Book Review / "George Michael: A Life" by James Gavin

George Michael: A Life by James Gavin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I’ve never been a fan of George Michael. To be honest, I had to find his videos on YouTube while I was reading his biography to remind me who he was and what he sang. Of course, I recognized most of his most popular hits, but, as I said, they’d never been on my playlists.

Having said that, I must confess that I am a huge fan of biographies, memoirs, and autobiographies. That’s why I picked up “George Michael: A Life” by James Gavin in the bookstore when I was choosing birthday gifts for myself and really enjoyed reading it.

This biography is extremely detailed. I think the true fans of the singer can appreciate it more since they crave to know every single detail about their idol. I don’t mind lengthy books, but this time, I felt that the author paid too much attention to the things I personally am not interested in.
It was heart-warming to read about George Michael’s kindness, generosity, and his big heart. I appreciate that the author stressed that throughout the book. He also did a good job drawing a portrait of a person who was so tormented by his inner demons that he failed to embrace the success his talent, hard work, determination, and persistence had brought him.

I always feel deeply sad when I read about talented people crushed by their come true dream. It shouldn’t happen this way. It is already a rare thing when a person becomes who they wanted to become, who they felt they truly are inside. And if the burden of it gets too heavy, it feels so unbearably unfair.

My strong belief is that if a person achieves such a level of success as George Michael, it means that they’ve deserved it. Okay, I’m not so naïve as to think that fame and fortune can’t be achieved by dishonest means. But when we talk about obviously talented singers/songwriters, actors, writers, painters, the results of whose work and talent can’t be faked since they are on display, I believe that when these people become rich and famous, it means they’ve spent tons of time and effort to get there. And my heart aches when I read that the stardom turned out to be a bitter pill for them.

I would have preferred if there were fewer details about ‘cottaging’ culture and George Michael’s inability to cope with his dark side. It was painful to read and not always easy to justify.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this biography, and it left me with extensive food for thought about the essence and the dangers of success.




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George Michael: A Life