{"product_id":"baggage-by-alan-cumming-9781838856649","title":"Baggage","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is absolutely no logical reason why I am here. The life trajectory my nationality and class and circumstances portended for me was not even remotely close to the one I now navigate. But logic is a science and living is an art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe release I felt in writing my first memoir, \u003ci\u003eNot My Father's Son\u003c\/i\u003e, was matched only by how my speaking out empowered so many to engage with their own trauma. I was reminded of the power of my words and the absolute duty of authenticity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut. No one ever fully recovers from their past. There is no cure for it. You just learn to manage and prioritise it. I believe the second you feel you have triumphed or overcome something - an abuse, an injury to the body or the mind, an addiction, a character flaw, a habit, a person - you have merely decided to stop being vigilant and embraced denial as your modus operandi. And that is what this book is about, and for: to remind you not to buy in to the Hollywood ending.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIronically maybe, much of \u003ci\u003eBaggage\u003c\/i\u003e chronicles my life in Hollywood and how, since I recovered from a nervous breakdown at 28, work has repeatedly whisked me away from personal calamities to sets and stages around the world. It is also about marriage(s): starting with the break-up of my first (to a woman) and ending with the ascension to my second (to a man) with many kissed toads in between! But in everything, each failed relationship or encounter with a legend (Liza! X Men! Gore Vidal! Kubrick! Spice Girls!), in every bad decision or moment of sensual joy I have endeavoured to show what I have learned and how I've become who I am today: a happy, flawed, vulnerable, fearless middle-aged man, with a \u003ci\u003elot\u003c\/i\u003e of baggage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'It seems fundamentally unfair that Alan Cumming is, in addition to being a fine actor and a wicked performer, such a hell of a good writer. But he is. He's observant, honest, often trenchantly funny, always emotionally honest. He's an international treasure' - Neil Gaiman\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Everything that makes Alan Cumming so engaging as a person and a performer - his cleverness, kindness, charm, wildness and, above all, authenticity - shines from every page of this wonderful, witty and wise book.' - Nigella Lawson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'I could not love this man... or this book more. Alan writes with such unvarnished truth and a humour that can only come from a brilliant mind, rapier wit and resilience from emotionally painful life experiences. This book - like Alan is off the page - is full of insight, compassion, intellect and wisdom. This is the best \u003ci\u003eBaggage\u003c\/i\u003e to have' - Monica Lewinsky\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47485927096556,"sku":"9781838856649","price":36.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/867db878aec14d666911a27c61f838b9.jpg?v=1775789152","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/baggage-by-alan-cumming-9781838856649","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}