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Dumbfounded: Big Money. Big Hair. Big Problems. Or Why Having It All Isn't for Sissies.
What fresh hell is this?
I stopped, dumbfounded. My grandmother was at my bedroom door. “What the hell are you doing?” she asked, surprised but not angry. I looked down at my dress. “Playing school.” My grandmother began stroking her chin. Clearly, there were several ways she could take this conversation. “Matthew, what are you wearing?” I could see that she didn’t really want to ask this question but felt she had to. “A dress,” I said. . . . “And where did you get this dress?” she asked. . . . “I found it?” My grandmother sighed. “So you’ve been wandering around the women’s department at JC Penney? Do you expect me to believe you couldn’t find a better dress than that?”
The only Jewish family in a luxury Fifth Avenue building of WASPs, the senior Rothschilds took over the responsibility of raising their grandson, Matt, after his mother left him for Italy and a fourth husband. But rearing Matt was no small task—even for his sharp-tongued grandmother, a cross between Lauren Bacall and Bea Arthur, and a lady who Matt grew to love deeply.
Matt secretly wore his grandmother’s dresses, shoplifted Barbies from FAO Schwarz, invented an imaginary midget butler who he addressed at dinner parties, and got kicked out of nearly every elite school in Manhattan—once for his impersonation of Judy Garland at a recital. He was eventually sent to a boarding school (his grandmother had to ransom off a van Gogh to get him in). But as funny as his hijinks are now, at the time they masked a Jewfroed, chubby, lovable kid, sexually confused and abandoned by his mother, trying to fit in among the precious genteel world he was forced to live in.
Matt Rothschild—the man David Sedaris could have been if he’d grown up in an esteemed family on Manhattan’s Upper East Side—tells the story of his childhood with humor, honesty, and unlikely compassion for his eccentric relatives, including his mother, in this bitingly entertaining and unexpectedly tender memoir of family dysfunction.
I stopped, dumbfounded. My grandmother was at my bedroom door. “What the hell are you doing?” she asked, surprised but not angry. I looked down at my dress. “Playing school.” My grandmother began stroking her chin. Clearly, there were several ways she could take this conversation. “Matthew, what are you wearing?” I could see that she didn’t really want to ask this question but felt she had to. “A dress,” I said. . . . “And where did you get this dress?” she asked. . . . “I found it?” My grandmother sighed. “So you’ve been wandering around the women’s department at JC Penney? Do you expect me to believe you couldn’t find a better dress than that?”
The only Jewish family in a luxury Fifth Avenue building of WASPs, the senior Rothschilds took over the responsibility of raising their grandson, Matt, after his mother left him for Italy and a fourth husband. But rearing Matt was no small task—even for his sharp-tongued grandmother, a cross between Lauren Bacall and Bea Arthur, and a lady who Matt grew to love deeply.
Matt secretly wore his grandmother’s dresses, shoplifted Barbies from FAO Schwarz, invented an imaginary midget butler who he addressed at dinner parties, and got kicked out of nearly every elite school in Manhattan—once for his impersonation of Judy Garland at a recital. He was eventually sent to a boarding school (his grandmother had to ransom off a van Gogh to get him in). But as funny as his hijinks are now, at the time they masked a Jewfroed, chubby, lovable kid, sexually confused and abandoned by his mother, trying to fit in among the precious genteel world he was forced to live in.
Matt Rothschild—the man David Sedaris could have been if he’d grown up in an esteemed family on Manhattan’s Upper East Side—tells the story of his childhood with humor, honesty, and unlikely compassion for his eccentric relatives, including his mother, in this bitingly entertaining and unexpectedly tender memoir of family dysfunction.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
September 17, 2009
I came across this memoir when I was interning in at a publishing house in 2007, read the manuscript on the train, cried like a baby, and insisted to the publisher that she should buy the book.
"Who are you?" the Publisher said.
Moral of the story: they didn't buy it, but Random House did, and thank God, because I was able to revisit it in real book form, two years later.
The book is a real-life memoir of Matt Rothschild (yes, of THOSE Rothschilds) who describes himself as a "hang nail on the well-manicured hand of the Upper East Side." Abandoned by his selfish, jet-setting mother, he was raised completely by his grandparents—characters that you're unable to forget long after you finish the book.
