Long Hard Road Out Of Hell

One doesn't usually think of rock stars as insightful; but; against all odds; glam-trash superstar Marilyn Manson has written a book that is actually an intelligent look at growing up. This autobiographical bildungsroman brings out the creepiest aspects of childhood; conveying the terror and fascination that young Marilyn (then called Brian) felt when looking through his grandfather's pornography; getting his first French kiss; and being taunted by the girls he wanted to "date." Manson has the benefit of having grown up as an outcast and loser and then having become a star without forgetting what he went through. This gives him an incredibly broad perspective; which he brings to bear on his ordinary life in order to convey the more potent and frightening moments that shaped him into the pale-skinned weirdo that the Christian Right loves to hate. Best of all; Manson is shockingly honest; and portrays himself as occasionally stupid; self-centered; over-sensitive; ignoble; and; mostly; highly fallible and human. It's a long way from the auto-hagiographies that other stars have written; and it's easily one of the best reads in celebrity bio.