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Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite
Foxtail is David Barnett's raw memoir of growing up, as he calls himself, a “humble narcissist” in suburban Austin, Texas. As a toddler, he defecates gleefully on the kitchen floor. As a teenager, he is chased offstage by a cop at his own high school pageant. Barnett tells the story of a youth filled with adventure and chaos. The explosive moments in his life hit hard: hearing his mother whisper the word "cancer" and watching the world stop spinning; a mushroom trip so catastrophic he becomes convinced a strange parasite has burrowed into his spinal cord. The experiences include surprising his own drummer sexually assaulting his girlfriend on the night of the homecoming. Then his best friend, Randy, vomits blood at prom while Barnett is dragged out in cuffs. But one thing seems to hold him together: Dome Factor, the garage band that gives him every reason to fight and to live.
Foxtail might shock, but beneath it you will notice an underlying force of brotherhood, the struggles with trauma, and the liberating power of art. David Barnett’s memoir examines how damaged kids self-medicate with Xanax, booze, and vandalism, and how friendship and music become lifelines when adults fail them. This book taught me many lessons, and here are the top three: good intentions are never an excuse to enable harm, the ability to create builds where destruction numbs the human heart, and we should always approach any authority with skepticism. If there is one reason you should read this book, it is for its prose and exceptional storytelling. The voice is humorous, raw, and startlingly poetic in flashes that pivot from dick jokes to genuine fear in a single breath. The author never casts himself as a hero, but pulls readers into his aching heart with occasional tenderness mingled in the mess. This book is The Dirt meets A Million Little Pieces, minus the glamor.
