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Gypsy Boy on the Run: My Escape from a Life Among the Romany Gypsies
In this bestselling sequel to Gypsy Boy, Mikey Walsh tells the harrowing and inspiring story of how he escaped the Gypsy community
After centuries of persecution, Gypsies are wary of outsiders and if you choose to leave, you can never come back. Torn between his family and his heart, Mikey Walsh struggled to come to terms with his cultural inheritance and at last decided to set out on his own at the age of fifteen. He quickly discovered life in the outside world wasn't all that he expected. And after learning his father had put a contract out on him and that he was now being hunted down by gangs of gypsy thugs determined to claim their reward, he realized that his life would never be the same again.
Gypsy Boy on the Run is a moving memoir that sees Mikey come to terms with his sexuality and his past and start to build a new life for himself.
After centuries of persecution, Gypsies are wary of outsiders and if you choose to leave, you can never come back. Torn between his family and his heart, Mikey Walsh struggled to come to terms with his cultural inheritance and at last decided to set out on his own at the age of fifteen. He quickly discovered life in the outside world wasn't all that he expected. And after learning his father had put a contract out on him and that he was now being hunted down by gangs of gypsy thugs determined to claim their reward, he realized that his life would never be the same again.
Gypsy Boy on the Run is a moving memoir that sees Mikey come to terms with his sexuality and his past and start to build a new life for himself.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2011
30 people are currently reading
1064 people want to read
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Mikey Walsh
3 books97 followersMikey Walsh: Writer & author of that 'Gypsy Boy' Book series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
April 17, 2025
4.5 stars
February 23, 2013
Gypsy Boy on the Run is one of those biographies you don’t want to believe is true simply because to acknowledge that such terribly sad, horribly awful things happen in the world - let alone to the same person – makes you want to hide under the covers and never come back out. But Mikey Walsh didn’t hide under the covers. Despite all the abuse, heartache and loss, Mikey Walsh has not only found to strength to keep going, but also to share his story.
Mikey was born to a very proud and prominent Gypsy family in the very early 1980’s. I knew very little about Gypsy culture and I didn’t really realise that there even was still a Gypsy culture in a world overrun by globalisation and technology and greed. So when I saw the title, I thought it’d be really fascinating to learn a little bit more about the Gypsy lifestyle and find out why it was Mikey felt compelled to leave behind all he knew and what on earth he’d done to warrant his father putting a price on his head.
Gypsy culture, I have learnt, is very set in its ways and very against change. Partly, this is a necessity for keeping their culture alive and passing it on to the next generation without it being destroyed by the modern world. Gypsy girls play with dolls, get married and have strong, healthy babies. Gypsy boys learn to fight, smoke, drink a lot, and earn money for their families (in some cases by conning non Gypsies).
For Mikey, fighting lessons began at 3 with Mikey’s father beating him in the ribs to build up endurance. The harder Mikey cried, the harder he was hit. This “training” continued for a couple of years before Mikey was expected to fight against a boy several years older, and much bigger, than he was. When he lost, he was made to feel exactly how much he had disappointed and shamed his family with further beatings. And so began a constant cycle of apparently disappointing and shaming his family and being beaten as a punishment. If his mother interceded, she too was beaten in punishment.
Not only was Mikey facing the constant physical abuse from his father, but he was also sexually abused by his uncle for several years. The one time Mikey tried to explain what was being done to him, he faced yet another beating from his father for lying. With a childhood like this, it is little surprise that Mikey tried to end his life. Thankfully when his family moved once again, he was saved from the abuse by his uncle. However, the angry treatment from his father only continued to worsen as Mikey grew older.
Failing to be the fierce warrior his father expected was not the only way he “failed” him. Mikey was also gay. After yet another beating, this time with a shovel, fifteen year old Mikey made the tough decision to run away from the world he knew and move to Manchester with his boyfriend, Caleb.
While normally you would expect that this is where the happiness starts for Mikey, things only began to get worse as hordes of Gypsy men came to hunt him down for betraying his people. While Mikey moves to Leeds and learns how to get a job, a bank account and start a life for himself, Caleb is harassed each night because Mikey’s family believe that’s where he’s hiding. Sadly, the constant threats and the pressure placed on both of them drives them apart until their relationship degrades into yet another abusive relationship.
