\u201cYou are a complete disappointment.\u201d On his deathbed, Mike Edison\u2019s father gasped those words to his son—and that was just the beginning of his devastating salvo. For anyone who has ever suffered from parental bullying, this often-hilarious yet intensely heartbreaking memoir from the former High Times publisher will provide both solace and laughter. It begins with a child\u2019s hunger for love and acceptance and continues through years of withering criticism, perverse expectations, and unfounded competition from a narcissistic father who couldn\u2019t tolerate his son\u2019s happiness and libertine spirit. In the end, the author unravels a relationship that could never be fixed—but perhaps didn\u2019t need to be. In the spirit of Augusten Burroughs by way of Jeannette Walls, Edison\u2019s memoir is a candid, devastating, and deeply funny read.
