Slash Coleman does justice to his subject—and then some ... by turns darkly comic, side-splittingly funny, and poignant.
Bohemian Love Diaries
A Memoir
Description
Infused with southern charm, this irresistibly weird and wonderful story chronicles Slash Coleman’s upbringing in a warped but warm-hearted household of eccentric artists. Descended from a posse of off-beat immigrants--including a grandfather who danced at the Moulin Rouge--and raised near the capital of the Confederacy during the 1970s and ’80s, young Slash sets out to find true love. Unfortunately, he’s his own worst enemy. Obsessions with Evel Knievel, rock band KISS, and crisscrossing the country to find the girl of his dreams set his quest for happiness on a hapless course.
Hilarious and profound, Coleman slowly comes to terms with his father, a genius sculptor and volatile alcoholic, and his mother, a Holocaust survivor who makes him promise never to reveal that he’s Jewish. A touching portrait emerges of a young artist whose passionate spirit refuses to be suppressed. A swift kick to the funny bone, The Bohemian Love Diaries and its laugh-out-loud perversity conjure Jonathan Ames and Augusten Burroughs with a tender edge, revealing what might have happened if John Hodgman raised Holden Caulfield in Chuck Palahniuk’s attic. It will leave you howling.
Pages256
Released2013
LanguageEnglish
PublisherGlobe Pequot Publishing
ISBN9780762796557
SellerSimon & Schuster
Reviews
Coleman exhibits flashes of humor and thoughtful introspection. Passages analyzing his mother’s reasons for hiding her Jewish identity prove especially moving. ... An entertaining examination of the plight of an artist’s progeny.
Slash Coleman has de-gentrified my soul.
Gary Shteyngart, New York Times–bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story
Slash Coleman has a fresh point of view, an original story, and tons of style. The Bohemian Love Diaries is a fun, raucous read by a fantastic storyteller.
Mishna Wolff, bestselling author of I'm Down
Coleman comes alive on the page in this memoir about the bizarre and beautiful life of a free spirit and artist who navigates through life with his heart. It’s easy to fall in love with him as a reader, and I can’t decide if I wished I was on the journey with him or if I’m completely content to simply read about it and enjoy the laugh. One thing is for sure, Evel Knievel would be proud.
Ophira Eisenberg, host of NPR's Ask Me Another and author of Screw Everyone
Slash’s endearing and idiosyncratic memoir feels wonderfully intimate, like he’s whispering his life’s greatest and most heartbreaking moments right into your ear. A lively, wonderful read.
Mara Altman, author of Thanks for Coming
A Library of Virginia People's Choice Award Finalist
"Slash Coleman does justice to his subject—and then some ... by turns darkly comic, side-splittingly funny, and poignant."
—New York Journal of Books
“Coleman exhibits flashes of humor and thoughtful introspection. Passages analyzing his mother’s reasons for hiding her Jewish identity prove especially moving. ... An entertaining examination of the plight of an artist’s progeny.”
—Kirkus Reviews
"This one-man off-Broadway act is proving over and over again that he has the ability to tell a story in a way that few can. His words capture us, his drive amazes us, and his works entertain us.
—Slush Heap blog
"An uncommonly good book ... Slash is a wicked storyteller. But, unlike many other successful TV, radio, or just-in-your-living-room storytellers, he also knows how to put his stories on paper in a way that doesn't make them wilt. And the book is frequently very funny. Even more: in places it really makes you laugh out loud ... But there is a lot of tenderness and love in this book. ... So yes, go and buy The Bohemian Love Diaries, it will not change your life, but it will definitely make it richer. Enjoy."
—Simply Jews blog
"Everyone has a story, but how you tell that story is what will be the deciding factor that shines a spotlight upon the past you. Author Slash Coleman has a spot light so damn bright upon him you would think his alter ego was Batman. However, the story he tells will literally cause Batman to hang his head in shame. And that is AWESOME. The Bohemian Love Diaries is one that most of us could only ever dream of. I like to visualize it is a fluid mix of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas meets Moonrise Kingdom but factual. ... This book will show you the growth of a child to man who knew love, found love, lost love, and wrapped it all up in a crazy offbeat adventure called life. By the end of the book, you will wish your life were even a fraction as quirky as Coleman’s and will be suggesting it to everyone to read."