The next couple of years seem to hold a similar pattern for Mikey. He moves several times to avoid his family or relationships that have turned sour and each time must establish a new life for himself. His resilience is truly amazing and his courageous ability to keep picking up the pieces of his life and start over again inspiring. As his father will admit many years later, he did raise a fighter, only it was one full of inner strength rather than physical strength. For a long period of time though, it seems like Mikey can’t catch a break. None of his relationships work out, and they sure as hell don’t end well, and he has several run ins with violent homophobes. He moves around the UK several times and tries many different jobs.
One of the things I found most fascinating about listening to Mikey’s story was hearing him grow into the person he wanted to become. A child growing up is told that there are many possibilities open to them, though usually within some parameters of conventionality. They go to school, get a handle of what they’re educational talents might be and decide on a career usually based upon that talent. But this child will have had 18 or so years at least to decide upon such things. Mikey has had significantly less time, living in the much narrower expectations of his future based upon Gypsy culture. Mikey has not had the fortune of many years of education to discover his talents either, which puts him at a disadvantage. I was really looking forward to that aspect of his story and while he tried many things, like acting classes, I really liked what he stated he was doing by the end of the book. He’s become a teacher’s assistant in a special needs school, stating that he was catching up on the education he had missed out on, but I also like that he’s helping teach others that might have missed out on education opportunities just like he did.
Mikey does eventually begin to make contact with his family again, though it is always intermittent due to the volatile relationship with his father. It was nice to see him reconnect with them, though it made me so terribly sad that he was still frequently beaten by his father who has been unable to let go of this irrational anger he feels towards his son. Having to confront the man that sexually assaulted him to protect his baby brother from the same fate was also gut wrenching, and I wished more than anything that something would just go right for the poor guy.
Having Mikey narrate his own audiobook certainly made the experience more touching and intimate. Mikey reads his work with all the emotions he experienced at the time, and I relished hearing the laughter in his voice as he spoke about better times. He has the most fascinating accent and made the narration just that little bit more interesting, though it was frustrating that sometimes he spoke so softly it was hard to understand him. As he says at the end of the narration, there is no happily ever after so far for Mikey, and it doesn’t seem like something that’s ever going to be possible for him after everything he’s experienced. Despite that I can’t help but hope for a better future than he had past, not only because I’d wish it for anyone in his shoes, but also because by the end of the book I felt like I knew him really well and I just desperately want things to go right for him.
Mikey was born to a very proud and prominent Gypsy family in the very early 1980’s. I knew very little about Gypsy culture and I didn’t really realise that there even was still a Gypsy culture in a world overrun by globalisation and technology and greed. So when I saw the title, I thought it’d be really fascinating to learn a little bit more about the Gypsy lifestyle and find out why it was Mikey felt compelled to leave behind all he knew and what on earth he’d done to warrant his father putting a price on his head.
Gypsy culture, I have learnt, is very set in its ways and very against change. Partly, this is a necessity for keeping their culture alive and passing it on to the next generation without it being destroyed by the modern world. Gypsy girls play with dolls, get married and have strong, healthy babies. Gypsy boys learn to fight, smoke, drink a lot, and earn money for their families (in some cases by conning non Gypsies).
For Mikey, fighting lessons began at 3 with Mikey’s father beating him in the ribs to build up endurance. The harder Mikey cried, the harder he was hit. This “training” continued for a couple of years before Mikey was expected to fight against a boy several years older, and much bigger, than he was. When he lost, he was made to feel exactly how much he had disappointed and shamed his family with further beatings. And so began a constant cycle of apparently disappointing and shaming his family and being beaten as a punishment. If his mother interceded, she too was beaten in punishment.
Not only was Mikey facing the constant physical abuse from his father, but he was also sexually abused by his uncle for several years. The one time Mikey tried to explain what was being done to him, he faced yet another beating from his father for lying. With a childhood like this, it is little surprise that Mikey tried to end his life. Thankfully when his family moved once again, he was saved from the abuse by his uncle. However, the angry treatment from his father only continued to worsen as Mikey grew older.
