Take It Like a Man : Autobiography of Boy George

Boy George has experienced much since the heights of Culture Club. Musically his world fell apart, he was implicated in the heroin-induced death of a close friend, and he has only now triumphed in his own fight against drugs. In this book Boy George tells his own story - his childhood in Woolwich, the squat in Warren Street, the worldwide successes of Culture Club, the dresses, the bisexuality and then the fall.

With a flick of his locks and a lash of his tongue, Boy George waltzed into musical stardom in 1982 with his smash hit "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" As the quintessential pop star of the 1980s, Boy George was constantly in the public eye, with a string of platinum Culture Club hits, sensational personal appearances, camp behavior and gender-bending dress that fueled the media's infatuation. What turned the son of a South London builder into the embodiment of effeminacy? Why did girls go crazy over a boy who looked like a girl?

A Grammy Award for "Karma Chameleon" sealed Boy George's pop-icon status as the avant-garde star in Hasidic hat and quasi-religious robes, whose beguiling melodies and impertinent one-liners seduced an unsuspecting public. "Sex? I'd rather have a cup of tea," he said, teasing the world about his sexual leanings. But after reaching the pinnacle of success, his life took a devastating turn. Culture Club, George's pioneering band, went into eclipse, his hushed-up relationship with drummer Jon Moss fell apart and Boy George found a new and dangerous obsession -- drugs -- ending up with a heroin addiction.

In this electrifying autobiography, Boy George tells the whole truth for the first time, and does so with total candor and irrepressible wit. Take It Like a Man is the story of the crazy highs and desperate lows; the family struggles; friends and lovers -- gay, straight and transvestite; the obsessive media infatuation; as well as the agony, shame and despair of drug withdrawal. Filled with confession, revelation and inspiration, this book reflects the utter creativity of its author and tells the mesmerizing story of how George achieved the nearly impossible by coming back from the land of the deeply addicted to health, sobriety and a new horizon of musical success. His is an unfinished journey.