I really enjoyed Karma by Boy George! I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author and it was great to listen to him tell his own stories in a conversational way. It was so interesting to learn more about his life from growing up with his brothers and sister to coming out to his parents and then joining Culture Club. I knew his hits from the 80s and it was cool to learn how his career has evolved since then like being on Celebrity Apprentice and DJing and having a fashion line. He was candid about encountering other celebrities and drug use. I liked the inclusion of songs on the audiobook. This is definitely a good read if you’re a fan or just curious.

Karma was everything I expected it to be. There was plenty of dishy celebrity gossip (even some about the royal family; I didn't see that coming), details about the life of a celebrity that I barely knew anything about (that seems strange to admit, that someone can be as ubiquitously famous as Boy George but you really can't rattle off more than three facts about them), and well-intentioned advice from someone who has been there and done that.

It was pleasant listening to George's narration. He warns you up front to be kind; this is his first audiobook. His narration is uneven. Sometimes it is obvious that he is just reading along, other times he is so involved in the telling that he cracks himself up. That said, the unevenness served the story. George is honest that he is constantly attempting to learn and grow, to pick up new skill sets. (Some of this is due to financial troubles, which he brings up but also warns that he can't go into too much detail, so if those are the details you're after you won't be satisfied with Karma.) He probably won't win an Audie, but kind listeners will support his efforts-- I certainly do!

The inclusion of the two bonus songs was extra fun. I need to go back and re-listen to them both. I don't know whose idea that was, but it was a great decision. I don't know how serious Boy George/Culture Club fans will feel about Karma, but this casual listener and well-wisher enjoyed it quite a bit and will recommend it to others like me. I would like to thank Dreamscape Media for allowing me to experience this NetGalley audiobook.

My most recent TBR wrecker! The minute I got a hold of this audio arc, I put down what I was reading and immediately started it. I honestly felt giddy the moment I heard his voice and his iconic giggle:) I grew up close to obsessed with Boy George and I’m not embarrassed to say, that I shaved half my head and cool-aid dyed it red in grade 6 to perform a lipsync of ‘I’ll Tumble 4ya’.

This memoir is a candid account of his life from his childhood in sixties London to his rebellious exploration of his sexuality during the flamboyant seventies and the rise of Culture Club in the punk rock and glam rock era. He’s into astrology, spills some tea and gets into the highs and lows of his personal growth as both an individual and an artist. With its combination of humor, honesty, sarcasm, and of course, an homage to his impressive collection of fabulous hats 🤩, it is a unique and insightful perspective into the life and evolution of a true music icon.

My five-star review isn’t ALL about the vibes, but honestly, it kinda is ☮️

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this audio book.


Mediocre book. I was not a fan nor/hater of Boy George. I liked it was in his voice.. I liked some of what he said.. BUT I wasn't engrossed. I didn't care to keep listening.

I thought it might be interesting to read and discover more about the life of Boy George. I knew who he was and of course Karma Chameleon but that is were my knowledge ended.
For an audiobook it was a little less captivating than what I am used to. It was rather monotone but I expect that was in part due to the subject matter. For me it was a lot of stories thrown together one after the other and very disjointed.
I did enjoy hearing the laughter and giggles throughout as he is telling his story but overall it fell a bit flat for me,

I enjoyed listening to this memoir narrated by the author, Boy George. If you don’t mind his rapid-fire stream-of-consciousness style narration, you’ll hear some cute and some disturbing stories about his friends and family, the band Culture Club, life as a celebrity, his battles with addiction and time in jail, and his creative process. There’s nothing life-changing here, but he shares his stories with honesty, humor, humility, and charm. Listening to the audiobook felt a lot like sitting in a pub listening to an Irish raconteur.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys celebrity memoirs or is curious about Boy George’s life and career. The narration was fast-paced, but it’s fun to hear George’s stories in his own voice and especially with him laughing so often, so I particularly recommend the audiobook. As a nice bonus, the audiobook includes two new songs, “Suddenly I’m Wiser” and “Religion.”

