I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. TRIGGER WARNING CHILD ABUSE. The pacing of this book is good. The writing style of this author is good. I would recommend reading this book to anyone and everyone. This book is in stores for $27.00.

Francisco Goldman is one of the few authors I will read, no matter the book. This is a fictionalized story of his childhood and young adult year and he writes with openness and honesty, as he does in his other books. I found his writings about his time as a foreign correspondent particularly interesting.

Me bad. I read #MonkeyBoy earlier in the year, but it somehow slipped through the cracks and I forgot to write and post a review. I remember it thoroughly engrossed me as author Francisco Goldman morphs himself into Francisco Goldberg , who narrates Goldberg’s split life as a dual American, both North and South, and the complexities this split identity causes him. We are also “treated” to a stark glimpse of the appalling civil rights violations taking place in South America which further compounds the angst Goldberg experiences for being a man of dual citizenship as well as his internal conflicts of having a Catholic mother and Jewish father. All in all #MonkeyBoy is Goldman’s fictional autobiography of living a split life , one where the two sides are diametrically opposed making the book an ultimately compelling story - one that you should add to your to read list.

i have always been persuaded by Goldman's work and this is stunning - complex and meaty and utterly absorbing ... the narrative voice has always appeared in flashes throughout his work as a journalist and writer of longer pieces and books. we follow as we follow a friend often telling us stories that are loosely connected sometimes, and desultory - but nevertheless gripping. I am a convinced follower of this more-than-worthy and worthwhile writer.

Though occasionally meandering, due to the loose, stream-of-consciousness narrative style, Francisco Goldman's memoir _Monkey Boy_ kept me reading until the end, because of the protagonist's unique perspective: Jewish-Communist on his paternal side, and Guatemalan-Catholic on his maternal side. From childhood, Francisco, known as Frank, experiences alienation due to cultural clashes, racism, socioeconomic class issues, and his status as a not-very-physically attractive mixed-race person, hence the ugly nickname that gives the book its title. Additionally, he is cruelly treated by classmates, physically abused by his father, and endures the on-again, off-again toxic relationship of his parents, marked by domestic abuse and estrangement: traumatic incidents that continue to haunt Frank's adult life. The book traces the trajectory of Frank's life, as he becomes a journalist and writer, perpetually struggling with romantic intimacy, unearthing and piecing together the buried secrets of his family's past, and restoring the relationship with his younger sister, Lexi, from whom he has become estranged, and with his elderly mother, suffering from dementia. While the book's conclusion was a bit anticlimactic, it does end on a hopeful note, where Frank seems to find elusive stability and hope for strengthening personal bonds.

This is the story of Francisco Goldberg, the alter ego of the author Francisco Goldman, who, now approaching 50, returns to the US after working as a journalist in Mexico City and where it has now become too dangerous for him. Half Guatemalan, half American, half Jewish, half Catholic, his is a complicated heritage. Now retracing his roots, the narration jumps about from character to character (and there are far too many of them), from place to place, from time to time. This fractured narrative may reflect Frank’s memories, but doesn’t always make for easy reading, and I often found myself becoming disengaged. There’s some fine writing here, and some very evocative passages, especially those concentrating on Frank’s childhood, but overall I felt that the book was too long and unduly fragmented. Some passages were actually quite tedious, not least the final pages when he reminisces about a painter friend of his family. Many commentators have found the book funny, which I didn’t, and moving, which I only did on occasion. Overall this wasn’t one that held my attention or my sympathies.

This author is in my opinion a wonderful writer. I love details in a story and his are full of them.
I know this is a novel, but I think it probably has a lot of his own life written throughout.
I read his first book “The Long Night of White Chickens” years ago and like it very much.
The main character in this book, Francisco Goldman, relives his life growing up with a mother from Guatemala, Yolanda and his father Bert, an immigrant from Ukraine.
This book is so full of interesting people and places, and the way he weaves the stories from childhood to middle age, through the things that affected him most growing up.
His stories about Guatemala were of major interest to me, as I was there for a lot of what he talked about.
Great story, and I cant wait to read the other ones I have of his.

I have read Goldman before and although I found his work deep to the point of being too deep, I wanted to give it another try. I had a very hard time with this book because I found it to be too personal and the references were sometimes challenging to relate to. I had met his mother in the Boston area, and what I read in his book seemed like too intimate a portrayal that I found hard to relate to.

