Junior

I have always been a Culkin fan. He is very intelligent. This comes out in the book. It jumps back and forth and keeps you wondering what funny yet insightful things he has to say. Its a quick read, but by the end you really wish it wasn't over. I love this book and recommend it to anyone. You can really relate to his struggles...especially because he tells them in such a comical way!

Different. Unique. Inspiring. Those are the three words I use to describe Junior. Yes it is different in that there is really no structure, yes it is Unique due to its lack of plot or storyline, but yet it is very Inspiring in that he allows you to get a glimpse into one of America's greatest child actors and the problems he faced and I'm sure many actors faced growing up in front of the camera. In writing Junior, Culkin truly opened himself up to readers and into his life of chaos, loneliness, and tribulation, but I believe it made him a stronger and better person. I admire him much more now than I ever could have before, because in him many of us have gone through the same issues of being lost, being abused, and somewhat left out of living normal lives. I thought the mix of drawings, poems, and short stories very really cool and showed a different view of what writing can be. Writing can be anything a writer chooses it to be, there are no rules and there shouldn't be, and Culkin proved that very well in Junior. As a college student I admire Culkin for writing such a deep book on his life as a younger person still lost and constantly trying to find himself.

Imagine that as a child you got a toy box of memories on your 25th Birthday, memories you can play with, be gentle, have dreams, never mind the sorrow. A dark photography room with a flashlight projector as if you never stepped out of that movie theatre and witness what the backstage or what happens in your life and something you don't unleash to your friends or/and a psychotherapist, an innocent wish for privacy everyone yearns sometimes, on a highway, town, or a desert. An ocean wave of a feeling, joy, combined with a brilliant sense of humor, "junior" represents a "sketch of hidden human emotions". Macaulay Culkin has a skill of writing what he wants to show the reader in 3 sentences. The easy-going style of writing with new energy and a shinning light of care between paragraphs "Junior" is a light journey on footsteps of love and understanding of what it's like growing up, and facing what one needs to face with to grow higher and at the present live road of high energy life with courage. (P.S. Good luck with a new book in a year or two... lol :) Sincerely, - Svetlana Sheilandi

This book is a look into the mind of Macaulay Culkin and his uniqueness shines. It is a mixture of poems, short stories, letters, and thoughts. Through his writings, you can clearly see that he has a good character. He is a good person with a deep soul, and it appears his character is shaped by his difficult trials. The accounts of his father are honest and painful, and the wisdom gained from them is evident. Culkin is not your typical child actor, there is something special about him that is hard to put your finger on. I get the sense though, that there are omissions in his book. But that is ok, some things are better left unsaid. Good Job.

This so-called "novel" is probably the most normal thing ever produced by Macaulay Culkin. Somewhat of a mosaic of disfunctionality. It reads like a journal with checklists and doodles, one thought failing to lead into the next, but as a whole relatively insightful. Don't expect a plot or a purpose, but tons of personality. It's terribly amusing and heartbreakingly human for a person we ogle like the Elephant Man. I consider myself pretty well-read, but on the other hand I am a fan of Culkin's (do with this knowledge what you will), and I sat down and read the book in one sitting. I couldn't have enjoyed it more.