I found this both funny and engaging, and it was interesting to learn about his life, as I didn’t know much about him. I especially loved that he narrated his own story in the audiobook.

I have been a fan before my parents should have let me listen to his music and at that time I really didn’t understand what he stood for, what sexuality meant, but I loved his music and the band.

This short autobiography was perfect and narrators by him, which imo is the only way to do it - it adds a whole nother element of depth

I really enjoyed his story and it’s so interesting to see it from his point of view. I don’t understand why he supports Trump but that’s my opinion.

You know I love music so of course I needed to listen to this autobiography, it was simply fascinating and listening to him narrate it was even better.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this complimentary audiobook.

𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮 by Boy George released January 9, 2024.

Karma: My Autobiography was a great read by Boy George. This is the oggicial story of music icon Boy George, told in his words. Boy George's real name is George O'Dowd and this book follows his life through fame, success, crash and burn, and now a kind of autumnal medetative serenity. Although George went to a lot of trouble to create Boy George, he is now at a place where he can enjoy and embrace him in a way he wasnt able to as a young man. If you love the famboyance of Boy George you will love reading this book about his life. I enjoyed reading this book and cant wait to read more by the author.

"I don't want to be down with the kids, I prefer they look up at me"

I know about Boy George the icon rather than Boy George the musician. As such some of his discussions about fellow musicians were about people I didn't know but they were entertaining nonetheless. Hearing George laugh about his own stories was adorable. The whole book is highly quotable, though since it is written semi-stream of consciousness there is some repetition and meandering. If you can get past the style of writing there is a lot of substance here.
The way George writes about his life, you can see the growth he went through. We also get to see the man behind the legend. No matter who we are we have the same struggles internally and the self self doubt.
Having wanted to read about Boy George I also got to meet George O'Dowd, the man.

amazing amazing! I love Boy George and Boy's music filled my childhood and is associated with so many memories. The story was amazing and I am so happy that I was able to listen to this book!

A mix of stream of consciousness, self reflection, anecdotes, and a dash of contradiction. I walked into this memoir not knowing much about the personal details of Boy George’s life and Culture Club, so I was looking forward to hearing more about the behind the scenes of their career.

While George certainly covered a lot of his life in the book much of it felt surface level and a bit hard to follow since the story isn't told in a linear way. So if you don't have a working knowledge of the people being referenced it can be hard to understand who they are in the context of the story and also when things were happening. I left feeling like I needed a timeline in the back to reference.

It was cool that new music was incorporated into the audiobook, and I think that's a great thing for musical artists to do.
***Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

"Song writing is easy. You just need some words and a reason to say them" If only this was true.

Growing up in the 80s, I loved his music. As I listened to his story, I appreciated how hard it must have been to be openly gay back then. I loved hearing who inspired his journey, what music he gravitated to and how some of those songs spoke to him.

Like a lot of celebrities in their memoirs, he name drops, but I was surprised at some of the names. And that lasting feud with Madonna.

I guess the US media did not follow him. I didn't realize he was in prison or was on the reality shows. I liked his openness about prison and the before and after.

His reading is a little flat in the beginning, but I am comparing him to professional narrators and actors. He did get better as the book progressed and I enjoyed his narration except for the laughing in the middle.

There were two new songs played in the middle and I really enjoyed them.

I'll leave you with this. "Sometimes I wonder if they know what the words mean or just like the melody."

A behind the scenes look into the life of of Boy George. Fascinating stories, but I was surprised that I didn't actually enjoy the audiobook as much as I hoped, but his delivery was a bit monotone for me. Two and a half stars.

Not what I was expecting. I love Boy George and Culture Club, and it was fun to listen to him read his own memoir, even if his voice was rather monotone and his accent was hard for me to understand. He giggled a lot, which was a fun touch. However, I don't know any of the people he talks about in this memoir, and a lot of it is about drugs. The stories seemed to be just off the top of his head and didn't really follow a structure or a big picture.

I thought this was alright. I don't enjoy rating autobiographies because this is the person's truth. I was expecting more excitement seeing that this one was read by Boy George. I felt like the storytelling fell flat and therefore the book was just okay for me.

I'm going to try not to gush.....
I have been a fan of Boy George since before I got married and had children, so 40+ years?
I have always loved him but after this book I love him so much more.
My favorite parts?
When he'd laugh as he was reading!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOK!!!
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to experience this wonderful book.

Boy George is flamboyant, eccentric, talented and unique! His personality comes out in this memoir and I was hooked from the very first sentence.

Being a GenXer, this book brought back tons of memories. I love how honest and truthful Boy George is. From his arrest, to his drug use and beyond, he tells it like it is…or was!

