I listened to this book while at the gym and on my flights to and from Dallas. I love watching "Queer Eye", and was especially interested in Tan once I found out his home is in Salt Lake City. It just gave us one thing in common.
I especially like memoirs that are read by the author. It makes it much more personal.
Tan talks about many different aspects of his life. Growing up in Britain, he dealt with a lot of racism. He tells a touching story about how he and his brother were caught by a group of thug teenagers. Tan broke free and ran home to get his dad, and talked about the look on his dad's face when he ran in screaming "THEY'RE GOING TO KILL HIM!" Tan said it was a look of horror and rage that he had never seen before, and never would again. He was able to run over and save his son's life by chasing off the thugs.
Tan traveled to Salt Lake City once, and decided he wanted to make that place his home. He began working for Shade Clothing, a few years before it was bought out. He then decided to begin designing swimwear for "Mormon women" who need to be more covered up. As one of those women, THANK YOU. He was one of the pioneers of the high waisted bikinis and the really nice one pieces. Thank goodness.
When Tan got hired at the show, he did not expect to become "famous". I was laughing out loud at the gym hearing his story about meeting Jon Bon Jovi for the first time. He literally thought Bon Jovi was talking to someone else, and when he called Tan by his name he screamed internally.
Even as a celebrity with a popular show, Tan gets stopped all the time by airport security. There's even a joke about how there is a special room just for "brown" people to be interrogated. As much as the United States tries to be an inclusive place, there are still a lot of stereotypes that seem to die hard.
Overall, he seems like a normal guy who got a big break. It makes me love him and the show even more!