Failing to be the fierce warrior his father expected was not the only way he “failed” him. Mikey was also gay. After yet another beating, this time with a shovel, fifteen year old Mikey made the tough decision to run away from the world he knew and move to Manchester with his boyfriend, Caleb.
While normally you would expect that this is where the happiness starts for Mikey, things only began to get worse as hordes of Gypsy men came to hunt him down for betraying his people. While Mikey moves to Leeds and learns how to get a job, a bank account and start a life for himself, Caleb is harassed each night because Mikey’s family believe that’s where he’s hiding. Sadly, the constant threats and the pressure placed on both of them drives them apart until their relationship degrades into yet another abusive relationship.
The next couple of years seem to hold a similar pattern for Mikey. He moves several times to avoid his family or relationships that have turned sour and each time must establish a new life for himself. His resilience is truly amazing and his courageous ability to keep picking up the pieces of his life and start over again inspiring. As his father will admit many years later, he did raise a fighter, only it was one full of inner strength rather than physical strength. For a long period of time though, it seems like Mikey can’t catch a break. None of his relationships work out, and they sure as hell don’t end well, and he has several run ins with violent homophobes. He moves around the UK several times and tries many different jobs.
One of the things I found most fascinating about listening to Mikey’s story was hearing him grow into the person he wanted to become. A child growing up is told that there are many possibilities open to them, though usually within some parameters of conventionality. They go to school, get a handle of what they’re educational talents might be and decide on a career usually based upon that talent. But this child will have had 18 or so years at least to decide upon such things. Mikey has had significantly less time, living in the much narrower expectations of his future based upon Gypsy culture. Mikey has not had the fortune of many years of education to discover his talents either, which puts him at a disadvantage. I was really looking forward to that aspect of his story and while he tried many things, like acting classes, I really liked what he stated he was doing by the end of the book. He’s become a teacher’s assistant in a special needs school, stating that he was catching up on the education he had missed out on, but I also like that he’s helping teach others that might have missed out on education opportunities just like he did.
Mikey does eventually begin to make contact with his family again, though it is always intermittent due to the volatile relationship with his father. It was nice to see him reconnect with them, though it made me so terribly sad that he was still frequently beaten by his father who has been unable to let go of this irrational anger he feels towards his son. Having to confront the man that sexually assaulted him to protect his baby brother from the same fate was also gut wrenching, and I wished more than anything that something would just go right for the poor guy.
Having Mikey narrate his own audiobook certainly made the experience more touching and intimate. Mikey reads his work with all the emotions he experienced at the time, and I relished hearing the laughter in his voice as he spoke about better times. He has the most fascinating accent and made the narration just that little bit more interesting, though it was frustrating that sometimes he spoke so softly it was hard to understand him. As he says at the end of the narration, there is no happily ever after so far for Mikey, and it doesn’t seem like something that’s ever going to be possible for him after everything he’s experienced. Despite that I can’t help but hope for a better future than he had past, not only because I’d wish it for anyone in his shoes, but also because by the end of the book I felt like I knew him really well and I just desperately want things to go right for him.
May 3, 2023
I read this book many years ago but really didn’t remember much about it. At first I felt like I was reading a book version of Jerry Springer but I quickly came to love the author. His story was captivating but best of all, it was one of the most inspirational books I’ve ever read. Go, Mikey Walsh! May the heavens shower blessings on you.
