
Chart History
3 weeks on the Hardcover Nonfiction list, peaking at #10
“In the beginning we were happy. And we were always excessive. So in the beginning we were happy to excess.” With these opening lines Sean Wilsey takes us on an exhilarating tour of life in the strangest, wealthiest, and most grandiose of families. Sean's mother is a 1980s society-page staple, regularly entertaining Black Panthers and movie stars in her marble and glass penthouse. His enigmatic father uses a jet helicopter to drop Sean off at the video arcade and lectures his son on proper hygiene in public restrooms. When Sean, "the kind of child who sings songs to sick flowers," turns nine years old, his father divorces his mother and marries her best friend. Sean's life blows apart. His mother has a "vision" of salvation that requires packing her Louis Vuitton luggage and traveling the globe, a retinue of multiracial children in tow. Follow Sean as he candidly recounts his life growing up in a wealthy family all while discovering who he is amongst San Francisco's social elite.
All Appearances
Details
- ISBN-13
- 9781101201138
- ISBN-10
- 1101201134
- Published
- 2006
- Pages
- 505
- Publisher
- Penguin Press
When you purchase a book through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Historical bestseller data sourced from the New York Times Book Review.