It Rhymes With Takei
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Following the award-winning bestseller They Called Us Enemy, George Takei’s new full-color graphic memoir reveals his most personal story of all—told in full for the first time anywhere! George Takei has shown the world many faces: actor, author, outspoken activist, helmsman of the starship Enterprise, living witness to the internment of Japanese Americans, and king of social media. But until October 27, 2005, there was always one piece missing—one face he did not show the world. There was one very intimate fact about George that he never shared…and it rhymes with Takei. Now, for the first time ever, George shares the full story of his life in the closet, his decision to come out as gay at the age of 68, and the way that moment transformed everything. Following the phenomenal success of his first graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, George Takei reunites with the team of Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger for a jaw-dropping new testament. From his earliest childhood crushes and youthful experiments in the rigidly conformist 1950s, to global fame as an actor and the terrible fear of exposure, to the watershed moment of speaking his truth and becoming one of the most high-profile gay men on the planet, It Rhymes with Takei offers a sweeping portrait of one iconic American navigating the tides of LGBTQ+ history. Combining historical context with intimate subjectivity, It Rhymes with Takei shows how the personal and the political have always been intertwined. Its richly emotional words and images depict the terror of entrapment even in gay community spaces, the anguish of speaking up for so many issues while remaining silent on his most personal issue, the grief of losing friends to AIDS, the joy of finding true love with Brad Altman, and the determination to declare that love openly—and legally—before the whole world. Looking back on his astonishing life on both sides of the closet door, George Takei presents a charismatic and candid account of how far America has come…and how precious that progress is.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Star Trek actor and Eisner award winner Takei follows They Called Us Enemy with a deeply felt and good-humored graphic memoir that charts his long journey toward self-acceptance as a gay man. The accessible narrative opens with a prologue set in 2022, when Takei appeared on The View to discuss coming out at the "very late" age of 68 and declared that "society groomed me to be closeted." He then flashes back to his boyhood, where he learns to pretend to be attracted to girls: "Even at this early stage, I was an actor... hiding my true self behind a character." In high school, he develops a passion for the stage, and eventually he lands roles in theater, film, and television. Alongside fond memories of playing Sulu on Star Trek, he peppers in cameos from such luminaries as Cary Grant. Across the years, he confronts personal, professional, and historic highs and lows. Despite his fears, when he finally comes out publicly, it bolsters his career. He campaigns openly for gay marriage and gets asked to appear on series like The Big Bang Theory. Harmony Becker's crisp, bright art complements Takei's sunny storytelling, and though he frankly acknowledges present-day political challenges, he concludes on a determinedly optimistic note: "If we have the courage to fight for our principles, America will be okay." This invigorating autobiography effortlessly mixes inspiration with insight.