December 31, 2011
I was a bit apprehensive starting this sequel to Gypsy Boy so quickly after the first book. The fact that it appeared just about a year after the first one which had unexpectedly turned into a best seller also left me wondering whether Mikey or his publisher simply wanted to exploit what seemed a profitable moment before it might be gone. The first couple of dozen pages do nothing to allay this fear since they are a recap of the first book but then the Walsh takes the story from when he ran away at 15 and what followed. He basically develops the last dozen or so pages of Gypsy Boy and boy am I glad he did and I did read it! This second volume still has the good bits of the first one, the affectionate voice, the endearing wonder of this young man searching for his destiny. Beyond that it clarifies much, in particular why he remains so loving of a father who ill-treated him all his life, and it is as if Mikey's voice had grown up with the boy and man he wrote about. If he is often childlike in the first book both in his wonder and his naive ineffectiveness when dealing with the bad that happens around him and to him, here the voice has grown into that of a man of thirty looking back and not in anger, part in sorrow but never in anger. Having finished, you feel Mikey Walsh has had more to live in his first thirty years than most people in double that and while much of it was not very pleasant he has come out a man who remembers to good as well as the bad and who you hope will have a rich and happy future.
February 16, 2012
Absolutely amazing. A very inspirational young man.
January 2, 2026
Not what I expected. Very violent lifestyle with lots of loss and trauma, such a very sad story. He wrote a book about his childhood also called Gypsy Boy, that I plan to read. This book was focused on his young adult years up to age 30.
August 15, 2020
Loved the raw honesty of a life so different from my own.
July 8, 2024
A great read.
I couldn't put the book down. Would recommend this book to anyone. Probably the best read of late for me.
I couldn't put the book down. Would recommend this book to anyone. Probably the best read of late for me.
June 13, 2017
But a solid three stars. Stars taken off because writer is a bit lackluster - though story is compelling. I also had some issues with the sexual and physical abuse depicted.
March 25, 2015
My Grade = 88% - B
A few weeks ago I read the original Gypsy Boy which told of Mikey Walsh's first 15 years with the Romany Gypsies near Reading, Berkshire, England, before running away with Caleb, a gay 25 year old bartender who befriended him.
The last chapter, "Now," summed up what had happened to him in the five years since he ran away.
I assumed that this new book, Gypsy Boy on the Run, would be a fleshing out of those five years, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a recounting of fifteen years since his run.
Unfortunately, much of that time was spend working in gay bars in places such as Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool before his eventual move to Drama School in London. I assume that much of his story is the same as that of other gay young men and exploration with multiple partners, sex, drugs, and alcohol, but there were a lot of other things, such as his marriage to an Australian bloke, his three years in London Drama School, his writing of two books, and his working with Special Needs Children as a teacher's aide, where he also received the schooling he never had while living with the gypsies.
Ironically just the other day I was perusing a gay British magazine when I came across an article written by him. There were two pictures, one of his dog and the other of him with a hat on and a can of beer held in front of his face. (He still has to hide - the name is taken from the movie Goonies - because of his fear of major bodily harm by gypsies out to get him.)
A few weeks ago I read the original Gypsy Boy which told of Mikey Walsh's first 15 years with the Romany Gypsies near Reading, Berkshire, England, before running away with Caleb, a gay 25 year old bartender who befriended him.
The last chapter, "Now," summed up what had happened to him in the five years since he ran away.
I assumed that this new book, Gypsy Boy on the Run, would be a fleshing out of those five years, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a recounting of fifteen years since his run.
Unfortunately, much of that time was spend working in gay bars in places such as Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool before his eventual move to Drama School in London. I assume that much of his story is the same as that of other gay young men and exploration with multiple partners, sex, drugs, and alcohol, but there were a lot of other things, such as his marriage to an Australian bloke, his three years in London Drama School, his writing of two books, and his working with Special Needs Children as a teacher's aide, where he also received the schooling he never had while living with the gypsies.
Ironically just the other day I was perusing a gay British magazine when I came across an article written by him. There were two pictures, one of his dog and the other of him with a hat on and a can of beer held in front of his face. (He still has to hide - the name is taken from the movie Goonies - because of his fear of major bodily harm by gypsies out to get him.)
March 18, 2013
I feel cheated....
I read and loved Mikeys first memoir, and was sure I felt the same about Gypsy Boy On The Run.
However, as I neared the end of this book, something wasn't ringing true. Looking back, it felt more and more like a patchwork of fairy tales and...lies? I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but something doesn't feel right about this. It all seems a bit iffy. I'm struggling, I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe I'm wrong and I kind of hope I am.
