Book Review: Christy Dignam, My Crazy World

Many of the Christy Dignam’s most heartbreaking, intimate and shocking stories have been heard before, but never have they been told with such visceral honesty by the man himself. My Crazy World moves from his Dublin childhood – where he suffered sexual abuse at the hands of two neighbours – to his first gig (an IRA fundraiser), to being chewed up and spat out by a post-U2 music industry hungry for the next big thing.

Then there was his stint in Bangkok, where he went in search of heroin mere hours after going clean in a Tibetan monastery. Latterly, of course, Dignam has also had an intense battle with cancer. This is a book about the extremes and tragedies that come with success, and the resilience of the human body and spirit. Overall, My Crazy World makes for funny, uplifting, redemptive and hugely compelling reading.