Review of Dirty White Boy – Tales of Soho

Filed Under Books | June 8th, 2009 

A few years ago I visited England and one of the areas that I spent a bit of time in that left me with some vivid memories was Soho. More recently I finished reading a book about this very area; it’s called Dirty White Boy – Tales of Soho and it was written by Clayton Littlewood.

Dirty White Boy - Tales of Soho by Clayton LittlewoodOne of the reasons why I decided to read Dirty White Boy was because I recognized the name as being a designer clothing shop that I’d seen when I had visited; in fact somewhere in my photo archive I’m pretty sure I have a photo of it. As it turns out, Clayton and his partner ran the very same shop in question. The other thing that enticed me was that I was curious to find out how someone from that neighborhood saw the world around them. Soho is a fascinating mix of contrasts and so I wondered how a person who lived and worked there viewed it all.

So, I dove in with no real expectations other than hoping that it would provide an interesting slice of life viewpoint. And dive in one does, as seemingly you dive into the middle of Clayton’s diary with little fanfare. After reading a few chapters I returned to the beginning and re-read the first few paragraphs and realized that it’s actually a good way to begin this tour of Soho as it sets the tone for tales yet to come in this memoir.

Long before Clayton comes right out with it I got the impression that I was reading his personal blog and indeed that’s what this book is as it turns out. Dirty White Boy, Tales of Soho is actually extracted from Clayton’s MySpace blog entries. Sadly, until reading this book I’d never heard of his blog. This is also the first time I’ve ever read a book that started out life as a bunch of blog posts. Although I hadn’t expected that, I must say that in this particular case it works out very well. Moreover, as I tend to read while I’m at the kitchen table, in the bathroom or in bed, I found this version the better fit for me.

I found reading Dirty White Boy to be an enjoyable experience. The more I read the more I became totally engrossed in the stories; it was almost like being back there again, reliving the sights, sounds and even the smells of Soho. The rich cast of characters is painted in all their beauty and dirtiness making for some terrific tales. Regardless of whether or not you’ve been to Soho, I highly recommend reading it as it’s a wonderful study of life in the city in its highs and lows.

Sound interesting? You can find out more about Dirty White Boy, Tales of Soho at Amazon. It’s also available directly from Cleis Press.

Related Link: Clayton Littlewood on MySpace