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The Man in the Gray Flannel Skirt

2.9 of 5 stars 2.90 · rating details · 101 ratings · 45 reviews

The vibrant, funny, and heartwarming story of an outcast who becomes an odd man in

If you have ever felt like a misfit in school or been paralyzed by your family’s imposing expectations, if you have ever obsessed about your appearance or panicked about choosing a career path, if you have ever wondered if every single thing to which your body is exposed, from egg yolks to X-...more

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published May 17th 2011 by Random House (first published 2011)

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Jan 02, 2012 Osho rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I've shelved this under lgbtq, because Goulian isn't entirely straight, though he's not gay. He's genderqueer for sure.

Goulian is a good enough storyteller, but I found myself reading less from a literary than a clinical perspective. Goulian's not-unreasonable family keeps asking him "why?" and Goulian isn't able to answer. He tries to in his last chapter, giving, as most of us do, a psychodynamic explanation for his self-presentation and actions. However, I don't think it's a sufficient answer...more I've shelved this under lgbtq, because Goulian isn't entirely straight, though he's not gay. He's genderqueer for sure.

Goulian is a good enough storyteller, but I found myself reading less from a literary than a clinical perspective. Goulian's not-unreasonable family keeps asking him "why?" and Goulian isn't able to answer. He tries to in his last chapter, giving, as most of us do, a psychodynamic explanation for his self-presentation and actions. However, I don't think it's a sufficient answer, not because I doubt Goulian's intentions and effort, but because I don't think the issue is psychodynamic or even, at its core, psychological. Goulian strikes me throughout (and I emphasize that I'm not diagnosing, but articulating an impression) as somebody with a psychiatric (physiologically-based) problem. I'm not referring to the content that may grab attention, such as his non-gender-conforming clothes, obsession with his body, and sexual experiences. Rather, what I notice is his intense rumination, difficulty making decisions, emotional paralysis, and fear. I notice that he finds it hard to understand or even rationalize his own behavior over time. I notice his own sense of his oddness, his understanding that social interaction is much more difficult for him than for other people. His sense that there is a meaning but that he can't grasp it. I notice the timing, that his life became puzzling to him in early adolescence (a time that's not only socially, but also biochemically significant). Thus, though I do think he has some obsessions and anxieties, I find myself wondering if he's ever had a good evaluation. I wonder if Paxil (which decreases social anxiety as well as depression) would make a positive difference for him. I wonder if the underlying problem is in the schizoid range. Even so, I wonder if he's ever had a good (and smart) therapist, and if an existentially-based men's support group would help even if there's an underlying biochemical problem. I find myself glad for him that he's able to spend his time gardening and writing, and wonder what he might turn to after telling his own story and thereby, perhaps, giving a good-enough answer to the question, "What happened?"(less)

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Aug 20, 2011 Velma rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir, non-fiction, arcs-galleys-proofs, 2011-reads

Let's just cut to the chase, shall we? "I hesitate to bore you with walking you through them." This, from the penultimate chapter of this bore of a memoir, although referring to the potential "moral implications" of the author's prototypical Freudian interaction with his mommy as a child, could serve just as well as a stand-alone indictment of this entire account. I, as reviewer, hesitate to bore you with walking through the myriad shortcomings of this tepid tome, but bore you I shall.

Don't get...more Let's just cut to the chase, shall we? "I hesitate to bore you with walking you through them." This, from the penultimate chapter of this bore of a memoir, although referring to the potential "moral implications" of the author's prototypical Freudian interaction with his mommy as a child, could serve just as well as a stand-alone indictment of this entire account. I, as reviewer, hesitate to bore you with walking through the myriad shortcomings of this tepid tome, but bore you I shall.

Don't get me wrong: I love a good dysfunction junction re-hash of a broken childhood. But the key word there is "good". This? Not so much. To whit:

What was so bad about this dude's life, anyway? Not much that I could find. He grew up a privileged white kid in one of the most affluent (& physically beautiful) settings in the U.S. who went on to be educated, on his parents' dime I might add, in several of the most prestigious Ivy League institutions here. So he has body issues; who doesn't? And his parents, who apparently supported him into his late 20s or early 30s, expected he might make use of his multiple degrees? If he wanted to piss away his education, seems perfectly fine to me, it's his life after all. But get over it already! If you want to be your own person, do it on your own & shut UP about it already, enough of the guilt-ridden angsty bullshit.