"Who are you?" the Publisher said.
Moral of the story: they didn't buy it, but Random House did, and thank God, because I was able to revisit it in real book form, two years later.
The book is a real-life memoir of Matt Rothschild (yes, of THOSE Rothschilds) who describes himself as a "hang nail on the well-manicured hand of the Upper East Side." Abandoned by his selfish, jet-setting mother, he was raised completely by his grandparents—characters that you're unable to forget long after you finish the book.
September 22, 2010
This book was actually written by my high school journalism professor, so I may be a bit biased, but I think this book is just fantastic. Though I think most memoirs are the same, all chronicling the story of some author's terrible childhood or awful upbringing, Dumbfounded is the honest and hilarious story of Matt's upbringing. From his mother leaving him with his crazy, over the top, Jewish grandparents on New York's 5th Avenue, to cross dressing and getting kicked out of all his boarding schools, to declining an acceptance to Harvard, this is absolutely one of my favorite books.
February 5, 2009
A few other reviewers have called Rothschild a "spoiled, rich kid." In reality, he was starved for unconditional love as a child (his mom dumped him with his grandparents when he was a baby), and any child starved of parental love is not rich or spoiled.
He grew up on the upper east side, raised by eccentric grandparents who did love him but didn't quite know how to show it all the time. For example, his feisty grandmother would ask him: "What have you done to deserve a hug?" and Rothschild would have to convince her to give him a hug. As a mom myself, this makes me so sad!
The first time Rothschild encountered his real mother, he overheard her telling a friend of hers that she was going to abort him but had been persuaded not to by her father (who threatened to disown her if she did). Later on, when his beloved grandmother dies, his mom didn't even let him know (he was away at college).
Through childhood he desperately craved attention and ended up rapidly cycling through New York's finest schools. He also strongly suspects that he is gay, but doesn't know how to deal with this...and is not able to talk openly to any of his family members about his suspicions.
Rothschild did grow up in a moneyed family, but in the end of the memoir he reaches a level of independence as he develops his own life.
So no, it's not "The Glass Castle" or "Angela's Ashes," but a down-to-earth, honest memoir about what it's like to grow up in a pampered way of life, yet lacking the feeling of being truly wanted or loved.
He grew up on the upper east side, raised by eccentric grandparents who did love him but didn't quite know how to show it all the time. For example, his feisty grandmother would ask him: "What have you done to deserve a hug?" and Rothschild would have to convince her to give him a hug. As a mom myself, this makes me so sad!
The first time Rothschild encountered his real mother, he overheard her telling a friend of hers that she was going to abort him but had been persuaded not to by her father (who threatened to disown her if she did). Later on, when his beloved grandmother dies, his mom didn't even let him know (he was away at college).
Through childhood he desperately craved attention and ended up rapidly cycling through New York's finest schools. He also strongly suspects that he is gay, but doesn't know how to deal with this...and is not able to talk openly to any of his family members about his suspicions.
Rothschild did grow up in a moneyed family, but in the end of the memoir he reaches a level of independence as he develops his own life.
So no, it's not "The Glass Castle" or "Angela's Ashes," but a down-to-earth, honest memoir about what it's like to grow up in a pampered way of life, yet lacking the feeling of being truly wanted or loved.
November 12, 2008
There are certain stock characters that can make a book for me: the sarcastic rich lady with a penchant for the booze, the fat self-depricating boy, and the Jews (bonus points for liberal use of Yiddish). Throw in a Judy Garland loving gay man and I'm in stereotype heaven.
Matt Rothschild lived with all these characters and features them in his very moving memoir of life as a rich kid. And I thank him because he takes these characters and makes them into people--real, flawed, beautiful people.
Matt Rothschild lived with all these characters and features them in his very moving memoir of life as a rich kid. And I thank him because he takes these characters and makes them into people--real, flawed, beautiful people.