I love when the author narrates their own book. And Boy George is amazing. I love when he laughs at his own jokes and at himself. This always put a grin on my face!

Need a good, honest memoir…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Boy George has had a life (and continues to do so)! I did not know anything about his early years or family life and found this period a bit heartbreaking. The book takes us through the many ups and downs of hi personal life and career. I grew up during the time that he was hitting the charts and he is part of the soundtrack to my life.

Listening to Boy George tell his own stories was not what I expected. It was rather monotone and felt as if he were a child reading his social studies report. It was only his brief bursts of laughter when he was tickled by a story that brought life and sparkle to Karma. I did manage to get used to it, but it was a disappointment being that we all know him to be clever, sarcastic and brutally honest with great joie de vivre.

The stories, although meandering at some points, are still worth hearing, as is the new music included. If you are a fan, you will enjoy Karma.

My thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have always been a huge fan of Culture Club. I was so excited to be able to listen to karma through netgalley. To know Boy George himself was narrating was icing on the cake. He did a fantastic job telling his stories and I don't think any other narrator would have been able to make you feel the personal effect of the audio.

While this autobiography was a bit all over the place, it was an enjoyable book to listen to. Hearing Boy George narrate his own story and tell things from his point of view was very interesting.

I won't begin to suggest that this was an unbiased account of his life, but it doesn't need to be to be an entertaining read/listen. There is a bit whiplash going on between his instance that he loves and forgives everyone and then the chapters he spends name dropping and bashing other celebrities.

It was nice to hear his new music and see a little bit of his off-stage personality.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audio arc in exchange for an honest review

Culture Club frontman and music icon Boy George returns with his second autobiography and at 62 he is taking a much more mature and Zen like approach to his past. He drops tidbits, stories and observations about his childhood, career, drug abuse, arrest and recovery. It is told is a string of consciousness format with a rough timeline of childhood through today. I confess that I did not read his first autobiography so I do not know how these two compare or if there was more history included in the first book. This one is a little disjointed for me, while some of the stories are funny and interesting some feel like a "you had to be there" memory. There is A LOT of name dropping and if you don't know the players it can off putting. I had the audio version read by Boy George which I loved. His charm, sarcasm and humor (giggles included) comes through. There were a few new songs that he also included in the audio version which was a nice touch. Overall, I got a nice peek into his personality which I really liked but wish the book itself had a little more structure and less names.

This audiobook was delightful! Boy George is clever, witty, funny and indeed “sexy at sixty”! Themes of happiness and self-love come through as he recalls these experiences that have shaped him. His references to star signs in the book made me run out and figure out mine! (I’m a Gemini with Sagittarius rising, thanks for asking) And his giggles and snickers as he narrates the book himself are so endearing. I remember when Culture Club and Boy George burst onto the American music scene. I was confused and intrigued by this beautiful androgynous being and I am now even more enamored.

Born in the 70's, the 80's were my jam! My 10 yr old knows all the lyrics to Karma, so I had to request this! I Loved BG and Madonna so it was fun to hear about their past interactions.

OK, to the bulk of this review, I have to say - it was strange to have the polarizing views I did. On one hand, I loved that he narrated! His accent and laugh is delightful! On the other, I disliked that he narrated because despite his personality, it was a VERY monotone reading throughout the majority of the book. (This is one of the reasons for my 3 stars.)

What I liked: Amidst the turmoil that is the USA (and he addresses that) where those in charge cant make up their mind about acceptance of ALL, in England, things were a bit relaxed (or at least in his neighborhood). He mentioned that he knew his sexual preference at age 6! Age 6!! His mom LOVED on him anyway and didn't shy away from anything and just encouraged him to live his truth. He shared all of his growing up years, young adult and first hit, tour, alcohol, drugs, sex, current rehab, sober life, you name it -- he was an open book and I could appreciate that. I also liked that he tried out his newer songs here. I didn't care for them but could understand why he'd share them here.

What I struggled with: While dates were given (i saw another refer to not having dates), the ORDER by chapters was allll discombobulated. One min we are talking about his childhood and then he's in a bar with friends. In the next he's on tour and then the following he's a kid again. I do hope proper edits and tightening happened in the final product because it drove me nuts!!

All in all, I am glad I read it.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for the review!

He’s a very strong character, defiant, a determined force, with a laissez-faire/pacifist attitude that was such a contradiction, which has made him the icon he is. But that is the intrigue isn’t it. Listening to him via the audio book added such an interesting edge to an already packed and vibrant memoir - flawed, funny, softly spoken yet fierce in his assertions. The audio book even treats you to some new music!
I feel well and truly schooled on someone I never knew I knew so little about and no, he’s not for everyone, but then again, that would involve being very bland.