I'm trying to say this: feeling broken & adrift and wanting to write about it is one thing, but it ain't worth reading about if you don't make it interesting/funny/poignant or somehow relevant. Entertain me, fer chrissakes. I'd rather read his grandfather Sydney Hook's autobiography than this self-indulgent drivel; he came across as much more interesting. And Mr. Goulian, if you're planning to continue your literary pursuits, might I suggest you invest in a good dictionary, cease & desist with the inane parentheticals & footnotes, quit with the over-generalizations, & please, for the love of all that is holy, stop whining!

This ARC was provided to me by the publisher via my local Indie bookstore, and no money was exchanged.(less)

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Jul 14, 2011 Poppy added it

This is like sitting with your chattiest gay male friend on a 3 day coke binge. I fail to see the whole life impact of getting a hernia in high school.

Also, I hate to say this but - First World Problems. A Harvard education, a law degree and making 12 an hour babysitting. . . no wonder your parents are bewildered and dismayed. I don't think that being gender variant means you have to give up on the concept of working for a living. But whatever, the guy is brave to be out about his stuff.

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Feb 18, 2012 Rebeccahowden rated it 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I have spent time with the author personally and his loveliness may be biasing this review, but I genuinely did enjoy reading the book before I met him.

Jon-Jon Goulian is one of the strangest people I’ve ever met. He’s also one of the sweetest, and his utterly lovable memoir is both heartbreaking and heart-warming, leaving you with an intense desire to give him a big hug – and maybe go out shopping with him.

For anyone who has ever felt like a fish out of water, Goulian’s story strike...more Disclaimer: I have spent time with the author personally and his loveliness may be biasing this review, but I genuinely did enjoy reading the book before I met him.

Jon-Jon Goulian is one of the strangest people I’ve ever met. He’s also one of the sweetest, and his utterly lovable memoir is both heartbreaking and heart-warming, leaving you with an intense desire to give him a big hug – and maybe go out shopping with him.

For anyone who has ever felt like a fish out of water, Goulian’s story strikes a familiar chord. On the surface, there was no real reason why he should have felt out of place. Growing up in the sunny beachside town of La Jolla, San Diego, surrounded by a family of doctors and lawyers and political philosophers, and blessed with a sharp intelligence and talent for soccer, he was all set on a very conventional path towards success.

But at some point as a teenager, the expectations became paralysing. Plagued by an endless list of phobias, deeply insecure about his (mostly imaginary) physical flaws, and finding more things every day to fret about, Goulian was completely overwhelmed by fear, anxiety and self-loathing. His solution, without knowing why, was to start experimenting with androgyny. He shaved his legs, waxed his eyebrows, started wearing lip-gloss and eyeliner. Next came the sarongs, the leggings, the high heels. To this day at the age of 43, his midriff-skimming tank tops, low-waisted flannel skirts and chunky Steve Madden heels are all part of his signature look.

The Man in the Gray Flannel Skirt is a brave and honest account of Goulian’s flailing search for a place in a world that doesn’t quite know what to do with him. It’s carefully crafted, with each chapter structured to explore a particular source of anxiety in his life, from food, to sex, to his body, punctuated with letters from his father and grandparents begging for help in understanding why he is “doing nothing” with his life.

Despite having a BA from Columbia and a law degree from NYU, he flits from one menial job to another, making just enough money to live. He’s instantly affectionate towards everyone he meets, but he still sometimes retreats into an apartment filled with stuffed animals, going for weeks or even months without talking to anyone. He is, in his own words, “vain, prissy, neurotic, body obsessed.” He declares, with a strange sort of pride, “I own nothing, save nothing, accomplish nothing tangible and have no permanent hold on life.”

And yet far from being self-pitying, Goulian tells his story with amusement. He places all his weirdness on the table and laughs at it, showing compassion towards himself at the same time as he realises how strange he is. For someone who has spent so much of his life feeling uncomfortable in his own skin, there is a strong sense of self that comes through in this book, and it threads his anecdotes together in a story of self-acceptance that is touching and inspirational, without being overly sentimental.

