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Gypsy Boy's author reaches deep  to tell touching tale

You have never read a book quite like Gypsy Boy.

Although one might technically describe the best-selling memoir by Mikey Walsh as a 'coming-of-age' story, that genre does not do this book justice. It is in fact so much more.

Written to "cure the madness" which unsurprisingly developed in the shadow of his childhood, Gypsy Boy describes his experiences growing up as a young gay man in, as the title suggests, a Gypsy (Romany) community. Mikey tells of his constant moves around the country and his youth being hounded by a father who wanted his son to be a boxer; not a sensitive boy who liked to wear his mother's makeup. He was chased out of school by both his own community and the non-Gypsies in the area, Mikey Walsh was raised in a world of violence, lies and animal instincts – it is no wonder that it took Mikey more than 10 years to write his story.

...the book is so much more than simply a story of woe

It is important, however, to explain that Mikey 'grew up' in the Romany world emotionally, not physically. Having left his family and essentially, his world, behind at only 15, he went from being penniless and  functionally illiterate, relying on generous strangers, to being a bestselling author.

Yet even today, some 15 years after the events of the book, Mikey Walsh (which is actually a pseudonym) still fears for his life. And perhaps proving the sincerity of the seemingly fantastic story (especially in the era of James Frey), Mikey continues to turn down the vast majority of interview requests. Seemingly saying 'what more could I ask for?', Mikey pointedly explained to me that: "This is my story. I have nothing...to lie about to make a decent read. I'm very lucky to have come from where I have and... to have been fortunate enough to write about it all."

Despite being sexually abused by a closeted and repressed uncle, beaten bloody on an almost daily basis by a violent father and ostracized by his entire world, Mikey insists that he remains "very proud" to be Romany. When asked how he could possibly have such a positive outlook today after all of the torments he went through as a child, Mikey explained, in a way that truly captures the essence of the book, that; "My father brought me up to be a great fighter. I can't put my hands up to fight the way he wanted me to, but I have learned how to survive."

At the most basic level, Gypsy Boy tells of the torture, both physical and emotional, endured by Mikey and those like him. But the book is so much more than simply a story of woe. From his adventures with his kleptomaniac aunt to playing dress-up with his older sister in their mother's clothes, the story is an engaging and often hilarious peak into a secret world from a talented new author. Mikey rightly describes the story as one of; "hope, definitely hope."

When asked what lessons his story might hold for gay youth in other insular ethnic communities – Romany and otherwise, he points out that; "To be gay in my community is still as frowned upon as any awful crime, and that hurts. I tried very hard to be what people wanted me to be. But knowing this was in my blood, I had to make the best of it I could… I hope... that there is someone else out there, just like me, who can read this, and see, they are not alone, there is always hope."

– Corey Shefman is a Winnipeg-based freelance writer. To comment on this or any other article in Outwords, e-mail letters@outwords.ca