It Rhymes with Takei

Hardcover

English language

Published by Top Shelf Productions.

ISBN:: 978-1-60309-574-7

George Takei has shown the world many faces: actor, author, outspoken activist, helmsman of the starship Enterprise, living witness to the internment of Japanese Americans, and king of social media. But until October 27, 2005, there was always one piece missing—one face he did not show the world. There was one very intimate fact about George that he never shared…and it rhymes with Takei.

Now, for the first time ever, George shares the full story of his life in the closet, his decision to come out as gay at the age of 68, and the way that moment transformed everything. Following the phenomenal success of his first graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, George Takei reunites with the team of Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger for a jaw-dropping new testament. From his earliest childhood crushes and youthful experiments in the rigidly conformist 1950s, to global fame as …

George Takei has shown the world many faces: actor, author, outspoken activist, helmsman of the starship Enterprise, living witness to the internment of Japanese Americans, and king of social media. But until October 27, 2005, there was always one piece missing—one face he did not show the world. There was one very intimate fact about George that he never shared…and it rhymes with Takei.

Now, for the first time ever, George shares the full story of his life in the closet, his decision to come out as gay at the age of 68, and the way that moment transformed everything. Following the phenomenal success of his first graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, George Takei reunites with the team of Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger for a jaw-dropping new testament. From his earliest childhood crushes and youthful experiments in the rigidly conformist 1950s, to global fame as an actor and the terrible fear of exposure, to the watershed moment of speaking his truth and becoming one of the most high-profile gay men on the planet, It Rhymes with Takei offers a sweeping portrait of one iconic American navigating the tides of LGBTQ+ history.

Combining historical context with intimate subjectivity, It Rhymes with Takei shows how the personal and the political have always been intertwined. Its richly emotional words and images depict the terror of entrapment even in gay community spaces, the anguish of speaking up for so many issues while remaining silent on his most personal issue, the grief of losing friends to AIDS, the joy of finding true love with Brad Altman, and the determination to declare that love openly—and legally—before the whole world.

Looking back on his astonishing life on both sides of the closet door, George Takei presents a charismatic and candid account of how far America has come…and how precious that progress is.

1 edition

Aaron reviewed It Rhymes with Takei by Harmony Becker

5 stars

Takei's first graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, dealt with a specific, harrowing moment in his life: his family's internment during World War II. By contrast, It Rhymes with Takei is far more sweeping since it covers his entire life, but focuses on the theme of his life as a gay man attempting to live within a career and country that demanded he stay in the closet. Takei writes honestly about his emotions, his relationship with his family, falling in love with his now-husband, and his personal journey to becoming a more outspoken advocate for gay rights in the United States. I feel that artist Harmony Becker spread her wings a bit more in this volume compared to the first one, and it is also published in vibrant color. Star Trek fans will enjoy Takei recounting how he got the role of Sulu and some of his later conversations …

Takei's first graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, dealt with a specific, harrowing moment in his life: his family's internment during World War II. By contrast, It Rhymes with Takei is far more sweeping since it covers his entire life, but focuses on the theme of his life as a gay man attempting to live within a career and country that demanded he stay in the closet. Takei writes honestly about his emotions, his relationship with his family, falling in love with his now-husband, and his personal journey to becoming a more outspoken advocate for gay rights in the United States. I feel that artist Harmony Becker spread her wings a bit more in this volume compared to the first one, and it is also published in vibrant color. Star Trek fans will enjoy Takei recounting how he got the role of Sulu and some of his later conversations with Gene Roddenberry, but this is not a Hollywood tell-all. Rather, Takei delves into his own personal journey of coming to terms with his identity, with great effect.