June 20, 2009
This is one of the more enjoyable memoirs I've read in recent memory. When I closed the book, I wanted more. Rothschild (yep, one of those Rothschilds) was raised by his idiosyncratic, irreverent and truly lovable grandparents. He was, to put it mildly, a bit of a handful. Less a peek into the rich-and-famous-life and more an illustration of how to put the fun in dysfunctional, it's a book that avoids mean-spiritedness and honors love. Highly recommended.
May 24, 2008
There's a lot to like in Rothschild's story about how he was raised by his elderly grandparents in an Upper East Side duplex apartment after being abandoned by his mother at birth--he's got a knack for storytelling, his affection towards his grandparents is obvious, and between his (pre-)adolescent acting out and the drama that ensues whenever his mother tries to work herself back into his life, there's plenty to hold your attention. But the memoir's emotional strengths derive from the situations rather than the writing; that's not to knock the writing, because it gets the job done... and with memoir in particular, I would think sometimes the story you tell is worth remembering more than the way you tell it.
October 18, 2008
I was underwhelmed by this memoir - intended to be funny, lighthearted, and still an inside look at a dysfunctional family, I felt this book was, instead, a lighthearted memoir about nothing especially difficult in particular. Left by his parents at birth, Matt grows up with his grandparents, a wealthy Jewish couple living in a huge, ritzy apartment on Fifth Ave by the park. Rough life, huh? He has friends - some years, more friends than other years - and lives, by and large, a very similar life to any other person. Um, okay.
Funny but not really worth more than a day (fortunately, also a quick read - so maybe worth the time it took, after all).
Funny but not really worth more than a day (fortunately, also a quick read - so maybe worth the time it took, after all).
July 10, 2013
I read A LOT of memoirs and I found this one to be a cut above the rest. Matt Rothschild lived a privileged childhood but his stories of not fitting in made it easy to feel sympathy for him. He is a great story teller and brought all of his family members to life. The characters were complex and he came across as honest. He certainly wasn't trying to paint a flattering picture of himself and/or blame anyone. Many of his stories were funny, some were touching and by the end I was crying. All the while I was rooting for him and I was sorry when the book ended.
September 24, 2008
I picked up this book completely at random at the bookstore. Sadly it was quite dissappointing. The collection of stories of young Matt's struggles through Upper East Side lifestyle were a bore to me.
July 2, 2020
6 out of 5 ⭐️s. Rothschild’s writing is amazing.
His grandma is a FORCE without a filter. She does not suffer fools especially if they’re trying to mess with her grandson. He gets himself into all sorts of situations but for complex reasons.
One of the best books I’ve read this year. I’ll be pushing it on friends. 🙂
His grandma is a FORCE without a filter. She does not suffer fools especially if they’re trying to mess with her grandson. He gets himself into all sorts of situations but for complex reasons.
One of the best books I’ve read this year. I’ll be pushing it on friends. 🙂
April 6, 2011
“Dumbfounded: Big Money. Big Hair. Big Problems. Or Why Having It All Isn't for Sissies.”
By Matthew Rothschild
Crown Publishers
New York, 2008
Family dysfunction combined with the road to self-discovery has never been so ludicrous and yet so witty at the same time. Matthew Rothschild really did get ahead of himself in his memoir, Dumbfounded. Growing up in the only Jewish family on Manhattan’s Upper East Side after the abandonment of his mother, Rothschild depicts the life he was forced to live as his grandparents took on the responsibility of raising a chubby and confused Jewfroed kid in the city of New York. From experimenting with his grandmother’s dresses while “playing school” to his “manic behavior” exemplifying “one of the few character traits that identify [him] as a Rothschild”, Dumbfounded depicts the struggle for a young boy trying to make a life for himself that could give him the satisfaction of proving to everyone around him that he was worth much more than they could have ever predicted. A true story that seems both easy and hard to believe, the experiences Rothschild goes through as a child into adulthood is one that anyone who may be struggling with fitting in, those that are sexually confused or even the many with the gift of a Jewfro themselves should read and learn from.