Published in 3008docklands magazine http://www.3008docklands.com.au/
Cross posted http://rebeccahowden.com.au/review-th...
See also: http://rebeccahowden.com.au/my-new-fr...
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Aug 21, 2011 Marley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, nonfiction

Decent though ultimately sad. I could relate to Goulian's indecision, identity crisis, despair over a potentially wasted life, exhaustion at the world... The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit is apparently about taking responsibility for one's own life (according to Goodreads' summary)...something Goulian still struggles to do as he approaches his 40's. Also he wears skirts. So--good title. This guy has the background and the intelligence to really delve into gender theory and critique society from h...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Ozma rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the first book I read on my new Kindle (kindly gifted by my brother -- a kind kindle gift!). It was a great book to read on the Kindle because I wasn't sure if I wanted to invest in buying the book, but I did want to read it. The Kindle edition was less of a "commitment." I read a piece by the author in Vogue and was impressed with his writing. The story -- of basically the first metrosexual man ever and his poor, confused childhood -- sucked me in a lot more than I thought it would. Wh...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Nicolemauerman rated it 2 of 5 stars

This memoir was very frustrating. The purpose of the book is for the author to explain why he turned out so abnormal (dressing like a woman, OCD, cannot hold a job) when he grew-up in a family of over-achievers. The author never really explains why. Instead he jumps from thought to thought and story to story. One wonders if his underachievement could be explained as a simple case of ADD combined with OCD. I felt that the author was trying to gain sympathy from his childhood having grown-up with...more

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Oct 18, 2011 Rachel Dixon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

I read this book after reading an interview with Jon-Jon and very much thinking that I wanted to have a conversation with him at a bar someday. The book reads similarly, which is his greatest asset. He is instantly likeable.

Memoirs are weird, which is why I choose often to not read the genre; many of its authors think they are much more interesting than they are. Jon-Jon is the black sheep of the family and a straight dude who wears a skirt most of the time. Otherwise he is just as neurotic as a...more

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May 29, 2011 Bob Lopez rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great book! What a down-to-earth guy he is; more so, even, because of his raging insecurities...he's beyond grounded, he's downright catatonic. There is very little that is unusual about Jon-Jon apart from his name and how he chooses to dress himself. Life has been a struggle, a competition between what is expected of him and what he is capable of...the sad part is that he often takes himself out of the fight, for fear of failure, fear of not living up, or for the sake of fear itself. He's a ger...more

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May 17, 2011 Dylan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-won-from-giveaways, memoirs

I won this book from a giveaway and I entered it for no reason other than the title caught my eye. Not knowing what the book would be about I started it ready for anything, and what I got was nothing I was expecting. The Man in the Gray Flannel Skirt is a memoir, each chapter opening with something happening in his life, and then quickly shifting to something else from his past that relates to the theme of that chapter. While this did lead me to expecting what was coming next I really did like t...more

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May 07, 2011 janine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, read-in-2011, non-fiction

“For the great bulk of my adult life, beginning roughly when I was sixteen and continuing, off and on, until now, at the age of forty, I have fallen short, sometimes dangerously short, of the conventional ideal of masculinity.” So begins Jon-Jon Goulian’s memoir, a courageous explanation of why he is who he is. Be yourself, his writing wants to implore, even if your self doesn’t meet the standards of the exacting, categorizing culture you live in.

Reading this book is an interesting -- if sometim...more “For the great bulk of my adult life, beginning roughly when I was sixteen and continuing, off and on, until now, at the age of forty, I have fallen short, sometimes dangerously short, of the conventional ideal of masculinity.” So begins Jon-Jon Goulian’s memoir, a courageous explanation of why he is who he is. Be yourself, his writing wants to implore, even if your self doesn’t meet the standards of the exacting, categorizing culture you live in.

Reading this book is an interesting -- if sometimes uncomfortable -- experience because of the way Goulian essentially throws himself at you and doesn’t hold anything back. He enthusiastically presents his flaws, his quirks, his failures, his uncertainty and his squeamishness.

Goulian has struggled with body issues his whole life. He’s had two nose jobs and is planning on a third. He hates his bow legs. He dresses in women’s clothing, though he does not categorize himself as gay or a cross-dresser. He finds comfort in stuffed animals and has spent thousands of dollars building his stuffed animal collection. He acquired a law degree that he will not use, partially because practicing law would require him to wear men’s clothing. He once worked for Robert Silvers at the esteemed New York Review of Books, though his most recent stint (other than writing a book) has been babysitting, for $12 an hour, a seven-year-old girl named Ruth. He is not only self-deprecating, but he’s incredibly sympathetic with those who are shocked or even revolted by him.

