BOOK REVIEWS Courtesy of Beaverdale Books
‘Happy’
By Alex Lemon
Simon & Schuster
Pub Date: 12/29/2009
$25
292 pp
Alex Lemon’s new memoir “Happy” is gritty, real and amazing. When I heard him read a portion of this book out loud, I felt electrified, emotional and wanted to pick up more than my one allotted free copy. I didn’t of course. (Although now that I’ve read the entire book, I’m quite sure Alex would have loaded a couple free extras into his bag.) That said, I’m certainly giving this book to both of my edgy wordsmith brothers. The investment will be well worth it.
Happy (Lemon’s nickname) entered college in the fall of 1996 and was the catcher for the college’s baseball team, lived in the dorms, partied with his friends and lived the general crude and fun life of a college boy. This same year he began to suffer vertigo, was having problems seeing well and threw up blood in the shower. He delved deeper into drugs and alcohol until he could no longer ignore his symptoms. Finally, upon going to the doctor, he learned his brain was bleeding — he had an aneurism.
This memoir takes you through his recovery, his second aneurism and finally his brain surgery and recovery. As you might guess from the book cover and the subject matter, the story isn’t “happy,” but is real. The writing is punchy and poetic, bringing you into Lemon’s world. You can’t afford to miss this book from a fabulous new writer. CV — Review by Laura Flaugher
