Book Review I

  For my first book, I chose Brian Cox’s autobiography, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat. I am an avid succession fan and have also enjoyed the actor’s performances in the Jason Bourne series as well as Red. In many of his works, a dry sense of humor pervades his character, and this is what I hoped to get from reading his autobiography. Also, when we were discussing the options for Book I, the rags to riches story really appealed to me. I enjoy this kind of narrative and was surprised to find out where Brian Cox is from and what he has come through. 

From the moment I started reading, I sensed some of that blunt, dry humor that is oftentimes reflected in the box office. The perspective of a seventy-year-old man also provides some clarity on a long life. Cox doesn’t wait to get intimate with his reader either. Chapter one begins with a fury of emotion, blood, and tears. He describes his birth in a gory fashion, a metaphor for how dirty, troublesome, and raw the early parts of his life were. He also reveals a tenuous family dynamic in a household filled with provocative, loud, and interesting characters. His Irish and Scottish descent reveal themselves through the dialogue of the family and some of their unique sayings. I am excited to read more and see how Cox emerged from the rough times of his youth to become the star he is today.