Books : My Trip Down the Pink Carpet

• Sordid Lives
• When You Are Engulfed in Flames
• Band Fags!
• Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
• Shelter
• see more

• Biographies & Memoirs - Subjects - Books - Entertainers
• Subjects - Books - General
• Subjects - Books - Memoirs
• Gay & Lesbian - Subjects - Books - General
• Entertainment - Subjects - Books - General

A hilarious romp from small-town USA to the pink carpet of Hollywood with the beloved Emmy-winning actor, playwright, and gay icon

Leslie Jordan is a small man with a giant propensity for scene stealing. Best known for his bravura recurring role as Karen's nemesis, Beverley Leslie, on Will & Grace (for which he won a Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy in 2006), he has also made memorable appearances on Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Monk, and Murphy Brown.

Raised in a conservative family in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Leslie -- who describes himself as "the gayest man I know" -- boarded a Greyhound bus bound for LA with $1,200 sewn into his underpants and never looked back. His pocket-sized physique and inescapable talent for high camp paved the way to a lucrative and varied career in commercials and on television. Along the way he immersed himself in writing for the stage, and his one-man testimonials have become cult off-Broadway hits. But with success came dangerous temptations: a self-proclaimed former substance abuser and sexaholic, Leslie has spent time in jail and struggled to overcome his addictionsand self-loathing.

My Trip Down the Pink Carpet is a rollicking, fast-paced collection of stories, served up with wit, panache, and plenty of biting asides. Filled with comically overwrought childhood agonies, offbeat observations, and revealing celebrity encounters -- from Boy George to George Clooney -- it delivers a fresh, laugh-out-loud take on Hollywood, fame, addiction, gay culture, and learning to love oneself.

Average Rating:

Rating: - Funny
the stories are very funny, and I enjoyed the book. Even though the name dropping gets a little deep, his charm goes a long way! Buy this book, it really is a great glimpse into leslie jordans life, and you get to see some famous people from a different point of view.

---

Rating: - quick and funny
A very funny and quick summer read. I picked it up in the morning and had finished it that same evening. I found myself laughing outloud several times. Tons of fun

---

Rating: - Packs a pink wallop
This was definitely a fun read. Little man, big character, voicing what's lost and gained in life through struggles of sexuality, drugs, sobriety and spirituality. Being a gay man myself, the only non-funny part about this read was my own life reflected. Not yet sober, still falling, but the gravity always gets lighter with each new edification. The last chapter of this book really struck home. No better way though, than to deliver our blunders in a light of comedy. I hope to be as strong as this man someday.

Thanks, Leslie.

---

Rating: - Laugh-out-loud funny and painfully accurate.
I am one of the survivors of the same generation as Mr. Jordan, even though we are in different walks of life and living in very different communities. I'm impressed with the author's ability to tell a story from his life with such accuracy while being both moving and funny. I hope volume two is on the horizon.

---

Rating: - Love the book
Having known Leslie while he was growing up, I thoroughly enjoyed his book. I think anyone who is homophobic should read it and then they would realize what gays have to go through in life to be not only accepted in society, but to be at peace with themselves. Love you Leslie!! Gail