My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Stand-Up

By Jessica Schneider Apr 2, 2009, 14:43 GMT

Russell Brand learned early on to make a joke of fear and failure. From a troubled childhood in industrial Essex, England, to his descent into addictions to alcohol, drugs, and sex in the seamy underbelly of London, Brand has seen his share of both and miraculously lived to tell the tale. In My Booky Wook he leads readers on a rollicking journey through his disastrous school career, his infamous ...more

This is the latest title by Russell Brand.

While this guy is big in England, the NYT notes that the book is: “a runaway-and-not-hide best seller in Britain, has now been slightly updated and released in the United States in an attempt to capitalize on what has been a bloody good start. We have a name for that on this side of the Atlantic: Brand-building.”

The product description notes:

“Russell Brand learned early on to make a joke of fear and failure. From a troubled childhood in industrial Essex, England, to his descent into addictions to alcohol, drugs, and sex in the seamy underbelly of London, Brand has seen his share of both and miraculously lived to tell the tale.

In My Booky Wook he leads readers on a rollicking journey through his disastrous school career, his infamous antics on MTV, and his multifarious sexual adventures. But this irreverent memoir is a story not simply of struggle but also of redemption, a testament to the difficulty of discovering what you want from life and the remarkable power of a bloody-minded determination to get it.

My Booky Wook is a giddy trip through the brilliant mind of one of Britain's most valuable exports.”

The NYT also mentions: “Russell Brand has a compelling story, but it is a story that compels the reader to wish for the more he is clearly capable of.”

Read the review here. Collins, 368 pages.