If you have ever reviewed a memoir before, you’re probably familiar with the sinking feeling that comes along with making a judgment – that somehow it’s impossible to judge a memoir without judging the person who wrote it. I am currently undergoing said sinking feeling, for I did not enjoy this memoir as much as I had hoped. While Goulian’s explanation of his beliefs and choices is indeed fascinating, there’s not as much substance here as you might expect from a "be yourself" narrative. I kept waiting to come across some sort of analysis or grappling, some deeper segment to open up Goulian’s life story to all of us. Some larger truth. And I’m sad to say I didn’t really find it. The story remained about him, and him only. Though it’s a courageous and incredibly readable book, at the end of the day, this memoir won’t really stay with me.

Dwight Garner in The New York Times Book Review described The Man in the Gray Flannel Skirt as “loquacious, high-strung, daft, and vaguely sad,” and while the overall assessment is a bit harsh, I agree with the “vaguely sad” part. When I finished the book and read the back inside cover and learned that Goulian now spends his time in Vermont living by himself and gardening, I felt a weird small sense of sorrow about what the pressure of our culture does to people who don't "fit in" and found myself just wishing that Goulian can be happy, wherever he is and whatever he’s doing.

I was also slightly relieved to be able to move on and immerse myself in a new book.

I received an advanced reviewer’s copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Many thanks to Random House for sending the copy my way.
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May 19, 2011 Trey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Trey by: first reads

Shelves: first-reads

I received an advance copy of this book through the First Reads program.

This memoir is Jon-Jon Goulian's best attempt to answer the question, asked by his family, friends, and even his younger self, "Why are you the way you are?" Coming from a family of successful and relatively normal people, Jon-Jon found himself drowning in a sea of high expectations, and seems to have spent his entire adult life running from them. Despite a promising start to his academic and athletic careers, Jon-Jon gave u...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Abbey rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book was BEYOND terrible. Jon-Jon Goulian is like a wannabe Augusten Burroughs or David Sedaris, only he suffers from serious writer's ADD and a spoiled upbringing.

I found myself beginning a chapter with a comprehensive anecdote- then being thrown down a maze of tangents only to come back to the original thought with nothing to show for it. The point of the story is completely lost on me. What I learned about his life is that he is a middle-aged extremely vain man from a driven and wealthy...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Erika rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although this book meandered a bit too much for me at times, jumping around chronologically and using some rather long sentences, I don't think I've read anything quite like it. I think it is a very relevant book for our times. Can we file this under a new category called Therapeutic Memoir? I was touched by Jon-Jon's story, even if I was not always sure where it was going. However, lack of clear direction does not a poor book make, and in the end I got it. I learned some tolerance and probably...more

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Sep 02, 2011 Catherine Woodman rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a memoir that I think is supposed to be funnier than I found it--the fascination with cross dressing (which is what I would call this, not androgyny) and the anxiety about sex screams get yourself to a therapist ASAP, rather than writing a book about it (although maybe you have to admit it to yourself before you can tell someone else and this is like bloggin about it big time). I found it strangely sad--I did not feel sorry for the author--not that kind of sad, but rather it left me perp...more

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Jun 11, 2011 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, own, reviewed, biography-and-memoir

This was a very surprising and interesting memoir. I'm not exactly sure how to describe it because I'm not exactly sure how to describe Jon-Jon. That's kind of the whole point of the book; Jon-Jon's trying to explain not only to his family and friends and readers, but also to himself, who he is and how he became who he is. He had a promising start in a family full of potential, excelling in advanced placement math and science classes and a star athlete on his school's soccer team. But somehow al...more This was a very surprising and interesting memoir. I'm not exactly sure how to describe it because I'm not exactly sure how to describe Jon-Jon. That's kind of the whole point of the book; Jon-Jon's trying to explain not only to his family and friends and readers, but also to himself, who he is and how he became who he is. He had a promising start in a family full of potential, excelling in advanced placement math and science classes and a star athlete on his school's soccer team. But somehow along the way he morphed from "Jock + Scholar to Sexually Neutered Androgyne," i.e., he started wearing skirts, pumps, and lipsticks and quit having any interest in sports and future academic prospects. Around this time Jon-Jon decides to get his ears pierced and the way he explains the complexity of this decision (which ear(s) to pierce and their socially understood meanings) sheds light on the conundrum that his parents (and everyone else for that matter) will face when wondering, "what is he?"

"Earrings in both the right ear and the left ear were unclear. They meant that you were (a) gay; or (b) that you were not only gay but also a budding transvestite; or (c) that you were not gay but only a budding transvestite; or (d) that you were not gay, and not a budding transvestite, but just weird and confused and in need of some sort of psychological counseling."