While I applaud the humility with which the author’s alter ego describes his life, growing up with an angry Russian immigrant for a father and a Guatemalan mother, I could not connect with the story. I tried reading it and then listening to the audio book. The audiobook was well done, but the only thing I left with was an appreciation of his concern about other Central American refugees.

Reader he lost me. Goldman's fictional alter ego Frank Goldberg returns to Boston where he was bullied and abuse to see his mother Yolanda and his high school love interest Marianne. And everything in his brain comes out on paper in this stream of consciousness novel that I'm sure others will love. It hopped around too much for me and felt shaky, at best, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of literary fiction.

This is a difficult book for me to review. I understand the author's angst at describing his upbringing, but the presentation of the information did not strike me as well written. I did not follow the story line. Nor did the ending of the book leave me settled. This is not a book that I can recommend.

Superbly written book on an interesting set of topics. It is quite non-linear, though, and I found it hard to discern a plot for the first half of the book. I enjoyed the second half much more, in part because it seemed a little more purposeful.

This is a wonderful, heartfelt read exploring the hardships and cruelties one boy endured growing up in predominantly white working class Boston. He didn't truly fit in, he never truly assimilated. He was the butt of jokes, the object of laugher. But he grew up and realised his dreams. He because a journalist, a successful one at that. But he never forgot where he came from, and he never forgot all that his mother suffered for him and all that he endured in the struggle to reach where he is today, in the segregated, divided, yet seemingly united states of America.

It's hard to know how to rate this book or even how to give a review. From my point of view it was simply too much "stream of consciousness" writing and it was difficult to hold on to the theme or the storyline. Just when I'd get quite interested the story would shift entirely and I'd be struggling to figure out where we were. That said, there ARE interesting and well-written chunks to this book, but I think you'd either have to be a fan of the author already or interested in his history to truly appreciate this book.

Frank Goldberg, nearly fifty, moved back to New York, from Mexico City after receiving a warning that he probably could have ignored but didn’t.
“The warning was the result of the journalism on the murder in Guatemala of a bishop, the country’s greatest human rights leader, including the book I published less than two years ago”.

Frank was excited about this trip to Boston. He was looking forward to meeting Marianne Lucas, an old friend from 34 years ago, when they were in 10th grade. She was a family and divorce lawyer now - divorced her self.
She sent him an email after hearing him speak and NPR. He was talking about the character- Jose Marti- in his novel that he had just finish called, “The House of Pain”.

Frank had only been friends with Marianne for a few months back in 10th grade. It was Ian Brown who provoked them not speaking any longer. It was Ian Brown who nicknamed Frank, ‘Monkey Boy’.

Frank wondered what Marianne wanted to talk about after so many years — other than Ian Brown. In reality, not much it ever happened between Frank and Marianne.
They’d had only been close for a few months. 15 year olds.
Frank wondered if Marianne remembered their nightly phone conversations, or when he was beat up his father.m
He remembers that soon Marianne was into Jimmy Gleason— whom she married before high school graduation.

The story jumps around from character to topic....to more characters and tidbit stories about many minor characters.
I found it hard to consistently enjoy the book.
One minute Frank is talking about a guy named Mickey Dumps - or Hank Riggo and Sons, the contractors—
or a guy named Bonks who used to drive Frank and Marianne in his car — and the next minute about the Sinatra Rat Pack — and the next minute we’re back to Frank remembering things like:
“Aww Monkey Boy, don’t fucking get started with the Marianne Lucas bullshit again” .....and what she did with Ian Brown’s dick.
Frank felt that if he didn’t respond, back in high school, life was over—the possibility of violence made him nauseous with fear.
“Fucking Monkey Boy, can’t take a joke”.
Next moment we’re hearing about a fight between Rizza and Joe. Headlock and pounding faces, splatters of blood on the enamel like a Catholic miracle?/!....
The book kept losing me. I kept wondering what’s the purpose of all this?

We learned early — Frank was returning to Boston, an American writer, after spending a decade in Guatemala. He would visit his aging sick mother - and visit his sister Lexi.

