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King of Stars
An inspiring memoir by Ryan Heller, King of Stars is the journey of a young boy balancing worlds of light and dark as he discovers himself by losing himself along the way. A modern coming of age story, King of Stars shines light on the uncomfortable. On situations often left hidden in shadow. A raw and honest account of sexual identity, addiction and growing up.
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4 reviews for King of Stars
A. Scott –
Amazing read and very inspirational. A courageous story of struggling to deal with life on life’s terms and overcoming. MUST READ!!
Mark Goodson (verified owner) –
I first came across Ryan Sirois Heller writing on his Twelve One Five blog. The post described a hike. And instead of describing the physical surroundings, he described his internal surroundings as he went. It was a fascinating read, a meditation on meditation. I was hooked.
I bought his book King of Stars, a memoir, or as he describes it, “something like a memoir.” I thought it was going to be a casual read on vacation. I read it in three days. I couldn’t put it down. I think he may call it “something like a memoir” because it is really prose. A series of prose pieces that connect invisibly, the way stars form constellations.
It echoes brilliantly, sometimes painfully, but always lucidly. And like the way he described the internal wilderness on a hike, Sirois beautifully describes the internal wilderness of addiction. Dig this excerpt, which serves as a moment of clarity, when he first sees himself in the reality of who he is: “I slough from my skin, leaving the shell of me to rest among sheets and pillows as I hover above the boy below. Eyes closed. Faint of breath. The whisper of a heartbeat. Mind slips into a blackout from the last hoorah of pills. I see me. Connected through detachment, I see myself in truth.”
With this sort of poetic clarity, Sirois takes the reader through the internal landscape of an addict who gets clean as we all do, reluctantly, blindly, and faithfully. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.
Monica Kelly (verified owner) –
This book…..amazing! Ryan has a way of writing in very conversational terms. From the very beginning, you’re part of the journey. The empathetic feelings it evokes makes it feel familiar. And it makes it mesmerizing. It’s hard, given the nature of the story, to say I enjoyed it. But it IS a great read! I didn’t want to put it down. Kudos, Ryan, for putting in the work and being brave enough to share your story, your journey. You are an amazing soul and one all of us can learn from. Glad you made it and that you’re here! Everyone should read and experience this book!
Scott S. (verified owner) –
I loved every single page of it. It was funny, raw, emotional, sad, happy, and it has a happy, yet realistic, ending! It was so great!! And it made me feel closer to you by reading about your experience, if that makes sense. I mean, I knew you before this read, but only on the surface, so it was so interesting to share in your struggle.