There is nothing like a great book that can make a reader both laugh, cry, smile, and frown all at once, but knowing a true story that comes from the depths of such a powerful mind is absolutely amazing. Why a powerful mind? As a young writer, I had the honor of having first-hand experience with Matthew Rothschild back in high school. Your trust is safe with me when I say he truly does have a captivating philosophy on life. As my freshman English teacher and sophomore Journalism teacher, Rothschild has had the largest and most profound impact on me as a writer to this day. I used to think that I would have to live my life trying to make as much money as possible, where my happiness could get lost in my successes as long as I had the money to flaunt at the end. If it wasn’t for this man giving me the support I needed to see that writing could get me a life I would be so proud to live and with a gift I didn’t even know I had, I’d probably be undergoing the transformation to a miserable woman, living on my own, only to get a head start my vast collection of feline company. Rothschild’s memoir is the inspiration behind my choice to be a writer. Yes, I’ve finally able to admit that it is by my own volition and not the pressure of the economy or the many that claim writing isn’t really a career, but by Rothschild’s few words that changed my life: “if you don’t take writing seriously, you’re just plain stupid”. Just as in Dumbfounded, Rothschild’s method towards being as honest and blunt as possible encourages me with each piece of work I’ve produced thus far.
The feeling one can get from reading this memoir is honestly unbelievable. As he warns in his author’s note, some of the experiences he goes through are “damn funny and some of it’s tragic”. The only way to find out is by retrieving a copy of this book and exploring the text for yourself. I strongly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I can promise you that more than a dozen laughs will escape your lips and the ultimate self-revelation will occur. Give it a chance. You might discover things about who you are that were hidden or unknown before. I definitely did.
By Matthew Rothschild
Crown Publishers
New York, 2008
Family dysfunction combined with the road to self-discovery has never been so ludicrous and yet so witty at the same time. Matthew Rothschild really did get ahead of himself in his memoir, Dumbfounded. Growing up in the only Jewish family on Manhattan’s Upper East Side after the abandonment of his mother, Rothschild depicts the life he was forced to live as his grandparents took on the responsibility of raising a chubby and confused Jewfroed kid in the city of New York. From experimenting with his grandmother’s dresses while “playing school” to his “manic behavior” exemplifying “one of the few character traits that identify [him] as a Rothschild”, Dumbfounded depicts the struggle for a young boy trying to make a life for himself that could give him the satisfaction of proving to everyone around him that he was worth much more than they could have ever predicted. A true story that seems both easy and hard to believe, the experiences Rothschild goes through as a child into adulthood is one that anyone who may be struggling with fitting in, those that are sexually confused or even the many with the gift of a Jewfro themselves should read and learn from.
There is nothing like a great book that can make a reader both laugh, cry, smile, and frown all at once, but knowing a true story that comes from the depths of such a powerful mind is absolutely amazing. Why a powerful mind? As a young writer, I had the honor of having first-hand experience with Matthew Rothschild back in high school. Your trust is safe with me when I say he truly does have a captivating philosophy on life. As my freshman English teacher and sophomore Journalism teacher, Rothschild has had the largest and most profound impact on me as a writer to this day. I used to think that I would have to live my life trying to make as much money as possible, where my happiness could get lost in my successes as long as I had the money to flaunt at the end. If it wasn’t for this man giving me the support I needed to see that writing could get me a life I would be so proud to live and with a gift I didn’t even know I had, I’d probably be undergoing the transformation to a miserable woman, living on my own, only to get a head start my vast collection of feline company. Rothschild’s memoir is the inspiration behind my choice to be a writer. Yes, I’ve finally able to admit that it is by my own volition and not the pressure of the economy or the many that claim writing isn’t really a career, but by Rothschild’s few words that changed my life: “if you don’t take writing seriously, you’re just plain stupid”. Just as in Dumbfounded, Rothschild’s method towards being as honest and blunt as possible encourages me with each piece of work I’ve produced thus far.
The feeling one can get from reading this memoir is honestly unbelievable. As he warns in his author’s note, some of the experiences he goes through are “damn funny and some of it’s tragic”. The only way to find out is by retrieving a copy of this book and exploring the text for yourself. I strongly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I can promise you that more than a dozen laughs will escape your lips and the ultimate self-revelation will occur. Give it a chance. You might discover things about who you are that were hidden or unknown before. I definitely did.
