Garfield Hylton is a fellow blogger and twitter character that I have grown to admire. Maybe it was the raw style that he comes with on a consistent basis. Or, maybe it was the curmudgeon-turned-comedian approach to life he unexpectedly leads. Whatever the case, when he said he had written a book I was immediately thrilled. I was thrilled by the fact that I would get to read and review the piece of work that he put together. So, when I downloaded my copy of The Soundtrack To My Life, I was hoping for something as hilarious and profound as his blogs.

 

After reading his book, I realized that the discussed topics were no laughing matter. This was probably the most serious, and open, I have ever seen him.

 

The format of the book is pretty simple to understand. Each chapter, which details a certain aspect of his life, accompanies a song that reflects precisely what is being talked about. For example, his chapter “Friends- How Many Of Us Have Them?” is linked with MF Doom’s “Deep Fried Frienz” instinctively. The same is done with the chapters “Girl Problems” (Big Sean’s “Sellin’ Dreams”) and “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” (Kanye West’s “Blame Game”). As song lyrics are interwoven into the chapter’s dialogue, a reader can almost “hear” how the entire chapter is playing out.

 

Garfield wants the reader to have a visceral, and musical, experience through his writing. This is one of the things that make this book work.

 

The other thing that makes this tome work is Garfield’s sheer, uncut honesty. He shares a lot of information about himself and his daily struggles. The reader gets to see how his father’s absence has contributed to his lack of judgment with interpersonal relationships. Garfield also shares his beliefs on the collegiate educational system (it is all a money making sham) and why he chose writing and put his desire to be a lawyer on the backburner.

 

The only major complaint that anyone can give is the fact that the book is very, very short. Only clocking in at around 50 pages, this is rarely what one considers the classic length of an autobiography. Yet, what he doesn’t have in length, he doubles with sheer passion and in-your-face details of trials, tribulations, and eventual triumph. In the regular publishing world, the length will be an issue. For the sake of readership, though, it truly works out in his favor.

 

Concrete and concise, The Soundtrack To My Life is a book that is so pure and uncut that the emotions bleed over from the pages. Garfield Hylton does the most difficult thing ever: he exposes himself. When one exposes themselves, they run the risk of being hurt. As short as the composition is, the length of existing ambiance is way more long-lasting than the words can show. Hylton’s soundtrack is just a reminder that art imitates the life we artistically seek.

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