Book Review: Kill Daddy

Title: Kill Daddy

Author: Gerald Freeman

Genre: Memoir

Book Blurb: 

Kill Daddy is my debut book, and part of a series, which I call Life.The story takes place in East Africa, where Gerry has gone to escape the demons from his past, and find something inspirational to do with his life. Escaping England was easy, but escaping his past was not. It is an emotional journey as well as a physical one. He is damaged goods, the product of abuse, and he feels like a pariah on society. However, in Africa, Gerry finds love, friendship, and even security among the poorest people in the world, who open their hearts and welcome him into their families as one of their own. He experiences a roller-coaster ride of adventures, both amazing and awful, and he finds out what life is really like, living in the remote villages of Kenya and Uganda. Will Africa be enough to help him regain his sense of self-worth, or will his abusers win in the end?

Review:

Don't let the title of the book scare you away! I was a little bit apprehensive reading a book with Kill Daddy as it's title (I mean...it does sound a bit violent, doesn't it?) But the book blurb caught my eye so I thought I would give it a whirl. It was totally not what I expected...in a good way.

Gerry knows it's time to refresh and restart his life after a somewhat disturbing phone call with his dad.  Enter: Africa.

In Africa, Gerry finds solace. He quits drugs cold turkey and learns to take on a more idealistic approach to life. Gerry learns to be more appreciative of life and slow down. As mentioned before, Gerry might be the best role model, but he has his personal values/morals straight, and I think that is very important. This is what sets Gerry apart from other acquaintances of his early on.

There were also some very nice quotes:

"In the years I travelled on the road, there was so much coincidence and so many people, events and places that connected in some way, that after a while I realized that coincidence is, more often then not, the wrong word to use."

"At least the people there never had to worry about being a success and making it to the top, their only concern was living, and how I envied them, knowing that I would probably never be able to relax because there would always be something I thought I should be doing. I think that's the problem with our society, people feel too guilty to relax."

The last quote strikes a particular chord within me. It seems like everyone is obsessed with "being a success"....it's all about getting good grades, getting into a good college, finding a high paying job, etc. Don't get me wrong--there's nothing wrong with ambition. But perhaps it is time to redefine America's definition of "success."

I especially liked how the author depicted Africa and its culture. He did so respectfully and honestly. Gerry experiences both the goods and bads the continent had to offer, and learns a new lesson from each experience.

It took me a little bit longer than usual to finish the book--but not because it was bad or anything like that. It was just that I quickly found out I had to be in *just* the right mood to enjoy it.  This is a truly unique novel that I think many readers should give a go!

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