Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming
Harper Collins Publishers
Audible Release: October 7, 2014
Listening Length: 6 hours 28 minutes
Narrator: Alan Cumming
Genre: Memoir
KKECReads Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
KKECReads Rating for Performance: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
KKECReads Rating for Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I purchased this audiobook on Amazon, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Alan Cumming, OBE (born 27 January 1965), is a Scottish character actor, author, and activist who has appeared in numerous films, television shows, and plays. His London stage appearances include Hamlet, the Maniac in Accidental Death of an Anarchist (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in Bent, and the National Theatre of Scotland’s The Bacchae. On Broadway, he has appeared in The Threepenny Opera as the master of ceremonies in Cabaret (for which he won a Tony Award), Design for Living, and a one-person adaptation of Macbeth. His best-known film roles include his performances in Emma, GoldenEye, the Spy Kids trilogy, and X2: X-Men United. Cumming also introduces Masterpiece Mystery! for PBS and appears on The Good Wife, for which he has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Satellite Award. He has also written a novel, Tommy’s Tale, and an autobiography, Not My Father’s Son: A Memoir, had a cable talk show called Eavesdropping with Alan Cumming, and produced a line of perfumed products labelled “Cumming”. He has contributed opinion pieces to many publications and performed a cabaret show, I Bought a Blue Car Today. Retaining his British citizenship, Cumming became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2008.
A beloved star of stage, television, and film—“one of the most fun people in show business” (Time magazine)—Alan Cumming is a successful artist whose diversity and fearlessness is unparalleled. His success masks a painful childhood growing up under the heavy rule of an emotionally and physically abusive father—a relationship that tormented him long into adulthood.
When television producers in the UK approached him to appear on a popular celebrity genealogy show in 2010, Alan enthusiastically agreed. He hoped the show would solve a family mystery involving his maternal grandfather, a celebrated WWII hero who disappeared in the Far East. But as the truth of his family ancestors revealed itself, Alan learned far more than he bargained for about himself, his past, and his own father.
With ribald humor, wit, and incredible insight, Alan seamlessly moves back and forth in time, integrating stories from his childhood in Scotland and his experiences today as a film, television, and theater star. At times suspenseful, deeply moving, and wickedly funny, Not My Father’s Son will make readers laugh even as it breaks their hearts.
“I smell the roses to try and figure out how I came to be in the garden at all.”
Alan Cumming shares his journey of discovering who he is and where he really came from.
I love Alan Cumming. This man is so talented, and he seems like sunshine in human form. His memoir was heartbreaking, empowering, and beautiful.
Alan interestingly shared his story, alternating between then and now, which was engaging. He shares what happened as a child and how that impacted his adulthood, and he speaks of his love for his granny (which made my heart smile), and he speaks of how much he adores his mother.
I didn’t know anything about Alan’s past. So this was such an experience into a beautiful human. There is so much kindness, compassion, and genuine love inside this human.
I loved hearing about his body of work and why he chose specific roles. I love that Alan was always there to stand tall and proud as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. I also love that he has always been a strong feminist.
I loved Alan Cumming because my beloved Nan loved Alan Cumming. I remember watching his movies and shows with her, and she would always comment on his elfin-like appearance and mention how incredibly talented he is. So I have been a fan.
But by getting a deeper insight into what shaped Alan and what drives him, I can say I love him for who he is. And because my beloved Nan did.