Great story though, I can't shake the feeling that it is exactly that
EDIT:
Don't get me wrong, I don't believe that, as many people have, the book has been faked as a means to sell books by the publishers, I believe Mikey is a real person, though I am now convinced that this is a story conceived by himself, for whatever reason.
Having also listened to his radio interview, any doubts I had before have been confirmed, it is obvious! Very annoyed
Rant over! Sorry!
I read and loved Mikeys first memoir, and was sure I felt the same about Gypsy Boy On The Run.
However, as I neared the end of this book, something wasn't ringing true. Looking back, it felt more and more like a patchwork of fairy tales and...lies? I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but something doesn't feel right about this. It all seems a bit iffy. I'm struggling, I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe I'm wrong and I kind of hope I am.
Great story though, I can't shake the feeling that it is exactly that
EDIT:
Don't get me wrong, I don't believe that, as many people have, the book has been faked as a means to sell books by the publishers, I believe Mikey is a real person, though I am now convinced that this is a story conceived by himself, for whatever reason.
Having also listened to his radio interview, any doubts I had before have been confirmed, it is obvious! Very annoyed
Rant over! Sorry!
August 27, 2025
It's a good story, for sure, but after I finished the book I read accounts online from people that Walsh featured as characters in the book and they all suggest that Walsh is basically a Charlatan and that most (if not all) of the story is fraudulent. Which would be completely fine if he had not passed it off as an autobiographical account of his life. He may not have even written the book himself on account of the fact that he allegedly couldn't even read on a child's level until adulthood. The whole thing just kinda ruined the story for me. Two stars is generous.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2024
4.5 stars, if only because the utterly perfect and superbly written I'm Glad My Mom Died remains my gold standard for memoirs about abusive parents.
This was a random thrift-store pickup, and boy did it pay off. (Consequently, I read this without having read Mikey Walsh's first book. I have no idea what Gypsy Boy could recount, as this story seems pretty comprehensive.) Walsh's story of growing up Romani is fascinating. He loves the traveler culture and its rich history without ever feeling like he belongs within it. Even after suffering all his abuse at the hands of other Gypsies (is the term a slur? I've heard it is, but Walsh and other Romani writers I have read use it casually as a self-descriptor) and abandoning his toxic home life, Walsh is still proud to be a Romani, even after successfully assimilating into Gorgia (I guess non-traveler?) culture and enjoying all the benefits of schooling--an institution his family never trusted.
For all the darkness Walsh endures, this isn't just a book about despair; it's an adventure story. Mikey comes of age in '90s urban England, navigating the LGBTQ+ scenes of Leeds and Manchester and London on a journey of self-discovery. I wouldn't wish for Walsh's upbringing or baggage, but there is something vicariously thrilling and romantic about his near-nomadic existence as he traverses a world of gay bars and drama schools and unfurnished flats. His compatriots are drag queens, drug addicts, theater kids. Unfortunately, the ever-present threat of violence lingers over his life, not only from Roma aching for revenge at his desertion but from everyday homophobes and predators within the gay community. These elements haven't quite subsided at the time of the book's publication, with Walsh noting in the epilogue that when his first book became a bestseller, he was greeted with messages of hostility from Roma believing his only intent was to trash his former culture, and skepticism from outsiders who refused to believe his story on the grounds that it seemed too fantastical. I hope, over a decade after publication, things have gotten better for the man.
Frankie seems cool and reminds me of Deb from Dexter. After naming Mikey's puppy K.C. in a fit of jealousy (the K stands for Katie, I think you can guess what the C means), her adult self keeps up the tradition of naming dogs impolite things by calling her pit bulls Pooper and Mr. Turd.
This was a random thrift-store pickup, and boy did it pay off. (Consequently, I read this without having read Mikey Walsh's first book. I have no idea what Gypsy Boy could recount, as this story seems pretty comprehensive.) Walsh's story of growing up Romani is fascinating. He loves the traveler culture and its rich history without ever feeling like he belongs within it. Even after suffering all his abuse at the hands of other Gypsies (is the term a slur? I've heard it is, but Walsh and other Romani writers I have read use it casually as a self-descriptor) and abandoning his toxic home life, Walsh is still proud to be a Romani, even after successfully assimilating into Gorgia (I guess non-traveler?) culture and enjoying all the benefits of schooling--an institution his family never trusted.