April 7, 2009
i picked this up at the library because the cover design caught my eye & the front cover blurbs likened the writing to david sedaris, but a ridiculously welathy upper east side version of david sedaris. i was curious, so i pursued my curiosity. &...yeah, not much. very few similarities between this book & anything by david sedaris. first-person, kind of funny childhood stories by gay men are not all david sedaris-in-the-making, can we all just agree on that?
that said, it wasn't bad. it wasn't the greatest book i have ever read, but it was all right. it's a memoir. the author was raised by his grandparents in their outrageously posh upper east side apartment because his mom was not interested in being a mom & wanted to go jet-setting around europe. as a result of this abandonment, he acted out a bit as a child. plus there was the whole burgeoning homosexuality issue, which caused some hijinks. he got kicked out a lot of fancy prep schools before being sent off to boarding school, where he actually started doing fairly well. but then his grandfather died, & his mom & uncle convinced him to move back to new york city to be closer to his widowed grandmother. then he went away to another boarding school in boston, but his grandmother wasn't doing well, she she moved down to live with him on beacon hill. then he found out that she had alzheimer's & was really too much for a teenage boy to handle. so she moved to europe to live with her daughter & matthew moved to florida for college. when his grandmother died & his mom didn't even tell him so he could go to the funeral, he cut all ties with her...& the family's money. he got a job working with jewish kindergardners, which led to a career as a teacher...& memoirist.
some of it was funny, some of it was pretty sad...none of it was really mind-blowing. the kind of book that will probably slide out of my brain in a week or two. but not a bad read if you have the flu or a plane ride & want something not too taxing to sink your teeth into & you have read all your david sedaris books too many times.
that said, it wasn't bad. it wasn't the greatest book i have ever read, but it was all right. it's a memoir. the author was raised by his grandparents in their outrageously posh upper east side apartment because his mom was not interested in being a mom & wanted to go jet-setting around europe. as a result of this abandonment, he acted out a bit as a child. plus there was the whole burgeoning homosexuality issue, which caused some hijinks. he got kicked out a lot of fancy prep schools before being sent off to boarding school, where he actually started doing fairly well. but then his grandfather died, & his mom & uncle convinced him to move back to new york city to be closer to his widowed grandmother. then he went away to another boarding school in boston, but his grandmother wasn't doing well, she she moved down to live with him on beacon hill. then he found out that she had alzheimer's & was really too much for a teenage boy to handle. so she moved to europe to live with her daughter & matthew moved to florida for college. when his grandmother died & his mom didn't even tell him so he could go to the funeral, he cut all ties with her...& the family's money. he got a job working with jewish kindergardners, which led to a career as a teacher...& memoirist.
some of it was funny, some of it was pretty sad...none of it was really mind-blowing. the kind of book that will probably slide out of my brain in a week or two. but not a bad read if you have the flu or a plane ride & want something not too taxing to sink your teeth into & you have read all your david sedaris books too many times.
September 5, 2008
Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com
So you think being raised by wealthy Jewish grandparents in a Fifth Avenue apartment, twelve years of prep and boarding schools, regular trips to FAO Schwartz, chauffeured limousines, or visiting Mom at her husband's Italian villa also means a life on easy street?
Then you haven't read Matt Rothschild's family memoir, DUMBFOUNDED.
In his memoir, Matt paints a lush and detailed portrait of life as a complex, awkward outsider in a world that demands conformity and simple definition. Despite growing up in a completely different environment, I felt a constant sense of familiarity and kinship with Matt, whether he was describing the painful silence that greeted his a capella rendition of "Get Happy" for the sixth-grade talent show, spinning tales of his midget butler, Little Saigon, in the hopes of pleasing his fickle grandmother, or confronting an ever-increasing awareness that his sexuality might not fit society's definition of "normal."
Matt's story runs the gamut of human emotion from laugh-out-loud hilarity to chest-aching heartbreak. DUMBFOUNDED is first and foremost a book about people, and it reminds us that once stripped of all our ideological constructs (wealth, race, faith, gender, orientation, nationality, etc.), at our core, we're all pretty much the same.
So you think being raised by wealthy Jewish grandparents in a Fifth Avenue apartment, twelve years of prep and boarding schools, regular trips to FAO Schwartz, chauffeured limousines, or visiting Mom at her husband's Italian villa also means a life on easy street?