I received a free advanced review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

I genuinely enjoyed this audiobook of Boy George's memoir. I love him and I've seen Culture Club in concert twice now and they always put on a great show. I just saw him again this summer so when I found out this was coming out I immediately requested it. I think it's probably best in audiobook since Boy George narrates it, also it includes new songs. It's a bit meandering but it's written and told in the style of a fun friend telling you the fascinating stories of his life. It is a bit meandering, which works for me in this manner. I love his laughter as he tells his various stories about friends and other celebrities. Seeing him in concert, he'd tell stories and talk between songs.

Thanks to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

I listened to the audiobook version. This could've been a 5 star audiobook. Loved the content, the music, the narration, but the storytelling was disjointed, sometimes hard to follow. I blame the editing. The editors should've done a better job. Despite the horrible editing, Boy George's emotions come through. I love his laughter. I am so grateful to have listened to some of Boy George's new music! They are awesome! That part is very worth it.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced audiobook copy. #netgalley #boygeroge #karma

First of all, if you read this book…listen to it! Boy George reads it, and his voice is excellent, and he giggles and laughs and makes you have this 80’s star in the room sharing the stories with you personally.

I knew little about Boy George, except I loved his style as a kid. I mean, his hair and hats alone were iconic! I learned he is very complicated and has had a lot thrown at him, and he didn’t always handle it well. He seems to be self-reflective but not always sorry. It takes a particular personality to be a celebrity.

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for the audio book.

Unfortunately, this really didn’t work for me. I felt as if it was just a stream of consciousness and not an actual story. Memoirs like this have worked in the past (Dolly Parton, Danny Trejo) but theirs had an air of familiarity and conversational tone to them. This was very hard to follow and did not keep me engaged.

I'm not sure what to say about Boy George's latest memoir. It feels like you're snowed in with Boy George and he proceeds to tell you his life story for several hours. He's name drops people you've never heard of with no explanation. He doesn't talk much about Culture Club, but has some great stories from his time in prison. In the end you've had a great time because you're hanging out with Boy George, but you don't feel like you know him. For me the lack of narrative is redeemed by Boy George's reading. He chortles and cackles his way through the book.

I feel like marketing Karma as Boy George’s autobiography is a bit misleading. There are a lot of references in this book to his previous autobiography/memoir. I don’t know how this one differs from the first but it felt like extra stories added in, as opposed to being a standalone. That being said, I enjoyed all of the 🫖 in Karma. The narration was a bit monotone/mumbly at times but it absolutely had to be Boy George’s voice!

Karma
by Boy George
Narrated by Boy George

Rating: 3.5/5.0 Stars

I love memoirs. I love learning about entertainers, notable figures, etc. through their own words. It is even better when they narrate the story if they can do so in a good way that makes the story even better. Unfortunately, Boy George read his story kind of blandly. It felt like he was reading the words, but not really in a way that brought his words to life, except for when he laughs, which is quite often throughout the book. I really think if he had read his story with more emotion, it would have added to the book.

Now, onto the book itself...It's all over the place and doesn't go in chronological order. I enjoyed learning more about Boy George through his own words, and while I enjoyed listening, there was a lot of room for improvement in the telling of things. If you're a Boy George fan, then I'd definitely give this book a read or a listen. In the beginning of the book, he mentions the difference between writing a memoir in 2012 when he was younger, versus now. I'm interested to read his earlier memoir to see what kind of stuff he wrote about back then. I would have enjoyed learning more about when he was younger and how he became Boy George. He touches on it in this book, but it sounds like he had a supportive and kind family, and I would have listed to hear more about that period.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Boy George for the chance to listen to and review this ARC!

This rating is for my enjoyment of the book not of Boy George or who he is. He certainly has had an extraordinary and whirlwind life but it didn't engage me as much as I thought it would.

If you were in the English music scene in the 80's then you'd love this book. There's name dropping by the bucket load, and not just celebrities. It feels like he mentions every person he's ever met (and their spouse and their children's names and what they are doing now). It's also not chronological and seems to be very scattered, as if he's writing it as he's thinking it and didn't go back to put it in any sort of order. I didn't know whether he was still discussing a 2018 concert or if he'd jumped back to a 1986 one.

It also has lots of short sentences. It becomes annoying. Join some lines together. Get some flow happening. It reminded me of Lee Child. Really noticeable on audio.

