Book: Not My Father’s Son and Baggage by Alan Cumming
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Dey Street Books
Publication date: 2014 and 2021

Source: E-audiobook borrowed from the library

Summary: Not My Father’s Son centers around Alan Cumming’s experience on the BBC show “Who Do You Think You Are?” Each episode of the show traces a story in the celebrity participant’s lineage. The experience revealed a variety of stories from Alan’s memory and family that he shared in much greater detail in this book than what was aired on TV.

Baggage is a more conventional memoir, all about roles, relationships, and Cumming’s philosophy of art and life.

Thoughts: I was late to the game for audiobooks. My first successful forays were celebrity memoirs read by the authors. That led me to read way more celebrity memoirs than I used to. Before, I managed one or two a decade. Now, it’s at least one or two a year.

The main attribute that I look for in a celebrity memoir is not an appreciation of the celebrity’s work. Instead, it’s how much I enjoy their speaking voice. Alan Cumming’s voice is one I loved since he began to host Masterpiece Mystery in 2008. My other major association with Alan Cumming is as Mr. Elton in Emma.

Not My Father’s Son fascinated me with its structure. “Who Do You Think You Are?” acted as a framing device that allowed for stories from Cumming’s childhood and birth family to flow from one to another, presenting a story that was all the more interesting for not being chronological.

I got to the end, though, with a lot of basic questions that one expects to be answered in a celebrity memoir. For example: “Alan, how did you get started in acting?”

Baggage is less interesting in structure but covers a lot more of Cumming’s career with many anecdotes about productions and people. Since he is a gifted storyteller with a lovely Scottish accent, I enjoyed listening to these tales.

Appeal: I consumed Not My Father’s Son and Baggage one after the other. British Isles Friday fans will appreciate the tales of Scotland and the London stage. Fans of Alan Cumming will enjoy learning about his past and career. People who love show biz will get a kick out of the behind-the-scenes peek into “Who Do You Think You Are?” in the first book and the many stories about shows and stars in the second book.

Have you read these books? What did you think?