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Gay & Lesbian Books > LGBTQ+ Biographies
Paperback I Am Not Myself These Days: A Memoir Book
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ISBN: 0060817321

ISBN13: 9780060817329

I Am Not Myself These Days: A Memoir

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Format: Paperback

Condition: Good

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Book Overview

"A glittering, bittersweet vision of an outsider who turned himself into the life and soul of the party. Kilmer-Purcell's cast is part freak-show, part soap-opera, but his prose is graced with such insight and wit that the laughter is revelatory, and the tears--and there are tears to be shed along this extraordinary journey--are shed for people in whom everybody will find something of themselves. In a word, wonderful." -- Clive Barker

"Absolutely hilarious and heartbreaking and heartfelt." --Armistead Maupin, author of Tales of the City

The New York Times bestselling, darkly funny memoir of a young New Yorker's daring dual life--advertising art director by day, glitter-dripping drag queen and nightclub beauty-pageant hopeful by night--was a smash literary debut for Josh Kilmer-Purcell, now known for his popular Planet Green television series The Fabulous Beekman Boys. His story begins here--before the homemade goat milk soaps and hand-gathered honeys, before his memoir of the city mouse's move to the country, The Bucolic Plague--in I Am Not Myself These Days, with "plenty of dishy anecdotes and moments of tragi-camp delight" (Washington Post).

Related Subjects

Biographical Biographies Biographies & History Biography & History Gay Memoirs Mid Atlantic Psychology Regional U.S.

Customer Reviews

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Hard-hitting and Humorous

Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 7 years ago
I Am Not Myself These Days quickly became my favorite book after reading it in just a couple days while on vacation. I loved the honesty, humor, and reality of the story, and found it incredibly well-written. I actually didn't realize it was a memoir until I finished it- the story was so interesting that I almost didn't believe it was real. It's one of those books that you crave a sequel to instantly after finishing it!

sink or swim?

Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Sink or swim is what happens to people in NYC, and Josh Kilmer-Purcell describes this phenomenon perfectly in his book. People either make it in New York, or they have to leave it to survive. The book takes us back to the hedonic 90s where licentiousness and inebriation were de rigeur and drag queens ruled the night, but that is the backdrop for the story of book, which is really the story between Josh and Jack. Anyone who has been in a relationship with the "wrong" person even though it feels so "right" will understand the ups and downs that Jack and Josh experience in their brief but bright relationship. Aqua becomes the symbolic fish that has to sink or swim in the story. Swimming means survival, as she deals with the eventual loss of the one person that has shown her true love and gave her a feeling of safety and security, even though he is a high end male escort who happens to be addicted to smoking crack. Though the downward spiral is eventual, one keeps hoping that it will work out for these two, because they really love each other. Though written as a memoir, it's a love story that deals with survival and ultimately growing up. I couldn't put it down, and it is a must read!

Not since Joan of Arc has a gal with bad hair been so inspiring!

Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
I thought this was a lovely, inspiring story of a charming, perspicacious Christian gal from a small town finally turning her too-high heels and rebuking the demons that multiply like methhead rabbits in the godless town of New York. To paraphrase the unsaved Dorothy Parker, it is rather unfortunate to be known as the town whore -- especially in Manhattan. Nevertheless, though her abject repentance on bended knee before her Personal Savior was, to say the least, rather metaphoric, this sweet sparrow of the Lord rose like a Phoenix from a Soho coffee table bong. To be alarmingly candid, I'm not sure what a drag queen is, but I imagine that it has something to do with Catholicism.

Not your basic "Bright Lights, Big Titt*es"

Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
On the surface, "I Am Not Myself These Days" appears to be a tale of the drag underworld - and indeed, it doesn't fail to entertain with some hilarious and lurid details. But scratch the MAC foundation just a bit and I found a wonderfully written novel exploring much more universal themes - love, self destruction, self-destructive love and the search for comfort in your own skin. I absolutely loved it.

A Memoir In Drag

Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Fantastic book. Excellent narrative that manages to cover some themes and topics that aren't necessarily well-documented (the 90's, drag queen culture, NY scene) while covering themes and topics that are universal (the dynamics of loving people who are bad for you, doing things that are bad for you, being things that are bad for you).
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