Review by Booklover Becca -- Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Hav...

[Becca Olsson]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Having a Bad Life" by Lewis Kempfer.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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In Don’t Mind Me, I’m Just Having a Bad Life: A Memoir, by Lewis Kempfer, the author describes his life from a young age as he illustrates his early memories of how his abusive biological father laid the foundation for self-hatred that then follows the author throughout his life. Readers are then exposed to a young Lewis’ first sexual experiences, an abusive stepfather, and a mother who strives only to please her man. Lewis develops a heartbreaking self-loathing from a young age that creates a permanent backdrop for his life, relationships, careers, and, potentially, through writing this book. This results in him perpetually being stuck in manipulative and abusive relationships, all the while following in his mother’s footsteps of desperately desiring to please each partner out of fear of being left lonely. Although Kempfer’s drug use does not begin until the later years of the book, it quickly becomes a destructive force within his life. Throughout all this turmoil, however, Kempfer can now clearly see moments where God was trying to grab his attention. He points these out to his audience as passing moments where he does not quite learn his lesson, that is, until he finally finds the acceptance of God and allows Him to change his entire life.

This is truly not a book for the squeamish; however, Kempfer provides nothing but pure honesty. He paints a picture, dark though it may be, of a man who has run from God his entire life, has searched in all the wrong places for love, and has delved deep into drugs. His writing is clear and honest. His descriptions of various drug-fueled scenes, although difficult to read, paint an incredibly candid picture of his life at various points in time. Beyond the drugs, Kempfer is frank and sincere about his own flaws and struggling against his self-hatred and depression in search of true romance and of a solid father figure.

After following such a detailed exploration of his life, I was hoping that the author would be just as detailed in his post-conversion days and how this has affected his life and relationships. He describes these a bit, but it almost seems in passing. Of the full 767 pages, only the final ten pages are used to describe the moment he genuinely believed and the epilogue that takes place several years later. Before his conversion, many scenes become quite repetitive – scrolling on hookup websites, meeting at motels, etc. It is understandable this is a large part of his life and it truly does become repetitive when one is stuck in an endless cycle of drugs, but in terms of writing to capture his audience, it goes on a little long.

I rate this book four out of four stars. Lewis Kempfer’s writing is beautiful in his descriptions of dark times throughout his life while sprinkling in his dark, dry humor. He expertly creates a perspective of a drug addict’s life that is foreign to many people. This book appears to be professionally edited, as well. I believe all this supports the four-star rating.

Despite the high rating, this book is very triggering for any reader who may struggle with drugs or addictions of any kind. I recommend it to any adult reader who is interested in how a depressed drug addict finds God. However, due to the explicit content and foul language occasionally used, it is not for the light-hearted.

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Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Having a Bad Life
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[Saint Bruno]

I am beginning to read a lot of memoirs recently, especially those that inspire readers with a message of hope. I might enjoy this one too. Thanks for the detailed review and recommendation.

[Jackie Holycross]

767 pages - wow, that is long. Sounds like he could have condensed or summarized a bit. Still, I like inspirational stories.

[Jagiine]

Wow, this sounds like a painful but moving saga. I agree it seems important for there to be more details from the positive period of his life, but it is somewhat satisfying just to know that he's gotten to a place of experiencing better.

[DANAWEB]

By reading your review I think the book is great one even though the book is tad longer than a usual non fiction. Thank you for the detailed review!

[Nicholus Schroeder]

This books seems to be quite the buzzkill so I'll probably not read it but I did find your review pleasant good job!