Then you haven't read Matt Rothschild's family memoir, DUMBFOUNDED.
In his memoir, Matt paints a lush and detailed portrait of life as a complex, awkward outsider in a world that demands conformity and simple definition. Despite growing up in a completely different environment, I felt a constant sense of familiarity and kinship with Matt, whether he was describing the painful silence that greeted his a capella rendition of "Get Happy" for the sixth-grade talent show, spinning tales of his midget butler, Little Saigon, in the hopes of pleasing his fickle grandmother, or confronting an ever-increasing awareness that his sexuality might not fit society's definition of "normal."
Matt's story runs the gamut of human emotion from laugh-out-loud hilarity to chest-aching heartbreak. DUMBFOUNDED is first and foremost a book about people, and it reminds us that once stripped of all our ideological constructs (wealth, race, faith, gender, orientation, nationality, etc.), at our core, we're all pretty much the same.
March 1, 2009
This is the third in a string of gay male memoirs I've read recently. I think it compares favorably to both A Little Fruitcake and America's Boy. It struck me that Rothschild is quite a bit younger than both the other writers and also grew up in a much more cosmopolitan area than the other two and yet still suffered from similar social and family pressures related to gender and sexuality. His writing strikes a good balance between giving readers plenty of reasons to sympathize with him and plenty of stories to laugh about as well. His grandparents (esp. his grandmother) are larger than life and yet still quite real. Even knowing how memoirs are shaped strongly by the writer and people mentioned in their stories often take issue with the facts, I was convinced of the essential truths behind his stories. And I particularly appreciated his care in portraying his family members as complex individuals, even when he is clearly angry about being hurt by them. He doesn't let himself off the hook, either--plenty of refreshing honesty here.
August 31, 2016
Questo romanzo viene dichiarato come un'autobiografia dell'autore, al suo interno c'è la storia della sua infanzia e ogni capitolo racconta un periodo diverso della sua vita da quando era bambino fino alla fine dell'adolescenza. Diciamo che l'ho trovato simpatico, lo stile di scrittura è vagamente ironico, ma senza eccessi, ci sono degli aneddoti molto carini e sicuramente la famiglia "disfunzionale" di Matt è un qualcosa di particolare che vale la pena di essere raccontato. Io non sono molto amante delle storie raccontate per aneddoti e quindi si potrebbe dire che questo libro non fosse esattamente il mio genere, ciò nonostante l'ho trovata una lettura rilassante e piacevole, ma alcuni capitoli li ho trovati molto più interessanti di altri, il mio voto oscillava tra le 3 stelline della parte iniziale, alle 4 stelline della parte centrale (che secondo me è stata la migliore) mentre gli ultimi due-tre capitoli non mi sono piaciuti, mi hanno annoiata un po'. Comunque un romanzo di buon livello, se non fosse stato per i capitoli finali gli avrei dato un voto più alto.
January 14, 2013
(adj). 1. It’s what happens when you’re in your bedroom wearing your maid’s dress, posing at the mirror, and your grandmother walks in and says, “Matthew, if you’re going to wear a dress, couldn’t you find a better one than that?”
The memoir of the dysfunctional upbringing of a chubby, gay, “jewfro”ed, trust fund baby. More or less abandoned by his jet-setting mother who decided she’d rather live in Italy with her fourth husband than raise a kid, brought up by his grandparents on the Upper East side, Rothschild’s tale is both hilarious and heartbreaking. You might say “Do I really need to read another gay satirical memoirist with a dysfunctional upbringing?” Lighter than Burroughs and not as sharp as Sedaris, I still found this immensely entertaining. Though which Rothschild (if any) he actually is has been hard to ascertain. Freely admitting to changing some names, locations and facts, it’s still worth a read for his grandmother Sophie’s zingers.
The memoir of the dysfunctional upbringing of a chubby, gay, “jewfro”ed, trust fund baby. More or less abandoned by his jet-setting mother who decided she’d rather live in Italy with her fourth husband than raise a kid, brought up by his grandparents on the Upper East side, Rothschild’s tale is both hilarious and heartbreaking. You might say “Do I really need to read another gay satirical memoirist with a dysfunctional upbringing?” Lighter than Burroughs and not as sharp as Sedaris, I still found this immensely entertaining. Though which Rothschild (if any) he actually is has been hard to ascertain. Freely admitting to changing some names, locations and facts, it’s still worth a read for his grandmother Sophie’s zingers.