For all the darkness Walsh endures, this isn't just a book about despair; it's an adventure story. Mikey comes of age in '90s urban England, navigating the LGBTQ+ scenes of Leeds and Manchester and London on a journey of self-discovery. I wouldn't wish for Walsh's upbringing or baggage, but there is something vicariously thrilling and romantic about his near-nomadic existence as he traverses a world of gay bars and drama schools and unfurnished flats. His compatriots are drag queens, drug addicts, theater kids. Unfortunately, the ever-present threat of violence lingers over his life, not only from Roma aching for revenge at his desertion but from everyday homophobes and predators within the gay community. These elements haven't quite subsided at the time of the book's publication, with Walsh noting in the epilogue that when his first book became a bestseller, he was greeted with messages of hostility from Roma believing his only intent was to trash his former culture, and skepticism from outsiders who refused to believe his story on the grounds that it seemed too fantastical. I hope, over a decade after publication, things have gotten better for the man.
Frankie seems cool and reminds me of Deb from Dexter. After naming Mikey's puppy K.C. in a fit of jealousy (the K stands for Katie, I think you can guess what the C means), her adult self keeps up the tradition of naming dogs impolite things by calling her pit bulls Pooper and Mr. Turd.
February 21, 2020
"Mikey was born into a Romany Gypsy family. They live in a closeted community, and little is known about their way of life. After centuries of persecution Gypsies are wary of outsiders and if you choose to leave you can never come back. This is something Mikey knows only too well. Growing up, he rarely went to school, and seldom mixed with non-Gypsies. The caravan and camp were his world.
But although Mikey inherited a vibrant and loyal culture, his family's legacy was bittersweet with a hidden history of grief and abuse. Eventually Mikey was forced to make an agonising decision - to stay and keep secrets, or escape and find somewhere he could truly belong."
have always been intrigued by "alternative cultures" and wondered what it would be like to exist within one.
Granted, there are programmes available on TV around this area, but the suspicious side of me will always think they are over-hyped to get the ratings in, so I tend to stay away from them. There are also views expressed in the news quite regularly as well, most (if not all) never painting these "alternative" communities in a very good light.
So, with that being said, I was very much looking forward to reading this book to get a little more insight into one of these less-known world.
The first book, Gypsy boy follows Mikey's life as a young child right up until the moment he decides he has to leave the camp in order to save himself from the abuse he had grown very accustomed to.
From an early age, Mikey was expected to continue his families tradition of being well known bear-knuckle boxers in the community, however Mikey always knew this is was not going to happen for him, so he was seen as a constant failure by his father who would give him regular beatings to try and toughen him up, although this had the opposite effect and made him more distant from everything around him.
For the full review, please visit my blog - https://marknbrandon.blogspot.com/202...
But although Mikey inherited a vibrant and loyal culture, his family's legacy was bittersweet with a hidden history of grief and abuse. Eventually Mikey was forced to make an agonising decision - to stay and keep secrets, or escape and find somewhere he could truly belong."
have always been intrigued by "alternative cultures" and wondered what it would be like to exist within one.
Granted, there are programmes available on TV around this area, but the suspicious side of me will always think they are over-hyped to get the ratings in, so I tend to stay away from them. There are also views expressed in the news quite regularly as well, most (if not all) never painting these "alternative" communities in a very good light.
So, with that being said, I was very much looking forward to reading this book to get a little more insight into one of these less-known world.
The first book, Gypsy boy follows Mikey's life as a young child right up until the moment he decides he has to leave the camp in order to save himself from the abuse he had grown very accustomed to.
From an early age, Mikey was expected to continue his families tradition of being well known bear-knuckle boxers in the community, however Mikey always knew this is was not going to happen for him, so he was seen as a constant failure by his father who would give him regular beatings to try and toughen him up, although this had the opposite effect and made him more distant from everything around him.
