Wild Dances

Eurovision fans worldwide know the man on the video with the curly hair and the insight on every contestant. William Lee Adams, the Vietnamese-American journalist with the Southern twang in his voice, has been reporting on the song contest for well over a decade with his team at Wiwibloggs. And much like many of the contestants he reports on, Adams’ journey to the song contest has not been an easy road.

Adams new memoir Wild Dances: My Queer and Curious Journey to Eurovision documents the path his life took from a childhood in Georgia, to an Ivy League college, to now living in London. This memoir is about the finding where you fit in personally and professionally, as well as overcoming the shared family trauma that so often restrains us. Framed by the loss of two important people in his life, this striking autobiography covers tough subjects usually shrouded in stigma such as mental health, physical disability, domestic violence, and sexual orientation.

I give Wild Dances: My Queer and Curious Journey to Eurovision 5 out of 5 stars. It is not very often a book, let alone a memoir, can have me mourning a loss and laughing out loud in the span of two pages, but this book did just that. The way the author approached the difficult topics instead of shying away or glossing over them gives an authenticity to the writing. This memoir also serves to remind readers that popularity, fame, and success do not mean an individual has experienced an easy, or even happy life.

I recommend this book to readers familiar with Adams’ via the Eurovision contest, as well as those who have never heard his name. I also suggest this memoir to those who, like Adams, must navigate family culture while looking for love, happiness, and professional success. With discussions of sexual orientation and discovery, this book would be best for audiences over 13.

Douze points to William Lee Adams!

From a difficult childhood growing up in Atlanta among troubled family members, feeding his burgeoning queer identity with little dance routines haphazardly taped on to the ends of TV recordings, to the bright lights and thrumming beats of Eurovision finals, this book was a stellar performance of its own.

William peels back the layers of glitter, heavy makeup, and outlandish stage costumes to paint an intimate portrait of his own path to becoming an authority in Eurovision media coverage. Frankly written and so heartfelt that pain seeps from the pages at times, this memoir's heaviest parts were quite difficult to read through, so fair warning for sensitive readers.

This memoir opens with the death and funeral of William's father and the retrospection that invites, moving to examine the author's upbringing in 80s and 90s Atlanta with a Vietnamese mother and American soldier father. The Vietnamese food, relatives and culture mentioned throughout were a lovely part of the narrative. It then transitions to college years, and eventually to what we know now, of the famous Wiwibloggs and its yearly journeys to wherever the song contest is being held.

Eurovision isn't mentioned much before the sixty percent mark, so depending on why you picked up the book that may come as a disappointment. Once it is mentioned, I was blown away at the detail, candid interviews he managed to catch, and even the geopolitical context provided for different wins and scandals. Incredible work. I was really curious, personally, to read about William's journey to running Wiwibloggs, my favorite source for Eurovision coverage, and not at all disappointed there.

Five stars for a thorough excavation of William's early life til now, and all the pain and excitement that went alongside. A good memoir doesn't shrink back from or sugarcoat our darkest moments, and this was well done.

TWs for homophobia, child abuse, domestic violence, frank discussions of troubled mental health, death of family members.

I have been fan of the Eurovision Song Contest for over 15 years, and a long time follower of the fan site and YouTube channel Wiwibloggs, so I jumped at the chance to read the founder William Lee Adams' book. There's been hints of his painful past peaking through the bubbly personality we see in the Wiwibloggs' videos, and more so in recent years since his sister Suzanne joined him in the Eurovision press center for livestreams. At times, Adams' memoir is a tough read, but these darker moments show how vibrant his life has become, and I am glad that he didn't shy away from depicting these topics nor to sugarcoat his life. Although it takes awhile to get to his introduction to Eurovision, you appreciate how much the contest has done for him, and as a fan, it gave me deeper appreciation how much he has done for the ESC fandom in turn.
I would recommend this book for older teens and adults given some of the subject matter, but also definitely for Eurovision fans and those interested in LGBTQ+ autobiographies.
4 stars
Thanks to Astra House and NetGalley for providing this copy, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I read this book because I’m a Eurovision fan, and I’ve been following Wiwiblogs for quite a few years. William is known for being a talented journalist, but their family background, at least for me, was almost unknown. I know a little about his sister because I’ve seen her on his youtube channel.

This book follows almost all of Adam’s life until last year. If I summarized this book only in a few words, I would say it is an honest and direct story about William’s life. Growing up in a family with a conservative dad, a mother who struggles with communication, and two complicated siblings, can transform any child’s life. He also has John, his other brother, whom his mother left behind when she moved from Vietnam to the USA. Later John, due to health issues, becomes from an active and energetic child to a dependent person. Unless this, they have a strong connection and a beautiful relationship.

We can see how little William discovers himself. At a young age, he seems different from others and starts having feelings for other men. But also how he makes strong relationships with his friends. He deals with so many difficulties and dangerous situations that being him right now as a successful journalist, you can feel it almost like a miracle.

And when it started their obsession with the Eurovision Song Contest, he focused all their efforts on covering the contest. Even being able to do other more prolific activities, he chooses what he enjoys the most.

I had no real expectations about this book, but surprisingly I enjoyed it. He gave us some tea about ESC, which I highly appreciated it. But what impressed me the most was William and John's relationship. How they took refuge in each other, even without words can communicate.

If you’re interested in memoirs, even if you don’t know much about the contest, I recommend you this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.