September 5, 2008
I finished this book in one evening - because I quickly came to adore Matt Rothschild and his somehow light-hearted retelling of his confused upbringing. Overall, this book was a well-written, sweetly deprecating and hilariously honest account of the young life of a misfit rich boy.
I couldn't help but compare this book with Sean Wilsey's "Oh, the Glory of It All". I enjoyed them both, but I found that every time I set down "Dumbfounded," I picked it up again, eager to get back to the manic mind of Matt. The author's note bluntly states that he has changed events, combined characters and altered actions for better storytelling. It nicely correlates with the way his beloved grandfather tells partly-true stories, and makes for a glossier, more cohesive read.
Funny, captivating and well-paced with a healthy dose of adolescent humiliation and family heartbreak.
I couldn't help but compare this book with Sean Wilsey's "Oh, the Glory of It All". I enjoyed them both, but I found that every time I set down "Dumbfounded," I picked it up again, eager to get back to the manic mind of Matt. The author's note bluntly states that he has changed events, combined characters and altered actions for better storytelling. It nicely correlates with the way his beloved grandfather tells partly-true stories, and makes for a glossier, more cohesive read.
Funny, captivating and well-paced with a healthy dose of adolescent humiliation and family heartbreak.
February 23, 2012
Rothschild has the difficult task of not making his readers hate him when he discloses within the first few pages that he lived a privileged childhood, growing in a nineteen-room Park Ave apartment on the Upper East Side. Luckily, his writing and sense of humor are strong enough to get us on his side. Although he went to school in a limo everyday, his stories of not fitting in and being the outcast are relateable and sympathetic. Many of his tales and the characters that inhabit them are outrageous and almost too good to be true-- especially the lovable, but razor-tongued grandmother that raised him. As the book progressed, I found myself rooting for the author to find some normalcy in his crazy world, and overcome the people who threatened to disrupt it (like his selfish mother who abandoned him to live in Europe.)
July 16, 2009
I really, really enjoyed this funny and heart-wrenching story of Matt Rothschild who grew up estranged from his mother, but lived with caring and eccentric grandparents in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The characters are brilliantly drawn. The episodes he shares are laugh-out-loud funny and also tragic as he struggles to better know himself and his circumstances.
Appropriate for teens as the subject matter is mostly childhood growing pains, but also to be enjoyed by adults for whom the subject matter will be familiar and nostalgic and who may know some of his family background already.
Appropriate for teens as the subject matter is mostly childhood growing pains, but also to be enjoyed by adults for whom the subject matter will be familiar and nostalgic and who may know some of his family background already.
May 3, 2010
This book surprised me and disappointed me - it was my book club book for this week. In the beginning I was surprised to find out how much I was enjoying this book - it's a quick easy read, and the author totally draws you into his relationship with everyone that surrounds him - grandparents, mother, neighbors, and friends. Then as the book progresses, he gives less and less detail. There was almost no detail of him coming out, then all the sudden (SPOILER) his grandmother dies and it's over. It was so abrupt. I felt like halfway through he got tired of writing this story and gave up.
Was okay - not amazing, but entertaining and light. Good for the summer.
Was okay - not amazing, but entertaining and light. Good for the summer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2012
One can be too fat, too short, too tall, too different in any way to develop a need to "act out". In this case,it is a memoir by one of the later generation "Rothschild" progeny who was brought up in a moneyed existence by quirky grandparents when his mother did not want to destroy her lifestyle to take care of a child. Matt's story presents the funny side of a troubled childhood with a strong grandmother and accepting grandfather. He busts out of various private schools, gets a dog who loves his grandmother instead of him, steals from FAO Shwartz, dresses in his grandmother's clothes and other mishaps, trying to find love but instead, gradually realizing that he is gay.
