Started reading: May 28th 2017
Finished the book: June 7th 2017
Pages: 213
Genres: Autobiography
Published: March 28th 2015
Source: Got a physical copy from the author
Goodreads score: 3.95
My score:
My father told me life wasn't meant to be easy, but I don't think he anticipated it would turn out as heart breaking as it did. Before one miserable night in 2014 there were two actions I'd never contemplated doing in my life, write a book or jumping off a 20-story balcony.
However, this night I found myself so afraid and despondent that I leaned against my balcony railing and wished that I could take away all the pain I was feeling with one action.
What could drive a man to consider taking his own life?
I sat at my computer and started writing a suicide note. As I typed, I started to weigh up my life. With it resting perilously on the edge, I had the strength to be open, honest and unrepentant.
Only when we start to die, do we stop apologizing for who we are, what we have done and what we go through.
My thoughts
Usually I don't read autobiography books, but I got a very characteristic e-mail from Simon Williams that totally won me over and I decided to try on this book. I will always give my honest opinion, and that's what I was planning to do. I didn't really feel eager to start the book, because I didn't really know what I was getting into. But, honest as I am, I gotta tell you I was surprised and really liked the book!
Pros
- Humor: I'm a huge fan of a good dose of humor and there is plenty of it in this book. The sarcasm is at such a high level that I heard myself laughing out loud at various points in this book. I got to the point that I kept reading parts out loud to others and I had to stop myself from doing this. I could totally see Simon Williams sharing his various stories in a full theatre.
- Great telling voice: Simon is a very likable person for me. I felt like I really got to know him by reading this book. It was like he was telling me these stories in person, just him and me. The stories in this book read along nice and easy. It actually feels like you're reading something that Simon told and it was like another person was typing along while Simon was telling his story.
- Simon writing for himself: I could tell that Simon was mostly writing this book for himself. The last few chapters are dark and sad and I feel like they don't fit in this book at all, but I understand! I understand why Simon was telling all these stories about his life coming to this point where he was stuck and didn't know what to do. I didn't really understand the point of the book at first, but I get it now and I can not imagine what this man has been going through.
Cons
- What is real?: Because there is a huge dose of sarcasm in this book I couldn't always get my head around the things that happened. What was real and what was not? Some stories really felt exaggerated for me (I hope they were?!) and at times I was like; Did this really happen like it says here in the book...? I know the final part of the book was real, because there was no sarcasm whatsoever at that part...
- No page numbers: I just have to nitpick here. I was like; WHERE AM I IN THIS BOOK?! What page number is this?! Why are there no page numbers?! It annoyed me a bit, I'm just a sucker for page numbers, statistics, how much did I read today and that kind of blahblah.
Overall
I highly enjoyed this book in a genre that I don't read that often.. Never actually. I laughed out loud a LOT and I liked it. I love sarcasm, if you have dark humor and like sarcasm you should definitely read this book. You will get to know Simon Williams, who likes rugby and is a physical therapist and also has dark humor! I really feel like Simon could use a hug after this book, I'm so sad for him because of the last part of the book...
Memorable quotes from this book
"I want to experience the world. How can I be sure if my place on earth is supposed to be here or there, if I have never gone to there? I know all about here, am literally bored shitless with it. What if there, is better?"
"Cars do not reflect the character of a person. A car is tangible, while a soul is spiritual. How can one represent the other? If cars represent our character, then we should all be driving convertibles. Because people change depending on if things are good or bad, and so are as fickle as the weather. A car can never fulfill someone the way a solid friendship, memorable experience or a good lamb roast can."
What's your favorite autobiography so far?
