
Not My Father's Son: A Memoir
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Narrated by:
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Alan Cumming
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By:
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Alan Cumming
About this listen
Audie Award, Autobiography/Memoir, 2015
Dark, painful memories can be like a cage. Or, in the case of Alan Cumming, they can be packed away in a box, stuck in the attic to be forgotten. Until one day the box explodes and all the memories flood back in horrible detail. Alan Cumming grew up in the grip of a man who held his family hostage, someone who meted out violence with a frightening ease, who waged a silent war with himself that sometimes spilled over onto everyone around him. That man was Alex Cumming, Alan's father.
When television producers approached Alan to appear on a popular celebrity genealogy show in 2010, he enthusiastically agreed. He hoped to solve a mystery that had long cast a shadow over his family. His maternal grandfather, Tommy Darling, had disappeared into the Far East after WWII. Alan's mother knew very little about him - he had been a courier, carrying information between battalions on his motorbike. The last time she saw her father, Alan's mother was eight years old. When she was 13, the family was informed that he had died by his own hand, an accidental shooting.
But this was not the only mystery laid before Alan's feet. His father, whom Alan had not seen or spoken to for more than a decade, reconnected just before filming for Who Do You Think You Are? began. He had a secret he had to share, one that would shock his son to his very core and set into motion a journey that would change Alan's life forever.
With ribald humor, wit, and incredible insight, Alan seamlessly moves back and forth in time, integrating stories from his childhood in Scotland and his experiences today as the celebrated actor of film, television, and stage. At times suspenseful, at times deeply moving, but always incredibly brave and honest, Not My Father's Son is a powerful story of embracing the best aspects of the past and triumphantly pushing the darkness aside.
©2014 Alan Cumming (P)2014 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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wonderful memoir
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I don't want to give any spoilers away but the way things unfold in the book, and in Alan's life, are just how things tend to happen in my own life. Life is surprising.
Alan's voice is great. I could listen to him narrate the my tax return but it was especially delightful because it is his own story. I love self-narrated memoirs.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever had a family, wanted to have a family, or has a family; in short, everyone.
I really loved this book's message and narration
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Yes, Alan, your father as source material is perfect, tormenting and horrific, but perfect for us all the same. Thank You!
BEST Autobiography...
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A great listen!
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An Honest Story
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I'm SOOOOOO glad that he read the book aloud himself and I found his Scottish accent and emphasis to add greatly to enjoyment of the book. Enjoyment, you might rightfully ask? Well, yes, I was somehow able to separate the beauty of his voice from the HORROR of his childhood's story. I'm so glad he shared this story with the rest of us. It was so compelling that I listened to the entire book (5+ hours) in two sessions on adjacent days...couldn't put it down, didn't want to put it down. As much as I like to read, I think I enjoyed this audiobook even more because of his beautiful and colorful voice.
I would recommend this book/audiobook to everyone...those who have suffered abuse during their life and those who have not. This is a very complexly woven tapestry that skillfully jumps back and forth between his childhood and adulthood. I never found that distracting and actually found it helpful in understanding his story.
What does the headline of this review mean, what two souls? His suffering and abused childhood helped me better understand and cleanse me of my own. Thanks, Alan.
A Look Inside Two Souls
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This is one of my favorite Audible books, along with Cumming's reading of "Macbeth".
Superlative
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A Difficult Story So Well Told
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THANK YOU ALAN CUMMING.
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I kept listening because he is amazing and the story was devastating and thoughtful, and brought so much more to my knowledge of him.
There are a lot of abuse triggers in here, but the journey he found himself on and the fact that he is truly a wonderful and talented man. I appreciated getting to know him better.
love!
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