December 17, 2008
This book was good! This was funny, & heartbreaking & so very honest. This poor kid who was abandoned by his jet-setting mom to be raised by his grandparents (rich, have everything grandparents). You can tell they were just thrown into this & had not much of a choice. The grandmother is funny & so irreverant, who encourages the kid to dress up as a woman & imitate people like Judy Garland & the grandfather who feels the kid needs to be out "with the boys". Amazing the kid turned out well enough to have some sense & a good heart. I liked this.
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November 6, 2012I love memoirs. I thought this book was funny. Even though he had some money he lived a bit of a harsh life. It would be hard for anyone to feel as if your mom doesn't love you. Didn't want you and wanted to abort you. That's a lot to over come for a kid. I suspect his grandmother loved him but just wasn't able to show it much too. But nevertheless he got to grow up and find his own way in the world which was even more difficult since he was gay and had to deal with all the baggage of being gay on top of that. I wish him luck in the world. I thought it was a good read.
December 18, 2012
I read this one a long time ago and like to recommend it. It is about a young boy who is virtually abandoned by his socialite mother and left to be raised by his rich (and eccentric) grandparents in New York City. His grandmother is a real character and is supportive of his "differences." Matt has lots of little funny adventures as a barely supervised New York kid. Eventually he realizes that he is gay, which, of course, his grandmother already had surmised.
This book is a lot of fun until Matt goes off to college near the end of the book.
Overall, this is worth the read, though.
This book is a lot of fun until Matt goes off to college near the end of the book.
Overall, this is worth the read, though.
January 31, 2009
By the time I finished this book, I felt that it was less a memoir about growing up than a loving account of Rothschild's relationship with his grandparents. In particular, his Grandmother Sophie was a hoot. As he deals with realizing he's gay, being abandoned by his mother, and finding more in common with his grandparents than his classmates, Rothschild does a great job explaining why adolescence is a horrible time for most of us. Fun, sometimes heartbreaking, quite honest.
April 27, 2010
This book started as the author's memories of growing up in a RICH household with his grandparents. (Their 5th Ave. apartment was 19 rooms on two floors overlooking Central Park.) It briefly talked about how he decided he was gay and ended with his decision to never contact his mother again when she did not tell him his grandmother died in a nursing home in Switzerland.
It was interesting but never really seemed to know what it wanted to be.
It was interesting but never really seemed to know what it wanted to be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2014
This was an endearing book of a child of wealth in wild beginnings. The dearness of his grandparents comes out pretty quickly and as a reader, I was fully sympathetic to Matt's childhood oddities. It was enchantingly told, and downright funny. I loved the ending, and the photo of Baron, the only dog who ever loved him.
Actually to survive his childhood was a challenge, but the eccentricities couldn't hide the love his grandparents had. Kudos to Matt Rothschild
Actually to survive his childhood was a challenge, but the eccentricities couldn't hide the love his grandparents had. Kudos to Matt Rothschild
December 28, 2014
This author graduated from my college (somewhat after I did). I enjoyed reading about his childhood in a super-rich family; clearly money really can't buy everything. The beginning of the book is the funniest (e.g., when the grandfather is dismayed that the chauffer drives up in the white Rolls after labor day--what will the neighbors think?), but by the end of the book, the narrator had earned my respect.
September 23, 2016
Matt tells his story of growing up as a misfit kid, raised by his eccentric grandparents after being abandoned by his mother. He is quite a clever storyteller, and the stories about his mischievous grandmother are really funny in particular. In fact much of the memoir is a loving ode to his grandparents and everything they did for him, while telling the story of finding himself through a tumultuous childhood.
September 16, 2008
Biography - Matt Rothschild
Interesting view on uppper east side NY society. Takes you through the author's life from childhood to adulthood and all the difficulties you face in your teen years.
Raised by his grandparent's and abandoned by his mother, Matt faces life on 5th avenue with humor. Funny in a dry way, at times heartbreaking. Would wait for paperback though.
Interesting view on uppper east side NY society. Takes you through the author's life from childhood to adulthood and all the difficulties you face in your teen years.
Raised by his grandparent's and abandoned by his mother, Matt faces life on 5th avenue with humor. Funny in a dry way, at times heartbreaking. Would wait for paperback though.
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