Growing Up the Antichrist by David Armillei was like reading an artistic adventure. It was nothing like the conventional type of memoir. I have a penchant for intellectual pursuits, and Armillei’s work is thoughtfully written and full of profound, emotional truths. The use of poetry adds a layer to the exploration of themes like maturing, reminiscing, and the challenges of feeling alienated even within a community. The book has nuanced engagement with historical contexts, it blends reverence and careful caution, all of this really distinguishes it from traditional memoirs that I’ve read in the past. Armillei balances optimistic and pessimistic thoughts and feelings, and this leaves readers with the feeling of relating to these universal human experiences. Growing Up the Antichrist is a very personal narrative for the author, and that translates to a thought-provoking journey for readers that stimulates intellectual reflection. You will find that it lingers in your mind after you’ve read it… A great read for those who like art that leaves an impression.
Growing Up the Antichrist: An Experimental Memoir
“What you are holding in your hands is a curious thing. This book is a memoir, although certainly not a traditional one. Call it an ‘experimental, intellectual memoir.'”
So begins this startling and compelling collection of 40 pieces that reflect the passion, fears, and confusion of a young man trying to make sense of, find meaning in, and discover his place in the world between the ages of 17 and 25. Full of rhythmic, vivid language, Growing Up the Antichrist uses poetry as a starting point to express profound, maddening, and sometimes hilarious emotional truths about the process of growing up in the early 21st century, grappling with nostalgia, and struggling as an outsider (even among the outsiders). Driven by a complex, but enduring, hope and balancing a respect for and distaste of the past, this “intellectual memoir” goes beyond the author’s own backstory to speak to universal experiences that unite us across the generations.
