went into Hollywood Park thinking that I was getting a juicy memoir about growing up in the Synanon cult. Instead, I got a slow burn, heartfelt account of growing up in a family experiencing intergenerational trauma, addiction, and poverty, with memories of the cult being an aside mainly to explain the mental health struggles that the children within it experienced as they grew older.

The structure of the book follows the author, indie band The Airborne Toxic Event frontman Mikel Jollett’s relationships with both of his parents (along with the burst of sunshine that is his stepmother Bonnie and cameos from various stepfathers) and is, in a sense, equally a father/son story and a mommy issues story.

The level of empathy that Jollett has for his family is so beautifully clear. Even when discussing his mother, who likely has Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Jollet still fully depicts who she was to him, striving to point out any good that she provided, despite all the bad. The amount of therapy and insight building that preceded the memoir is clear.

The length of the book spans from age 4 to Jollett’s early adulthood and drags on for a bit at times, however I ultimately was left with the feeling that I had just finished a deeply hopeful story of love, survival, and finding your own path and, honestly, what more could you possibly want from a memoir?

Mikel Jollet’s memoir is just as magnificent as is the fact that he survived it. He has a knack for voice -as a child trying to piece together his experiences and then to an eloquent adult who has achieved so much.

Wow! I just want to thank Netgalley, the publishers and even the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book. This book was intense, and mesmerizing, I was trapped into his world in the first few pages.

Mikel talks in his child like voice when the book first starts off and then it starts to change. He talks about his life in this place that he’s living in, he’s not afraid, or mistreated, he is happy and being taught amazing lessons, he doesn’t see his parents because these kids are in the school, more like an orphanage it feels like, and when his mother takes him and his older brother away, and they go off to live with their grandparents, they start to find out that what they were in was a cult, it’s violent, and it was not what it seemed.

Mikel and his older brother Tony go through so much growing up outside of the cult. I felt so bad for them and so happy that Tony always stood up to his mother in wanting to be normal for once. I know the times were different the, but his mother is a person I didn’t like as much in the book, you can tell that something is clinically wrong with her and I knew after reading some more that because of her they will be going through some challenges in the their lives.

I love how Mikel gives off this vibe that he’s just a child and stands his ground but as a kid he was just so strong, and never afraid, as he gets older and goes through his own things in life and then gets himself through school to become successful in his own right? I was like “wow he is just amazing!”

Overall a good book, have to be patient with it since it’s written in different voices, as Mikel grows up, but it gets better and better, and at times heartbreaking.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

There were parts of this book that were interesting but overall I just wasn't all that engaged. I wasn't familiar with the band this author is in so maybe that was a part to me not being super invested in the story. I feel that to an extent the "plot" just didn't move for me the way I would have hoped. I know many others who have given this high ratings and highly recommend - I think it just wasn't for me.

I was given a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Net Galley & Celadon Books.

I was really excited to read this book. Unfortunately, after trying reading a few times, I wasn't able to get into the book. The writing felt a bit repetitive. I am frustrated that this book wasn't for me.

***Thank you Celadon Books and NetGalley for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Different from a traditional cult memoir (if there is such a thing) Hollywood Park is the story of the lasting repercussions that being born into the Synanon cult had in the author. A fascinating, sad, shocking and redemptive look at a life.

Hollywood Park
Mikel Jollet

This is a fantastic memoir by Mikel Jollet - his childhood story living in a commune in California which ended up being the Church of Synanon one of the most dangerous and infamous cults, and suffering through poverty, emotional abuse, and addiction was really heart wrenching. His story was so well written and you see the trajectory of how his experiences shaped the person he is now.

I had an opportunity to also listen to this memoir in audio and I felt that I was truly immersed into Jollet's story - truly emotional, engaging as narrated by Mikel Jollet himself. I highly recommend this fantastic memoir.

