Surprised That I Only Read Now Josh Kilmer-Purcell's 'I'm Not Myself These Days'

I Am Not Myself These Days: A Memoir by Josh Kilmer-Purcell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a wonderful 'moving on' book for readers who are forever in major transitions in their respective lives. Well, that's a pretty loaded line there but reading this book gives you ideas on how to go about moving on from one major situation in your life to another without totally damaging but actually creating your best self given resources on hand.

Having gotten my copy from one of the brownstone stoops in Park Slope, Brooklyn, I thought the cover was funny looking with a goldfish pictured somewhere on the tattered page. Surely, the former owner must have wanted another reader to enjoy perusing this book. Finishing it in less than 3 days, I read how fabulously it was written as a memoir by someone who does advertisements these days and who was doing drag shows many years ago. I'm pretty familiar (which is an understatement) with such characters, having been involved myself with one for many years, but she was doing her gigs in Tokyo, Japan (where this book's author also did a drag show gig when he was still involved with his hooker boyfriend). It's a must read book for people who are thinking of moving to New York City, where the author currently lives with his partner. I read somewhere that he's completely changed directions with his life (he and his partner are even weekend farmers these days), and his book will give you lessons you may find handy if you decide to change life directions yourself. It may be a good one to read especially if you're in your early 20s because the perspective's from someone who has done such things when he was still in his 20s.

It's poignant, funny, and horrifying in its many pages - don't be shocked if you can help it by the small stories shared in the memoir. For example: ever read about someone pooping glitters? I've seen and known some of the types myself in my life here in NYC, although I was already in my early 40s when I came here. Gratefully, I wasn't really into young people. And most people I've seen would usually find themselves in desperate situations, too. The book's a memoir worth reading if you're thinking you're always finding yourself in desperate situations in the big city - from it you may learn to dance, do your paying gigs, have fun with the life that comes available only here in NYC.

And I got to understood understand a lot from reading this book why some of those I met and have gotten to know here in NYC behaved that way when dealing with me. It's a competition thing, apparently, which I wasn't engaged in since I came here. I've done with corporate life when I showed up here, which was the opposite of what the author wrote about here. Just the same, the author completely enjoyed his life, which is what mattered it seemed to me from my reading of this book. And as such, I'll certainly find ways to read his other books.



View all my reviews