Take This Man by Brando Skyhorse

A few years ago I read the book, The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse. It immediately became one of my all-time favorite books. After I finished I emailed the author to let him know how much I loved the book. He told me that he was working on a memoir. That memoir finally published a few weeks ago.

I was so excited (and even more to see it was only $4.99!). I devoured the book in 2 days. This book is all about the messed up childhood that Brando Skyhorse lived. His mother just adopted the name of a famous native american incarcerated outlaw and took it as her own and her sons. This left Brando with a false sense of who he was and where he came from. To add to the chaos many different men came in and out of his life and as a young boy searching for a father figure he took to each of these men and then had to deal with the aftermath of their leaving.

Eventually Brando learns the truth and finds out his father is a Mexican man who has always lived near him. The end of the book finds Brando with a father and half-sisters. You can tell that he is having a hard time becoming a part of a "normal" family, but is making a grand attempt. What I admired so much about Brando and the life he lead was that he turned to education and despite the odds against him, he went to and graduated from a university.

I loved this book and found it funny and heartbreaking and hopeful. I hope that Brando Skyhorse continues to write. After reading this book I emailed Brando again and he very graciously wrote back. I love that!