Mikel Jollett and his brother Tony are raised by first a cult, then his narcissistic mother and alcoholic stepfather, and then by his recovering alcoholic father. He gets into drugs and alcohol at a young age but something drives him to fight back and resist the urge to become like his father and brother. He graduates from Stanford College and then much later writes songs and creates a hit band--though he still still haunted and emotionally unhealthy from his past.

This is a well-written, heartbreaking but inspirational story of a guy who beats the odds. The characters really come to life--I cried brother Tony and fell in love with his wise father. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for the chance to read this early. It was a really interesting story that patrons will definitely have interest in. I've gone ahead and ordered a couple copies.

I had high expectations for this book, but found it to be depressing and sad. Living in a commune and basically untethered to his parents, Mikel grows up in a very non-traditional manner and it impacts him throughout his life.

One of the most deeply honest and insightful novels I've ever read. I'm not one for memoirs, but I have such a love for Mikel's lyrics that I made an exception, and wow am I glad I did. This novel made me feel seen. And for me, that's the most you can ask of a novel. It's a confession, a poem, a story all beautifully told through stunning prose. It's an artist's novel. You'll learn a lot, at least I did.

Hollywood Park is a memoir by Mikel Jollett (pronounced Mick-ell Joe-lay), frontman of the American indie rock band The Airborne Toxic Event. Jollett grew up in a California cult called Synanon, where children were separated from their parents and couples were forced to divorce, among other horrible culty things. Jollett, his mother, and their brother managed to escape, only to face adversity, addiction, mental health challenges, and PTSD on the other side.

Jollett is a likable, reliable narrator. He's warm and feels like a friend you are rooting for. I enjoyed this memoir and parts of it brought me to tears. I'm looking forward to taking a deep dive into his music.

RIYL Educated by Tara Westover.

I enjoyed this book to an extent, but it didn’t grip me like most memoirs I seek out do. I thought it was an interesting story but it didn’t stand out to me amongst the many memoirs that are coming out recently.

It's amazing and disgusting that someone could spend decades killing immigrants in the Central Valley without most people ever hearing about it. This account is obviously well researched and detailed. The crimes are told dispassionately and the thoroughly with background details of some very complicated relationships.

Such an interesting and great read! I really felt immersed in the writing and was engaged throughout.

Wow. Just wow. I had no idea what to expect with this book, but Sometime Around Midnight is one of my favorite songs and the description sounded interesting, so when this book showed up in my account, I dove right in. The emotional depth, honesty, lyrical and beautiful writing, and the author's fascinating history made this book one of the best autobiographies I've read in a long time. I could not put it down. Mikel Jollett truly can do anything he puts his mind to. After the childhood he survived, and the emotional scars it left, it's so refreshing and uplifting to see that he's found success doing what he loves and that he now has a family of his own. I don't have anything to add to all of the other glowing reviews except to say, "Read this book!". I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A deeply compelling story told through the eyes of the man who lived it. Each "phase" of his life is revealed as he lived it. The confused understanding of a young boy living in a cult operated school will break your heart. When his unstable mother takes him and his brother from their caretakers, a cult known as Synanon, the chance for a better life is lost in the ever changing conditions brought on by poverty, mental illness, drugs, indifference and/or abuse. As the boy ages, so does his perspective of life with the differing expectations and experiences. This young man would seek help to better his life, coming to be a well known musician and writing what has to be one of the better memoirs to be released this year. This story will keep you spell bound wondering how anyone could survive such a childhood.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review by the publisher and Netgalley.

I have really enjoyed memoirs lately, especially those about people who have been in or escaped from cults. However, I just never really enjoyed this book or the way it was told. I'm sure some would, but it was not for me.

This is the second book in a row I have read that was written by a journalist. Even though the two topics couldn’t be more disparate, this a memoir and the other historical mystery, there is a mastery of clarity that resonates with me. Jollett describes how is life is shaped by being born into a cult, long after his family has left the compound. Both of his parents are mentally ill, in different ways, and he struggles to build an identity beneath the weight of caretaking as a young child. Recommended for fans of The Glass Castle (also written by a journalist!) and Educated.