I'm still not quite sure what to make of Jon-Jon. At first I thought he was just a vain, attention-seeking drama queen (I just didn't understand why a man would insist on wearing outlandish, sometimes down-right hoochie, women's clothing if he wasn't gay). But after reading about his childhood and relating to parts of it, I feel a lot of compassion for him and just hope he'll be all right. His life is kind of depressing. It doesn't seem like he'll ever be physically or mentally able to have a lasting romantic relationship (unless he has some hardcore counseling sessions to sort through his various issues) and he's currently living alone in Vermont spending his time gardening, so it seems like he'd be quite lonely. I just want to give the guy a hug.

Jon-Jon had a painfully awkward childhood. Like literally, physically painful - he had what appeared to be a third testicle that he was too terrified to show to his doctor father so he ended up just ignoring it and hoping it would go away (he later learns that this mysterious third ball is something called an inguinal hernia and gets it taken care of). On top of having that, his dad is an extreme health nut and has his entire family on a strict diet with no processed foods or junk food (which added fear of clogged arteries and stroke to Jon-Jon's already long list of paranoias). Add to this the stress and pressure of extremely high expectations from his entire family (his two brothers ended up becoming a lawyer and a physicist while his father and mother were a doctor and lawyer respectively, and his grandfather was a famous philosopher). I really loved his Armenian grandmother, Granny Shammy, who unwaveringly insisted that her favorite grandson grow up to become a doctor and heal people and make the world a better place. I think everyone has had a grandparent (or someone) who has placed an immense amount of hope in their grandchild and it makes you want to do everything worldly possible not to disappoint them. Granny Shammy reminded me of my German grandmother, with her similar thick accent and love-filled letters filled with typos and misspellings that make you hear her voice through her carefully penned words. I could completely understand Jon-Jon's willingness to do whatever it took to keep that woman happy.

I was extremely surprised to feel a sense of camaraderie with Jon-Jon. He initially seemed like the complete opposite of me and my personality, but we actually had a lot of the same tics and obsessions growing up. We both assumed every bump, ache, and ailment was a life-threatening disease or some rare form of cancer that would leave us dead within a year. We both were loners who preferred the company of books to that of kids our age (we're just not party people). And it took us a while to figure out what the hell to do with our lives (I think we're both still kind of working on that one too). Oh, and in one of my favorite parts of the book, I would have reacted the exact same way had I just moved to NYC right after reading The Victim's Song. I just would've been freaking the f out and expecting at any moment to get stabbed or shot or raped by crazed men in trench coats with crazed looks in their eyes. I even get scared walking around downtown Little Rock at night because there's the occasional bum and/or hoodlum, so I really doubt I would've made it for as long as JJ did in NY. So overall, even though I don't completely understand the man, I can definitely admire him. Like I said, very interesting.

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Jun 27, 2011 Ila rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-giveaways

I am thankful to have won this book as a Goodreads First Read Giveaway.

It is a little hard to review memoirs for the writing and experience with the story, and not have it seem like you are reviewing the person's life. In an attempt to not provide any spoilers or joke punchlines, I can say that Jon Jon has had quite an interesting life, full of so many ups and downs.

This is a down-to-earth memoir that is very blunt, straight-forward and comical. I really enjoyed that the book got to the point...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Daniel rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I signed up for the free goodreads giveaway of this book, I originally thought it was called "The Man in the Grey Flannel Shirt" which definitely led to some confusion upon receiving the book. After I figured out the correct title, and got used to the style and theme of the story, I was able to thoroughly enjoy the read. The book is separated into several chapters that skip around through his life--each chapter focusing on scattered events of his life that share similar themes. Goulian illu...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Megan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Overall, this was just okay. Some parts were simply boring, and others were annoying or offensive enough that I was tempted to ditch it and move on to my next book. I stuck with it because it is also, at times, witty and entertaining.

The author is a very privileged white boy, fairly bright, who is excruciatingly vain and self-absorbed. He criticizes himself frequently, but in a way that makes me think he secretly thinks he's the bee's knees. He makes sweeping generalizations about females and o...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Maureen rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

I wanted this to be David Sedaris-eqsue. it is not. i rarely stop reading a book before it is finished but i had to put this down and move on to the next library book in the pile (also, glad this was a library book). His "problems" were not very interesting or entertaining to me, and he made big deals out of things that were not. And too many extraneous details. I thought this was going to be a great wacky family dysfunction from its star member memoir. its not.

