I'm A Strong Person, But

I Was A Full Foot Taller Than Any Child My Age.

Royal Young Has Accomplished A Rare Feat In His Fresh And Riveting Debut: He Manages To Recount His Fascinating Youth And Unconventional Family With A Mixture Of Humor, Scathing Honesty And Tenderness. Much More Than Simply A Book About A Kid Who Dreams Of Stardom, Fame Shark Is A Thoughtful, Hilarious And Moving Love Letter To His Family And The Lower East Side Of New York City.

I Think It Became Blurry Because I Grew Up In A Very Private Family. I Mixed Privacy And Secrecy Up Somewhere Along The Line. Everything Became A Secret, And I Thought That Was How You Should Live. Lying About Everything. The Mask I Put On As A Kid To Survive Was The Funny Lady. Then The Funny Person All Of A Sudden Became Harder To Do Without Substances. Substances Let Me Keep The Mask On Longer. Until It Doesn't Work Anymore And You're Just A Mess.

May I Say, If You Were Suddenly Put Into A Woman's Body, Wouldn't You Be Slightly Interested In Your Breasts, And Why People Look At Certain Parts Of You, And Why Certain Parts Move Like They Do?

I'd So Much Rather People Think I Was Funny Than Pretty.