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This book was so good and so powerful! I had already considered myself a fan of Mr. Cumming, but I had no idea of his childhood and family life! I hope someone else reads this, it was incredible (very, very upsetting, but incredible)!

I'm hoping to get to it later this month Kait, but right now I'm reading A Place Called Winter, and I also have a couple other books in the queue.

I'm so far behind on our group reads. :(

Even if we fall behind, the discussions will always remain open.

I'm behind, too, Nancy -- finally started reading this yesterday. :)

I'm trying to get my library to get the audio of this book :)

I finished reading this today; below is my short review. I'd highly recommend it to those interested!

Rarely do I choose celebrity memoir, but "Not My Father's Son" by Alan Cumming was an excellent read, focusing primarily on his family relations and mysteries. As a child of divorce (and a distant father), my family seemed to have more secrets than most, so I could relate to some of Alan's experiences. Other topics discussed include abuse (emotional and physical), PTSD / military, marriage / infidelity, and the power of loving relationships. We are a product of our experiences, but also of how we choose to interpret them through examination. A worthy read; both heartbreaking and uplifting.

Great mini-review Robyn! The more I hear about this book, the more convinced I am that I should read it!

I decided to read this because I had always enjoyed Cumming's characters in movies and his openness about his sexuality. I would now consider myself to be a fan!

The book details a very tumultuous and painful time in Cumming's life and he writes about it with honesty, grit and humanity. He details the brutality of his childhood and how it comes back to haunt him as an adult. He talks of his loving mother, his sadistic father and his escape from rural Scotland to become an actor. But despite finding fame and happiness, his father makes one last attempt to hurt him in a way and Cumming's has to delve into his family history to uncover the truth.

Cumming's does not discuss his sexuality too much. Nor does he describe his relationships outside his family. This book is a way of his exorcising the ghost in his past and coming to terms with his pain. As well as his childhood, Cumming's makes a surprising and happy discovery along the way, leading him half way across the world to follow the story of his Mother's Father, Tommy Darling, whom he never knew but who helped him find some light at the end of the tunnel.

Please read this book! I read it in two days because it is so addictive and unputdownable! For someone who knew little of Alan Cumming before, it opens you up to his honesty, his beautiful and often moving use of language and an insight into a pain we all share - the past.

I liked this book even though it's indescribably sad.

I liked listening to this book so much that when I had finished it I then watched his episode of "Who Do You think You Are?"