For the full review, please visit my blog - https://marknbrandon.blogspot.com/202...
January 20, 2018
I was completely overwhelmed by the first book. And this one overwhelmed me even more.
The story picks up where the last one left off, with Mikey leaving his troubled life as a Gypsy behind. Sadly his bad luck doesn't end there. After his boyfriend Caleb hides him from his father's thugs looking to claim a "reward" by finding him and doing him harm, Mikey finds that life outside the Gypsy community isn't as safe as he thought. His father's thugs repeatedly beat his boyfriend to know Mikey's whereabouts. This takes a toll on Caleb, who turns jealous and abusive towards Mikey. Their relationship festers and eventually dies.
Despite finding several jobs, apartments, other gay friends and, little by little, regaining contact with his family, there are always violent and heartbreaking setbacks to Mikey's story. Yet he is never self-pitying, comes out stronger than ever and doesn't blame his father for all the misery he caused him. The book opens up with the line "For my father... I love you very much."
Mikey has the courage few have to withstand everything he went though. He is a true fighting man.
The story picks up where the last one left off, with Mikey leaving his troubled life as a Gypsy behind. Sadly his bad luck doesn't end there. After his boyfriend Caleb hides him from his father's thugs looking to claim a "reward" by finding him and doing him harm, Mikey finds that life outside the Gypsy community isn't as safe as he thought. His father's thugs repeatedly beat his boyfriend to know Mikey's whereabouts. This takes a toll on Caleb, who turns jealous and abusive towards Mikey. Their relationship festers and eventually dies.
Despite finding several jobs, apartments, other gay friends and, little by little, regaining contact with his family, there are always violent and heartbreaking setbacks to Mikey's story. Yet he is never self-pitying, comes out stronger than ever and doesn't blame his father for all the misery he caused him. The book opens up with the line "For my father... I love you very much."
Mikey has the courage few have to withstand everything he went though. He is a true fighting man.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2018
Challenge Category: A Book Set in a Country that Fascinates You
Country: England/Travelers
The story of how a boy runs away from his abusive family and Gypsy culture to start a life from scratch. Knowing very little of how to make a life, he uses his resilience, intelligence, and persistence to go after his dreams, to get to college and even write this book. He has to learn not only how to survive, but also how to trust-- and how to learn who he should trust. This book also features an LGBT lead/main character and is a memoir.
Heart-breaking, but also shows the optimism of a good ending.
Country: England/Travelers
The story of how a boy runs away from his abusive family and Gypsy culture to start a life from scratch. Knowing very little of how to make a life, he uses his resilience, intelligence, and persistence to go after his dreams, to get to college and even write this book. He has to learn not only how to survive, but also how to trust-- and how to learn who he should trust. This book also features an LGBT lead/main character and is a memoir.
Heart-breaking, but also shows the optimism of a good ending.
September 10, 2022
What a life!
I found the beginning of the book a bit confusing as he says a few positive things about his father and repeats bits of his previous book.
The book then covers in more detail, his life since his last book - it’s so sad to think that having left his family, he still suffered with so much heartache and discrimination - albeit meeting some wonderful people along the way.
I so hope he finds his happy ever after! It is frightening to think how awful strangers can behave because of their own prejudices, and how once amazing partners can sink to domestic violence.
I found the beginning of the book a bit confusing as he says a few positive things about his father and repeats bits of his previous book.
The book then covers in more detail, his life since his last book - it’s so sad to think that having left his family, he still suffered with so much heartache and discrimination - albeit meeting some wonderful people along the way.
I so hope he finds his happy ever after! It is frightening to think how awful strangers can behave because of their own prejudices, and how once amazing partners can sink to domestic violence.
March 24, 2024
Gypsy Boy Makes Good
A more accomplished writing style makes this second autobiographical journey faster paced and, in the end, more positive than its predecessor.
Mikey's past haunts him as he tries to establish a life on the run. With such baggage, any boyfriend he finds soon departs. Yet there are lifelong friends made along the way, although tinged with tradegy. Trials and tribulations are overcome, and Mickey eventually finds peace with his lot in life. And as Mikey puts it, he now has his own front door!
