Wild Dances

Thank you NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Eurovision fans worldwide know the man on the video with the curly hair and the insight on every contestant.  William Lee Adams, the Vietnamese-American journalist with the Southern twang in his voice, has been reporting on the song contest for well over a decade with his team at Wiwibloggs.  And much like many of the contestants he reports on, Adams’ journey to the song contest has not been an easy road.

Adams’ new memoir Wild Dances: My Queer and Curious Journey to Eurovision documents the path his life took from a childhood in Georgia, to an Ivy League college, to now living in London.  This memoir is about the finding where you fit in personally and professionally, as well as overcoming the shared family trauma that so often restrains us.  Framed by the loss of two important people in his life, this striking autobiography covers tough subjects usually shrouded in stigma such as mental health, physical disability, domestic violence, and sexual orientation. 

I give Wild Dances: My Queer and Curious Journey to Eurovision 5 out of 5 stars.  It is not very often a book, let alone a memoir, can have me mourning a loss and laughing out loud in the span of two pages, but this book did just that.  The way the author approached the difficult topics instead of shying away or glossing over them gives an authenticity to the writing.  This memoir also serves to remind readers that popularity, fame, and success do not mean an individual has experienced an easy, or even happy life.

I recommend this book to readers familiar with Adams via the Eurovision contest, as well as those who have never heard his name.  I also suggest this memoir to those who, like Adams, must navigate family culture while looking for love, happiness, and professional success.  With discussions of sexual orientation and discovery, this book would be best for audiences over 13. 

Wild Dances: My Queer and Curious Journey to Eurovision will release May 23, 2023 – you can preorder your copy in our Bookshop store.  Every purchase from Bookshop.org helps to support independent bookstores!

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A Personal Note about this book:

I have been eagerly awaiting Wild Dances since William Lee Adams first announced this memoir in 2022.  I have known the author since elementary school and have followed his career as an adult.  I was on the sidelines watching so many of the events Adams recounts in this memoir as they unfolded.  My earliest memory of William is when our 4^th grade teacher pits us against each other in timed contests where we raced at top speed to see who could correctly answer the most math equations.  From 4-H camp to school music department trips, to working backstage at the Mr. Tiger competition he won, we always seemed to end up in the same place. 

William has always paved his own path – making a way when there wasn’t one before.  Watching his success has encouraged me to push for my own path towards things that make me happy, too.  I will forever be grateful to William for teaching me very early in life that people who look/think/sound/act differently to you are not “bad”…just different.  And, if we were all the same, this would be a very boring world.  Thank you, William, for your courage and strength in sharing your life with the world.

What I’m reading

• Current print book: Abe, David S Reynolds
• Current audio book: The Color Purple, Alice Walker
• Book I’m most looking forward to: A Vineyard Valentine, Nina Bocci