I just finished Neil Patrick Harris' Choose Your Own Autobiography. It's based on the choose your own adventure books that I grew up on, a child of the 70s and 80s, and I wasn't sure how the format would hold up to an autobiography. And here's the answer: so cleverly. So you can read the book in a series of adventures, jumping from page to page to discover your own adventures, drink recipes, magic tricks, and a puzzle. I can see how it works. 

But being the rebel that I am, I just read it straight through, which works too. Sometimes it was a little confusing, as it jumps around through the narrative, but doing it that way leads you to a place or two that none of the adventure pages go to. And you do get a good sense of his life so far. 

He starts with his childhood, then takes you to the Doogie Howser years, to the sexual confusion, movies bad and good, the theater, How I Met Your Mother, Dr. Horrible, hosting awards shows, all the way to his current family bliss. It's a phenomenal career, and he speaks of it with honesty and graciousness. Which simultaneously makes me like his more and resent him a little. But then, it may be somewhat edited towards the happy times. It's what I would do in a memoir. It's what I try to do just as I remember thing. It's a healthy attitude to have. 

Anyway, back to NPH. I really admire him and all he's done (except maybe the magic part, as that was never really my thing). And reading about it all was quite enjoyable. I highly recommend this one. So choose NPH's memoir. And then go out into your own life, and literally, and I'm using that word correctly here, choose your own adventures.