“Lexi and I are both unmarried. Neither of us have given our mother what she says she most wants, a grandchild. Just a coincidence, maybe? You can’t just go around blaming your family, your town, for that kind of thing, not at our age.
But somehow take away my upbringing, take away Gary Sacco, Ian Brown, Arlene Fertig, and even what happened with Marianne Lucas, take away Monkey Boy and Gols, and who would I be? Would it be as if I never walk the earth? But I have walked the earth, and it’s been a super long walk, and all of that is far in the past. Except I am seeing Marianne Lucas tonight. If nothing else, our dinner will be the only high school reunion I ever go to”

A taste of mom:
“Forgive the US for what, Ma? She clucked her teeth as if she’d already changed your mind. Ay, Frankie, people like me, from Guatemala, Hispanic people, we aren’t treated with respect in this country. But seeing my son honored, she said, her voice going dreamy again, by all those important people, I felt we are accepted now, so now I can become a US citizen.
I thought, You know what, Mamita? Even if I’d written
‘Don Quixote’ and won that prize, that wouldn’t have been enough to merit your monumental act of forgiveness.
Originally my mother hadn’t been so thrilled about my book. It featured a family that resembled ours in obvious ways, except the father was earthy, kind, and nurturing, and the mother character was brassily seductive and obliviously but comically assertive about her prejudices. Of course she’s not you, Mamita, I’d explained countless times. I made her the opposite of you so that you couldn’t say I’d written about you. But now people think I am like that! my mother insisted”.


The memories of Frank’s child and teen days were absolutely awful — abusive and humiliating.

Between memories of the flashing blue lights of the police coming and people shouting, “fuck the pigs”.... and someone staggering toward a bush to vomit, .....
eventually, I just wanted the book to end.

Parts were engaging - with intimate dialogue — and I appreciated that Monkey Boy is autobiographical fiction ....making me feel really sad for Francisco Goldman. It was painful to think about the regular beatings Francisco/Frank got from his father as a child — and the verbal violence against his mother and sister.

Finally.....about half way into this book.....Frank and Marianne meet. Back stories behind us? Not on your life! There are more.

Marianne was a family and divorce lawyer with her own practice in Boston. Frank was kind of thunderstruck that Marianne looked great, fit and prosperous.
From their Facebook chats, Marianne knew that Frank’s father had died a few years back at the age of 93 and that her dad had died around the same time in his mid-70s.
But Frank was ready to get to the point…[ME TOO]....
why did Marianne asked to meet Frank after all these years?
Frank reminds us, again, ( for the third time), that they had only been close for a few months and 10th grade.
I felt lost and was emotionally disconnecting from this novel - again- ( for about my third time too).

Now we’re talking about Joe Botto and a guy name Space — drinking cool beer from a six pack— then French soldiers who were going to freeze outside in Moscow.
Next I’m reading about Natasha Rostova, who falls for Anatole Kuragin in the novel that Ian Brown wrote.
Meanwhile, Frank was visualizing kissing Marianne
during their ‘reunion’.
Then Frank was back remembering again the last time he kissed Arlene Fertig.
And then....
poor Prince Andrei...
My God...I was exhausted!
I just couldn’t hold onto anything — and it seemed Marianne was a cruel reminder of Frank’s past.....‘keeper-of-Frank’s-youthful-humiliation’.

I couldn’t stay interested enough about the nickname of ‘Monkey Boy’ any longer ( other than I felt sad that this was true)....

I guess, Marianne was trying to tell Frank that Monkey Boy was a racist thing— and that he was just thought of as another Jewish boy ( even as a halfie) ‘Halfie’? .....
.....such a distasteful slang word for a person of mixed race
Monkey Boy, Chimp Face, halfie, started for Frank back in middle school. All these years later .... the memories remain. ( of course - they were devastating).
However, ...
forgive me....I didn’t have the desired energy to learn about one more character—Bob Cratchit?.....or who spoke Spanish— or learn about who wore baseball caps—or other classmates...and ‘their stories’.

I finished this book drained- early this morning.
Perhaps part of it is my fault… Trump is probably officially being impeached today.
My local hospital has confirmed 77 medical workers have tested positive for covid. The hospital is at 0% capacity. It’s the hospital I need.
I guess this book — for me -just might have been the wrong book at the wrong time.
I’m distracted—but usually can still read.
It’s just that this story would have been a challenge for me in the best of times.

Even though parts of the story had feelings of ‘intimate-warmth’ ....(due to Frank’s voice as the narrator), overall...the writing felt too scattered for me.
It might not other readers.
Francisco Goldman, himself, is an interesting man. He taught at Columbia University and the MFA program.... has written numerous of books....and has won numerous awards.

There was just too much to hold onto for me in ‘Monkey Boy’
- yet....I feel honored to have learned more about Francisco.

I am sad to learn that Francisco Goldman had a horrific childhood...
Bullying and repeating bearings? Breaks my heart to hear this happening to any child.

Thank you - always - Grove Atlantic, Netgalley, and Francisco Goldman