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Besides music, Eric Clapton can write prose. I wondered who the ghostwriter was, but towards the end he said he carried the drafts with him on tour. Not only is the book coherent in a way many autobiographies are not, it appears to be an honest presentation of his life as he lived it.

Most autobiographers tell little jokes on themselves, but very few of will tell of their deepest disappointments in themselves. Clapton tells how tried to be sober to visit his son but thought of drinking the whole time with him (yes, the son who fell to his death at age 4). He tells how he longed for Patty/Layla while in other relationships (including with her sister) and how in pursuit of her, he got taken in (very strangely so) by a self described seer a continent away. He tells how his perceived (somewhat real, but not complete) rejection by his mother shaped his sexuality for years and specifically how some women rejected him. Most brutally, he tells the story of Alice who was 16 when he became involved with her.

There is insight into the music, the bands he joined and left, his respect for musicianship and craftsmanship. You learn the full story of "Layla" and that “Wonderful Tonight�� was written in anger (fooled me!). He has disdain for the music business and the music he feels is written for the market.

Many biographers and autobiographers drop the parent relationship after the first chapter, and might give a death a page or two. Clapton describes the adult relationships (again in brutal honesty) he has with his mother, grandparents, step siblings and uncle. (As an aside, Bobby Darin had a similar childhood, but his mother’s ruse lasted into adulthood; Clapton was luckier in that the secrets weren’t kept very well.)

This book has not been well received by reviewers. Maybe the honesty is too raw, the treatment of women too objectified (but he wasn’t alone: George Harrison was all too ready to swap his wife for a romp with her sister and Mick Jagger would easily hustle the women Clapton brought in his orbit) and the tone too interior. Maybe the ending (about family life and the drudge parts of touring) is dull compared with the rambling early life. Maybe it is his weak defense of/excuse for ("I'm not political") racist comments with no awareness of whose music made him wealthy. Maybe they think he should not have so many houses, cars or finance a boat with just one tour. Maybe they think he should express more grief for the people he hurt. Maybe they are evaluating the disturbing elements of his life and not the book.

This book can be valuable to anyone with an addiction in any phase of recovery and the people who care about them. It is also a primary source on the birth of the music industry. I think it is a 4 star, but I am giving it a 5 because its honesty. It might be able to help others accept their addictions and help reconcile what they did to conserve or deny the addiction. This unique period in musical history and the culture that made the music could use more honest documentation like this.