Another Bullshit Night in Suck City: A Memoir

i rarely write reviews, but being that i seek them out to decide on my book choices i wanted to share.

i was looking for an engaging, page turner. one in which the characters and story stay with you after you put the book down. that's all i wanted out of my next book. but lately, it seems, that's alot to ask..

in my opinion nick flynn truly captured the unique struggle an adult child has towards a destructive, self centered, a-hole of a parent..it's a complex scenario he captured very well without the wallowing self pity that distracts from the impact of the story. i wish the drugs and alcohol didn't play such a role in his story (it started to get a little "million little pieces" esque).. but hey, it was a big part of his story.. definitely recommend. haven't read such a great book in awhile.

I was directed to this strange book because of another recommended work here at the store. Much to my surprise, I absolutely enjoyed this strange twilight or maybe it's--"permanent midnight " ? view of a mixed-up and gifted son looking at his life from all these bizarre angles.

One being the fact that the son, (here the author himself) as a young adult, ends up taking a job at a homeless shelter and in a voyeuristic vision into his own possible future, sizes up the very man who brought him into the world as he wanders his bleary-eyed way into that very shelter one late, inebriated evening.

Chilling depictions like this, along with Flynn's dark-humored view of his father in all of his guises (house-painter, check-forger, would-be writer, etc.) keeps you turning the pages. At its core is the fact that all this grit is true. And as a memoir, it is so beautifully rendered and it's one that's so worth reading. (surpasses the James Frey, Augusten Burroughs fare by a long-shot!)

I was reminded of this strange memoir--which I read a few years ago--when I read a review of a movie that's been done recently. BEING FLYNN is the name, I believe, and most reviewers are not in love with it. Unfortunately, much of the time this is the case with books into films--especially the good ones.

I say--before you do anything--go the source. This has to be one of the more off-the-wall sagas of a father and son in contemporary times. It is nothing short of hilarious, through and through. The dry wit, the bizarre irony of life, it's all here!

One of the better, unsung reads in recent years in the unusual category of father-son narratives.

Flynn, known as a pretty popular American poet, writes a memoir for people who don't read memoir; the book is riveting. His life story, dealing with a homeless, absentee father and a struggling mother, is bone-shaking in how connected the reader feels to Flynn's life. He touches on so many things in a style so literary and beautiful and honest that it is honestly one of the best books I've ever read.

harrowing, poignant, devastating, brutally honest--all true, but it's so much more. I became emotionally attached to this book upon reading it, so powerful is its ability to bring forth the pain and transformation we all experience in being part of a "family." And how convenient--if you don't want to rattle the bones in your own closet, you can do it through this book instead! You're guaranteed to find part of yourself in this story. It's not all pain though; Flynn's darkly humorous insights are there for the taking if you aren't shocked by the details of real life. Nick Flynn is my hero.

Nick Flynn has written, arguably, the best memoir of the year. Do not be turned away by the hipster title: this memoir transcends the parameters of the genre with impeccable style and maturity. While the narrative is punchy and often jarring, the prose soars, weightless and atmostpheric. There is a sublimity to the language, and its accompanying narrative, that Flynn can call his own. This is not a confessional. It challenges the tradition of memoir that seeks reconciliation, first by resisting that tendency, and then, ultimately, by destroying its possibility. In this sense it is an aporia, bearing witness to the true and often terrifying relationship to the father. Please buy this book and read it, and then give it to many others.

I can tell you that this author has embellished little. I avoid four letter words in my books simply because I think they distract. Nevertheless, I understand Flynn's reasoning here, and at least for me, the language in this book was palatable. What I found most interesting about this work was how different street living is in Boston compared to Las Vegas and East Los Angeles. Then East LA is a 24/7 war zone. While Boston and Las Vegas are similar in the fact that it's the police in these two cities you had better be wary and respectfully of; in East LA, as bad as the police are, badges are a welcome sight compared to MS-13.

This memoir should be required reading for any urban dweller - or anyone in the United States for that matter. It is rare that an author so shamelessly portrays the homeless and their plight without editorializing the reasons behind their situation or waxing grandiose or pathetic. It is honest, painful and vivid. I am so thankful to have read this novel.

This is a story, ultimately, of redemption. Flynn's a poet, and the language here is stark and strong. Sometimes he gets a little high-falutin, like the chapter that's all one word sentences, but overall he's not sentimental, and not too tough either-you get the sense that he's just trying to get his book out-and it's probably not a whole lot different that the book that was basically killing his dad all those years.

So many memoirs are out there written by people who don't actually have a story--Flynn does.

most details concerning the story have already been explained.

I'll only say this book seemed brutally honest to me, filled with humanity and short sentences which summed up whole worlds of considerations... it's painfully beautiful, great writing too, just read it!

I would highly recommend this book, it is artfully written, passionate, heartbreaking, inspiring. I have yet to see the movie, but i would urge anyone to read this book first! and read Nick Flynn's poetry too!

This book started off with intrigue, but left me feeling as though I had missed something in the end. Being on a bit of a Non-fiction kick, I chose this book after the store said I would enjoy it! It was too far out there and jumped around way too much. I kept waiting for something to happen, and was left with nothing but a dysfunctional relationship in the end!