A more accomplished writing style makes this second autobiographical journey faster paced and, in the end, more positive than its predecessor.
Mikey's past haunts him as he tries to establish a life on the run. With such baggage, any boyfriend he finds soon departs. Yet there are lifelong friends made along the way, although tinged with tradegy. Trials and tribulations are overcome, and Mickey eventually finds peace with his lot in life. And as Mikey puts it, he now has his own front door!
July 13, 2021
Honestly, I was not impressed. I read it in a day, it's a bit of a young gay hot mess on repeat. I didn't read the first book though, so maybe I would be more engaged if so. And if this is his legit life story it's honestly damned tragic and even more tragic that he was quoted as not thinking it is one. I have read quite a few books about Romany culture and society. Bury Me Standing is a better book.
July 19, 2024
i am totally moved by this book. i read the first one 2 years ago, it had me totally gripped to your story. your books are now a very big part in our family and pass them onto one another after we have finished them. my grandad who himself is apart of the gypsy community started this many years ago and gave them to me and today i finished this one. mikey i am completely moved by your story and i am incredibly proud of you for sharing it. you are amazing ❤️
July 24, 2025
So, I read the first part a little while ago and I believe gave that three stars, this however was definitely a five star book. Being gay in the gypsy community is a big deal and I admire Mikey's courage and determination to carve out a life so different from a lot of gypsy men. This book had so many highs and lows and is one I will think of often. Beautifully and honestly written and full of emotion, it's one to read!
June 20, 2023
Finished this yesterday, didn’t realise this was another book and not the first. It was an interesting book to listen to but think I would have enjoyed it more had I read the first book first.
Mikey is a gypsy that has discovered he is gay and running from his family, we see him going through school for a short period, falling in love, losing those who he did love and coming out the other side!
Mikey is a gypsy that has discovered he is gay and running from his family, we see him going through school for a short period, falling in love, losing those who he did love and coming out the other side!
February 1, 2024
Mikey is a Roman gypsy, he loved his family and culture, but had to make a Decision, to stay and keep secrets or escape and find where he belonged. He chose to escape and this is his story.
“ he had a bad life, seemed like a nice guy, but people took advantage of him, proud how he fought to survive.
Interesting reading about gypsies.
“ he had a bad life, seemed like a nice guy, but people took advantage of him, proud how he fought to survive.
Interesting reading about gypsies.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2018
This book moved me. I felt like I could understand the experience Mikey went through after reading it. I love books that make me appreciate the small things in life and that’s what this book did. I would recommend to anyone who wants a good book to read.
March 27, 2022
As heartbreaking as the first volume. What a brave and strong person Mr Walsh is.
I'm glad he had some friends who helped him on his way, but ultimately, he had to overcome the obstacles on his own.
Would definitely listen to another book by him.
I'm glad he had some friends who helped him on his way, but ultimately, he had to overcome the obstacles on his own.
Would definitely listen to another book by him.
September 21, 2022
The follow up book to the Biographical book Gypsy Boy by Mikey Walsh’s.
As with the first book heartbreaking and could make you cry.
It’s such a testament to his Character that all through what he endured he was determined to tell his story!! AMAZING!!
As with the first book heartbreaking and could make you cry.
It’s such a testament to his Character that all through what he endured he was determined to tell his story!! AMAZING!!
February 26, 2025
Fabulous!
What an extraordinarily brave human being you are Mickey! Your profound bravery is a testament to your Romany culture and your kindness, a gift to all who read your beautifully written book!
What an extraordinarily brave human being you are Mickey! Your profound bravery is a testament to your Romany culture and your kindness, a gift to all who read your beautifully written book!
June 30, 2017
This sequel was great.
July 24, 2017
Absolutely loved this book, did not want to put it down.
December 6, 2017
Fortsättning på förra boken för man mer i detalj går in på vad som händer när han har lämnat sin familj, denna gång med författarinläsning. Lite mindre tung bok trots allt.
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