celadon for this review

Side note: I’ve never heard of The Airborne Toxic Event, but I’ll definitely be checking out more of their songs. Also, FYI, they’re going to be releasing an album of the same name on May 22nd.

Thanks for reading.