Gypsy Boy

October 31, 2011
First-time author Mikey Walsh provides an unsentimental and compelling look at the louche and brutal culture of Romany Gypsies in the U.K. Walsh’s education began at age four with training as a bare-knuckle boxer, a family tradition. “Training” meant a decade’s worth of his father beating him up. Walsh’s sensitivity left him open to further abuse, both sexual and otherwise. His sole escape was the company of other semiferal Gypsy children and in school; unfortunately, Gypsies frown on school, and he was put to work at age 12 in his father’s scams. Walsh’s realization of his homosexuality drove him to escape a world where he would always be a pariah. Walsh analyzes the grotesqueries of Gypsy life in painful detail—garish trailers, stifling family ties, crime and crudeness, and the constricted options for women who are considered old maids at 21. Yet despite his gruesome experiences, he also praises the fierce loyalty and cultural continuity that have allowed Gypsies to maintain their dignity in the face of hatred for centuries.

December 1, 2011
Grim, well-told memoir of a boyhood among the much-maligned Romany Gypsy "travelers" of Britain. The pseudonymous Walsh begins by debunking some well-known myths that have contributed to a pervasive historical bias against Gypsies: "contrary to popular belief, they don't believe in magic, and the Gypsy ‘curse' is no more than an age-old way of scaring non-Gypsies into buying something." Unfortunately, the biographical reality he reveals is more disturbing than the old prejudices. Walsh explains that in the decades following World War II, many Gypsy families prospered and bought land and businesses such as scrapyards, while still maintaining elaborate vehicular "caravans." He also asserts that within this closed society remain a number of unsavory traditions, like the persistence of elaborate cons to rip off non-Gypsies. The author portrays the men as devious, crude and angry, exemplified by another tradition that caused Walsh much misery: bare-knuckle fighting. This tradition was especially important for Walsh because his father was a third-generation champion; their relationship turned monstrously abusive when Walsh's father realized his first-born did not display the necessary aggression. Years of torment and beatings followed, along with grisly sexual abuse at the hands of an uncle. By adolescence, Walsh's realization that he was actually gay made matters worse. He ultimately realized he must escape the confinement of his culture, which inherently necessitated fleeing his family. Despite this framework of personal misery, Walsh writes thoughtfully about his connection to this heritage, focusing on his tangled but less-vicious relationships with his mother, sister, younger brothers and extended family. Walsh tries to end on an uplifting note, but this portrait of violence and ignorance cloaked in cultural tradition may prove hard for readers to shake off. A poignant memoir that bears comparison to the bestselling Running With Scissors--but better written and far darker.

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Starred review from March 15, 2012

A best seller in the U.K., this stunning childhood memoir takes readers into the insular culture of Romany Gypsies. The pseudonymous Walsh was born in Britain to a third-generation champion of bare-knuckle fighting and a supportive but undemonstrative mother. His family moved frequently between camps, along with others in their tight-knit community. Forced to box from age four, Walsh lacked both the will and the talent to inherit his father's title. Disappointed and ashamed, Walsh's father, who had a hair-trigger temper, beat him severely throughout his childhood. At seven, Walsh was raped by an uncle, whose sexual abuse of his nephew soon became as routine as the father's physical abuse. As a teenager, gay and closeted, Walsh turned his attention to navigating (and escaping) his intolerant society, but his intriguing adolescence reads almost as an afterthought to his fascinating, appalling childhood. VERDICT It is astounding that Walsh survived such brutality, without emotional support or formal education, to pen this unflinching but oddly generous memoir, demonstrating a respectful attitude toward Romany culture and affection toward his family. A sure bet for fans of dysfunction memoir and for armchair anthropologists; the hopeful coming-out story also recommends this for readers of LGBTQ themes.--Janet Ingraham Dwyer, State Lib. of Ohio, Columbus

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