When I learned of the existence of this book, I immediately put it on hold at the library. There were about a dozen people in line in front of me in the hold queue, if that tells you anything. It took a few months before I finally got my hands on this masterpiece.
In Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography, you are Neil Patrick Harris as you choose your way through life, making decisions about your upbringing, personal life, acting career, and mad magic skills. Mixed in with actual anecdotes and events are alternate versions of your life as NPH.
You’ll learn much about him, but it will be up to you to determine what is fact and what is fiction (though in most places it isn’t difficult to determine). Complete with some adorable (and sometimes awkward) photos, along with some input from his husband David, this book is a fun ride and you’ll come out the other side having walked a mile or two in NPH’s shoes.
If you’re looking for a straight-up autobiography telling the ins and outs of someone’s life, from birth to death in a straight line, without interesting, unbelievable, and even untrue side trips, this isn’t that book. But if you enjoy NPH in all of his glory, with magic, acting, enthusiasm, and his fabulous gay self, this book will entertain you.
There are several sections inside the book that aren’t part of the skipping around, back and forth format. These include blurbs written by the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Penn Jillette, Amy Sedaris, and his husband David. Barney Stinson even stops in to write a section. There’s a Cryptic Crossword Puzzle, for crying out loud! This is one fun book. If you read it Choose Your Own Adventure style, be sure to go back and look through all of the pages to read what you missed. Spoiler: There’s at least one page that has no other page leading to it.
A hilarious romp (see what I did there?) through NPH’s life, Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography is perfect for those who prefer to laugh as they read. If you enjoy the entertainment and fabulousness that NPH brings to the table, you’ll love this book.
