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PUTTING THE RABBIT IN THE HAT 

By: Brian Cox

This memoir tracks the life of Brian Cox from his early childhood memories of growing up in the working class in Scotland to his modern-day position in our pop-culture scene in the United States. Cox is as honest in his book as he is on stage. He does not hold back and is comfortable venting to his readers. His brutal sense of humor might be attributed to his troubling childhood and the tragic events he had suffered throughout his life. Cox endured the pain of losing his dad to pancreatic cancer and experienced his mom's frequent mental breakdowns. Later on, his wife called and broke the news to Cox that she had lost their twins in childbirth. Having gone through this many heart-shattering events in a number of years, the heartache and grief can make a person start to deteriorate. However, Cox uses these experiences to fuel his dark humor and accepts his flaws outright attributing them to his troubled past. He has an unforgiving, brutally honest loud mouth and lets his readers know how he feels about certain celebrities no matter the social implications. Jonny Depp is a notable victim of this ruthless honesty. 

Cox's honesty about his own flaws is refreshing. It is easy to paint the picture in our heads that celebrities have achieved a certain version of the American Dream especially when they have a rags-to-riches story like Cox. Once celebrities have a certain level of fame, it is natural to think that they have fewer problems, fewer struggles, and live an envious lifestyle. Cox breaks this ideology down. He is open with his audience about his personal struggles, flaws, and "deep-seated insecurities". This is a great takeaway for readers. It unveils the reality of being a successful movie star and proves that everyone is human, even your favorite actors, and therefore everyone is susceptible to self-doubt and moments of instability. I felt a new sense of relief as I read his memoir. I often find myself being envious of celebrities I read about in the media every day. I think about how easy their lives are. They go to set, shoot a few scenes, go home, and collect millions of dollars. It's not that hard! But it is... Their challenges can be just as hard or even harder than the average person's because they are in the public eye. Therefore, they are subject to the scrutiny of the world around them not just their small circle of friends.

Another takeaway I have gained from the book is really cementing in my mind the idea that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Cox came from a background where all his odds were stacked against him but he had a passion and he pursued it and did not shy away from the chances of failure. Your childhood does not define you or the places you will go. It is your passion and love for something that will take you as far as you let it. Cox is living proof that if you are willing to work hard for what you want, you will be able to achieve it and might even surprise yourself and how far you are able to climb. This book really ignited a fire in me to not just ignore my true passions and put them off to the side, but to acknowledge them and accept that following them may lead me to great fulfillment and happiness as long as I am able to accept failure and "no's" along the way. Overall, I collected a lot of life lessons throughout this book that I am able to apply to my own life and his humor made it an easy read.