Review by anua24060 -- Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Having a ...

[Anusha Thatavarthi]

[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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Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Having a Bad Life by Lewis Kempfer is a memoir that deals with the author’s abusive childhood, his drug addiction and recovery. The author starts the memoir by recounting the events of his childhood. He lives in Colorado with his parents. His father is a perfectionist who verbally and sometimes physically abuses his only son and plants the roots of insecurities and feelings of worthlessness in his mind. His mother loves his son but is too afraid of her husband and too eager to please him. When his father abandons his family for another woman, Lewis and his mother are thrust into the real world where her mother has to work for long hours to feed him and herself.

The seeds of worthlessness his father has planted in Lewis grows with his age. He has trouble making friends and often places himself in dangerous situations for approval, which he didn’t get from his father. He is sexually abused multiple times during his childhood, which further fuels his self-hatred. As a gay man, he also has to deal with the homophobic society of the 70s. During his number of moves, heartbreaks and self-hatred, theatre becomes the only beacon in his life. The author also discusses his adult life, his career as a singer, his move to California, how he fell into the clutches of hard drugs and how he has saved himself from complete destruction.

Just like the title, the memoir itself is filled with self-deprecating humour that helps the readers to relate with the author right away. The author’s eye for detail and descriptions transports the readers into the scene. This memoir is a testimony of how childhood trauma can affect a person for the rest of their life. While reading the book, one can’t help but wonder how the author’s life would have turned out if he had a wholesome childhood with a loving father as a role model. The book also discusses how drugs can destroy a person’s life, destroy their health, relationship and cloud their thoughts. In this memoir, we see how the author’s relationships slowly deteriorate as his addiction to crystal meth increases day by day.

The things I liked the most about this book are the author’s honesty and humour. The author never resorted to lies, even when telling about the darkest parts of his life. He honestly admits to his mistakes in his failed relationships and repents for them. The wittiness of the author is also the best part of the book as it prevented the book from just being a dull recounting of events.

There is nothing I specifically disliked about the book. There are scenes of abuse, drug usage, graphic violence and erotic scenes. There is also profanity but mostly in the dialogue part. The book was very well-edited. I only found one error throughout the entire book.

I give this book 4 out of 4 stars because it is honest, humorous and inspirational. Since it deals with concepts of drug usage and violence, I recommend it to only mature readers. I recommend it to readers who like memoirs and inspirational stories.

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

I'm glad that despite his self-hatred and bad experiences in life, the author found happiness in the theater.
Catchy title and cover, something that I consider when I pick up a book.
Humor is a plus!
Thanks for your detailed review.

[Emily_Jen]

Hmm. The name of this book is really weird, and I was initially piqued by it. I'd like to see how seeds of worthlessness his father has planted in Lewis grows with his age. Nice review.