Book Review: Choose Your Own Autobiography

12.17.2016

Choose Your Own Autobiography is the work of Neil Patrick Harris, detailing different parts of his life until now. Although the book is done in the style of the Choose Your Own Adventure books, I listened to the book on tape where flipping to page 129 wasn't exactly feasible :p . The author himself narrates it though, and did his best to take us through the book from start to finish without getting lost along the way. NPH's past, from aspiring adolescent actor to young stardom to proud husband and parent, is an interesting story told with classic NPH humor. I can't say it was my favorite autobiography, as it definitely erred on the side of trying too hard to be funny rather than genuine or meaningful. But, walking the streets of San Francisco, this book definitely held my interested and brightened my days. It was entertaining, but didn't leave me feeling like I had insight into who NPH was as a person at all. I will say, though, that listening to him talk (or read aloud) about his kids was heart melting. I had no idea what the experiences of being a "closeted" gay celebrity or a gay couple trying to have kids were, and hearing about those first-hand was super interesting. Definitely a tiny drop of knowledge from a world I know little or nothing about, which is always excellent! Overall, I definitely recommend this book if you're looking for something light, that doesn't require too much attention, or love all things NPH.