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Jun 14, 2012 Lani rated it 3 of 5 stars

I thought this book started out really well. It was hilarious at the beginning and even the middle still held my attention. His descriptions of his childhood and teenage years were very amusing. I started to get bored around the last third and found myself trying to quickly finish it. The author was redundant. I did like him, but found the hypochondria to be annoying after his adolescence. I really just wanted to get him into therpay so he would stop burdening me with all of this. :)

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Jul 26, 2011 Lisa Bertagnoli rated it 5 of 5 stars

I LOVED this book. It struck me, sort of, as the male Bossypants - the story of how a quite unusual character came to be. I loved how Goulian walked me through his life. I loved that he credits his "androgyne about town" status to just, well, fate - not crappy parents or a crappy childhood, anything like that. I couldn't wait to finish it and was sad when it ended. If you like stories about curious lives, read this book.

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Aug 27, 2011 Gabrielle rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was so enticing -- a great title, a super author photo on the rear cover, and a sassy introduction. Several chapters made me think of David Sedaris' wit and self-deprecating humor. I was even drawn in by a direct reference to my x-sister-in-law's-sister (confusing...). None of this, however, was strong enough to make me really excited about reading 200+ pages of why some 40-something man never got his shit together.

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Jul 01, 2011 Shelley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Shelley by: first reads

Shelves: first-reads

I received this from goodreads as a first reads pick and was excited to read it!

It was a fast read but I found myself having a love/hate relationship with the material.

The book is wonderfully written, witty, entertaining and relatable. I mean, who hasn't felt out of place at some point in their lives? As someone who has lived in San Diego, I also enjoyed Mr. Goulian's anecdotes about the area.

On the other side of the coin, it was maddening! Who throws away the opportunities that he was given? Ho...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Deborah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir

Jon-Jon Goulian's conversational style is very enjoyable and his neuroses are very sympathetic. He writes about growing up as the third child in a high-achieving family, and how he didn't live up to his family's expectations. It was interesting to read about body dysmorphia from a male perspective.

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Nov 16, 2011 Spideygirl rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book because I like quirky people pouring their heart and innermost secrets out onto the page. If the book's purpose was to explain why he was the way he was I don't think he answered it. It was amazing for me to read how Jon-Jon's self-perceived poor body image caused him to put so many restrictions on himself, not to mention quirky habits.
As far as the writing goes, it was meandering. So many tangents that took you so far you forgot what he was trying to explain. But he did always...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Betty rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: added-2011, read2011, review

What an entertaining author! I won this advance copy from Goodreads First Reads. I entered this giveaway thinking it was the Guy in the Gray Flannel Suit... I found this author's style of writing quite interesting, yet I had difficulty identifying with this character. He seemed to have so many insecurities despite the fact that he was quite talented and gifted. He seemed so obsessed with his appearance, and at times it seemed to me that he wanted to "shock" others with his dress and his actions....more

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Aug 04, 2011 Keir Haug rated it 1 of 5 stars

I did not finish this book. I found it to be quite boring and lacking any insight into gender issues or life in general. Meh!

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Jun 03, 2011 Ellen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

It's not required by law that people tangentially related to publishing in New York have to read this book. I just want to put that out there.

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May 22, 2011 Julie marked it as not-to-read

Pointless memoirs like these make me glad I am not required to read and review crap for a living.

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About Jon-Jon Goulian

Jon-Jon Goulian was born in 1968 and grew up in La Jolla, California. After attending Columbia College and NYU Law School, he worked as a law clerk for a federal judge in North Carolina, and then as an assistant to Robert Silvers of The New York Review of Books. He now lives, by himself, in South Wardsboro, Vermont, where he spends most of his time gardening. The Man in the Gray Flannel Skirt is h...more

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“In compulsively keeping myself our of view, I was participating, without realizing it, in a rich New York tradition. Loners and shut-ins and hermits are what keep New York City from imploding. If all the people who never leave their apartments in New York City suddenly left their apartments, the city's infrastructure would crumble.” — 1 person liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9411448-the-man-in-the-gray-flannel-skirt?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320409004l/9411448.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9411448-the-man-in-the-gray-flannel-skirt?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Man in the Gray Flannel Skirt by Jon-Jon Goulian[/url]

The Man in the Gray Flannel Skirt

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