—Musing with Crayola Kym blog
"A heartbreak of a memoir ... Slash can write, and write well, and make me laugh out loud at the idea of a boy hacking at a tree, but it took him a serious journey to get to where he was writing down his own story. ... I loved every embarrassing moment he shared. ... It’s a bit Running with Scissors mixed with Mennonite in a Little Black Dress meets I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell has dinner with every six-word memoir book made at Smith, sleeps with Girl, Interrupted. ... The book ends in a full-circle road trip with his father. I won’t give it away, but it’s beautiful. I don’t often say a plot is beautiful, but the way that this bohemian discovers the truth of his father is devastatingly pretty. Not girl-pretty, just something-floating-in-space-pretty. This book won’t be hard to spot since the cover has a small child in underwear and a helmet, which makes complete sense to parts of this story. I dare you to read it to get to the truth."
—Books and Bowel Movements blog
"It's a barrel full of crazy. Coleman writes in such a way that I felt I was reading a Dali painting. If you like your biographies on the quirky side, then you'll enjoy this book. It's one of the most original, entertainingly weird books I've read in a long time."
—I Feel So Unnecessary blog
“Slash Coleman has de-gentrified my soul.”
—GARY SHTEYNGART, New York Times–bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story
"Slash Coleman has a fresh point of view, an original story, and tons of style. The Bohemian Love Diaries is a fun, raucous read by a fantastic storyteller."
—MISHNA WOLFF, bestselling author of I'm Down
“Coleman comes alive on the page in this memoir about the bizarre and beautiful life of a free spirit and artist who navigates through life with his heart. It’s easy to fall in love with him as a reader, and I can’t decide if I wished I was on the journey with him or if I’m completely content to simply read about it and enjoy the laugh. One thing is for sure, Evel Knievel would be proud.”
—OPHIRA EISENBERG, host of NPR's Ask Me Another and author of Screw Everyone
“Slash’s endearing and idiosyncratic memoir feels wonderfully intimate, like he’s whispering his life’s greatest and most heartbreaking moments right into your ear. A lively, wonderful read.”
—MARA ALTMAN, author of Thanks for Coming
This one-man off-Broadway act is proving over and over again that he has the ability to tell a story in a way that few can. His words capture us, his drive amazes us, and his works entertain us.
An uncommonly good book ... Slash is a wicked storyteller. But, unlike many other successful TV, radio, or just-in-your-living-room storytellers, he also knows how to put his stories on paper in a way that doesn't make them wilt. And the book is frequently very funny. Even more: in places it really makes you laugh out loud ... But there is a lot of tenderness and love in this book. ... So yes, go and buy The Bohemian Love Diaries, it will not change your life, but it will definitely make it richer.
Everyone has a story, but how you tell that story is what will be the deciding factor that shines a spotlight upon the past you. Author Slash Coleman has a spot light so damn bright upon him you would think his alter ego was Batman. However, the story he tells will literally cause Batman to hang his head in shame. And that is AWESOME. The Bohemian Love Diaries is one that most of us could only ever dream of. I like to visualize it is a fluid mix of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas meets Moonrise Kingdom but factual. ... This book will show you the growth of a child to man who knew love, found love, lost love, and wrapped it all up in a crazy offbeat adventure called life. By the end of the book, you will wish your life were even a fraction as quirky as Coleman’s and will be suggesting it to everyone to read.
A heartbreak of a memoir ... Slash can write, and write well, and make me laugh out loud at the idea of a boy hacking at a tree, but it took him a serious journey to get to where he was writing down his own story. ... I loved every embarrassing moment he shared. ... It’s a bit Running with Scissors mixed with Mennonite in a Little Black Dress meets I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell has dinner with every six-word memoir book made at Smith, sleeps with Girl, Interrupted. ... The book ends in a full-circle road trip with his father. I won’t give it away, but it’s beautiful. I don’t often say a plot is beautiful, but the way that this bohemian discovers the truth of his father is devastatingly pretty. Not girl-pretty, just something-floating-in-space-pretty. This book won’t be hard to spot since the cover has a small child in underwear and a helmet, which makes complete sense to parts of this story. I dare you to read it to get to the truth.
It's a barrel full of crazy. Coleman writes in such a way that I felt I was reading a Dali painting. If you like your biographies on the quirky side, then you'll enjoy this book. It's one of the most original, entertainingly weird books I've read in a long time.
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