This was designed to be an audiobook so he could add some songs to it. Unfortunately there were only two and I think it could have used more to make it that bit more unique. Whilst I normally like hearing the author read their own books, I wasn't 100% loving his slightly monotone voice. I did however love his chuckle. When he added those to certain memories, it sounded so genuine, like he was right in the moment again. They were my favourite parts.

I'm glad he's at a good stage of his life now and appears to have fought most of his demons. Whilst I'm sure he can be deliciously bitchy, I feel like he'd also be a good friend (to those who deserve it). There will be people who will love this, but it just didn't work for me.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me early access to this audiobook. I was listening to Boy George with friends at a time in my life when the culture was important, and I think of those friends every time I hear Boy George on the radio. I love that he is the one narrating his own audiobook, and I think it adds something to the story.
This is not a laundry list of items but the story of his life from his own viewpoint. He talks about things that happened, what he went through, and how he felt about events as they happened.
I highly recommend this to everyone from my generation who wants to take a trip down memory lane.

This was really enjoyable and I thought it was an honest account from Boy George on his life. The book was written well and I was really interested in what he had to say. It was really interesting to learn a bit more about his man's incredible life. I found some parts really funny yet there were some other parts that were really touching.

I didn't feel the time go listening to this and would highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audiocopy of this book.
I always prefer to listen to a memoir especially if it's narrated by the author themselves as it adds a layer of emotion and personality you wouldn't otherwise get, yet...
Whilst I can't fault the content of the book because at the end of the day it is Boy George's own story, his own version of events, I can however fault his narrations because as larger than life that he portrays himself, the narration is rather dry, rather robotic, lacking in emotion. Yes you get the off chuckle, giggle at his own words but where was the colour in his voice. He rather reminded me of a school child reading.
Content wise its a little all over the place choosing topics to talk about in chapters and not necessarily in chronological events and as you would expect some chapters/topics I found more interesting than others and I'm sure everyone will have their own opinion as to which those were for them but again I found it slightly lacking because whilst I applaud him for being in this karma state of mind the live and let live ethos, it also rather means he won't go much in depth about what happened in certain situations or how he actually feels or felt about it as he looks back and simply states "I don't hate them" or "I don't feel like talking about what actually happened" in some cases he couldn't even talk about ot because he was simply to out of his face on drugs he doesn't remember (his words not mine).
I can't help but feel it could have been better but that's his story to tell so it's up to him. At least I feel like I've walked away knowing a little more about a man called George.
On a plus note the 2 songs added to the audio were a wonderful addition. Thanks.

Karma is a charming but chaotically written (ghost written?) autobiography by Boy George of his life and experiences. Released 9th Nov 2023, it's 296 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.

This is not a rigorously chronological retelling of Mr. O'Dowd's life. It comes across more as a stream-of-consciousness series of retellings from his life and memories. Readers who are expecting a straight list of chronological facts will be sorely disappointed. There's also not a lot of scandalous (legally actionable) gossip and there's little dishing of dirt to be found. What there is, and it goes throughout the book, feels like a warm and friendly visit with a very campy, sweetly loopy uncle. He doesn't spend time talking about his legal troubles or incarceration. (Which is a positive with this book, his life has enough tragedy and it's a welcome relief that he doesn't drag it out and rehash it over and over for public consumption).

The unabridged audiobook version has a run time of 7 hours 41 minutes and is narrated by the author himself. His voice will be familiar to most fans from interviews and media and he has a campy, friendly, delivery with humor and wit (and he giggles fairly often, which might drag some listeners out of their listening rhythm). Sound and production quality are high throughout.

Four stars with the definite codicil that it's mostly aimed at fans of his iconic work who aren't expecting a dish-all kiss and tell memoir.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I had to DNF this book. I wanted to learn more about Boy George but was left feeling conflicted. I have mixed feelings. The language used may be a generational thing, but to me it was offensive. I grew up listening to some of Culture Club's music but didn't really ever know the story. Sadly I just wasn't feeling this.

My guilty pleasure is listening to celebrity memoirs so when I saw a new one available I couldn’t help myself.

I know the name Boy George, I’ve heard some of the music, but I’ve never followed the career or music, these are some of my favorite celebrity memoirs—the ones where I don’t have a lot of background and am getting to ’ know’ the part of them they want to share.

Boy George’s Karma was a fun listen and the way that new music was woven through it made it even better. He shared some interesting stories and insight into his world.