Editorial Review: “Karma: My Autobiography” by Boy George

Peek into the provocative, charismatic, contradictory, controversial, and ever-changing life of music legend and cultural icon Boy George.

Review

Sometimes the most political act is to be yourself.

– Boy George, Karma: My Autobiography (p. 25).

Follow Boy George from his start as a fearless queer East Londonder in a series of snapshots of life as the artist, the cultural icon, and the man. 

London has the power to take the musical world by storm, and, in the 1970s, the storm wore hats and makeup, was queer, punk, and went by the name Boy George.

Karma: My Autobiography takes off from a place of spiritual seeking and creative abundance, where Boy George is standing now. The rest are a series of snapshots of the musician’s life. From a fearless gay kid in East London to the catapult of fame that Culture Club meant. The author discusses his issues with addiction and his clashes with the law. He also devotes plenty of pages to his most controversial relationships —namely his frenemy Marilyn and his fellow band member and former lover, Jon. But it’s not all glam, glitz, and rows. One of my favorite chapters was the one devoted to his late mother. He also discusses his creative process and stance on artistic expressions, such as fashion, makeup, and dance. The pictures at the end are worth watching, and the captions are brilliant. 

Boy George’s unique personality is imprinted in every word. He is not humble, and he doesn’t pretend to be. He can be mean. He’s obsessed with astrology. He is a walking, talking, singing, contradiction. I loved Boy George’s acknowledgment of the strong females in his life. It’s fascinating to see how someone who was such a pioneer back in the day has adapted to the technology era. As the author says, “If you hated me in the eighties and wanted to tell me, you had to write a letter.” The narrative comes from a raw, honest, even cynical place, and the reader can feel that. 

We can all learn from the author not to limit our self-definition. For example, he considers himself “Catholic in my complications and Buddhist in my aspirations,” as well as an “honorary Jew.” Who says we need to choose one or the other? 

The book is not without literary merit. Plenty of figures of speech and wordplay add cheer to the narrative—e.g., “He was a Jekyll with nothing to hide.” The author also does a great job of constantly anchoring his narrative back to the present, comparing, for example, one of his music videos to the hit series Bridgerton. The constant tidbits of humor are a blast. 

The raw honesty I mentioned can be a double-edged sword. Ever the polemic, Boy George makes statements that might ruffle some feathers, from comparing his initials to God’s (which I found hilarious) to his dismissal of cultural appropriation claims. I don’t love the fatphobic undercurrent of many of his assertions about his appearance or that of his bandmates.

The author also left some subjects underexplored. For example, he asserts that he and his friends, all of them drag, queer or anti-establishment in some way, came from ordinary families. And I’d love to know what that was like. He mentions, in passing, the AIDS epidemic, but I think we would benefit from knowing his experience of living through it as a public gay man. The endless name-dropping might also confuse some readers, especially younger ones.

However, I am not one to say why the author decided not to delve into these subjects. They have a lot of emotional charge, and no one who is writing an autobiography owes the reader anything. It also lays on the audience how to take the author’s controversial statements. We all have susceptibilities, but anyone ready to open a book by such a contentious figure should adjust their expectations accordingly, especially in a personal genre like the memoir. The names that might be unfamiliar to younger readers, or not so young ones as myself, can be easily googled. I learned plenty about the counterculture of the 80s by doing it.

Karma: My Autobiography is a must-read for aspiring and consummate musicians alike, not only because of Boy George’s importance in the field but also because of his analysis of certain songs and artists and the creative process itself. It’s a treasure for people who like to peek behind the curtain of celebrity glamour. I also recommend the book to readers interested in learning more about the 1970s and 80s, especially their subcultures. Finally, this book is for anyone who has ever questioned the establishment, the LGBTQ community, and its allies: we are all standing on the shoulders of trailblazers like Boy George. 

Book Details

• Title: Karma: My Autobiography
• Author: Boy George
• Genre: Memoir
• Theme: Celebrities, Music, LQBTQ+
• Publication Date: November 9, 2023
• ISBN or ASIN: B0D52GYPT7
• Number of Pages: 296
• Minimum Audience Age: 18

Book Themes

(Note: 0=none, 1=a few, 2=considerable, 3=pronounced, 4=excessive)

• Sexual themes: 2
• Religious themes: 2
• Violence, self-harm, etc.: 3
• Crude language, expletives, swearing, etc.: 3
• Other adult themes: 3

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