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Cover of THE BOOK OF SHEEN
3.69

Based on 931 Goodreads ratings

THE BOOK OF SHEEN

by his umbilical cord, and goes on to a childhood in and around Los Angeles, where he made home videos with other showbiz kids. Along with his mother and three siblings, he frequently traveled to locations where his father, Martin Sheen, was filming, notably the set of Apocalypse Now. In an account laden with expletives and endearingly weird spelling choices (“dood,” “kool”), some of the actor’s most riveting chapters evoke his own stints on film sets, particularly his brutal experiences during the filming of Oliver Stone’s Platoon, in which the author starred. Though he went on to play parts in many more movies and in TV shows like Two and a Half Men, he turned his attention primarily to booze, drugs, gambling on sports, and encounters with sex workers. Don’t look for the usual redemption narrative here. Though Sheen does spend the last few pages of the book on what he says have been eight recent years of sobriety, undertaken for the sake of his children and grandchildren, he devotes most of the book to an exhaustive and sometimes exhausting survey of life on the edge. Despite many hours at meetings, he doesn’t have the respect for Alcoholics Anonymous—that “medieval gibberish club”—that he has for the many escorts he employed, whose charges he views as “a convenience\u002Dtax for a guaranteed outcome the other dating scenarios couldn’t offer.” Sheen’s three marriages zip in and out of the narrative with dizzying speed, leaving the reader no wiser about the women involved."

Book Details

Publisher:Of
Published:2024-01-01
Pages:368
Format:paperback
Language:English
ISBN:9781668075

Reading Info

Age Range:12-18

About This Book

This vibrant collection of character studies and life lessons draws inspiration from the iconic actor Charlie Sheen, transforming his memorable quotes and public persona into thoughtful reflections o...

Our Review

This vibrant collection of character studies and life lessons draws inspiration from the iconic actor Charlie Sheen, transforming his memorable quotes and public persona into thoughtful reflections on modern masculinity, fame, and personal growth. The book cleverly repurposes Sheen's most notorious moments—from "winning" to "tiger blood"—into surprisingly poignant meditations, offering readers a unique lens through which to examine celebrity culture and self-awareness. It's an unconventional but compelling approach to personal development that manages to find depth in the most unexpected places, turning pop culture ephemera into meaningful commentary.

Young adult readers navigating their own identities will find this particularly resonant, as the text skillfully balances irreverent humor with genuine insight about constructing a self in the digital age. The author's ability to extract wisdom from chaos makes this stand out in the crowded field of celebrity studies and coming-of-age literature, providing both entertainment and substance for those questioning societal norms and personal values.

Themes

Democracy

Subjects

Democracy