Reviews of Famous Builder

“His prose—as vivid as it is ethereal—gracefully transports readers to the artist’s interior world as he attempts to find the appropriate outlet for his self-expression.” —Publishers Weekly

“Stunning and revealing. . . . Famous Builder is a rare feat of imagination, forming an exquisite architecture of the self.” —OUT Magazine

“What sets this memoir apart is the lyricism, humor, and refreshing candor with which [Lisicky] describes his life.” —Library Journal

“Refreshingly affectionate. Its series of essays tell an endearing, often amusing story about a quirky’s boy’s coming of age.” —Courier-Post

“A strong portrait of America coupled with the story of one boy’s life. The writing is masterfully done and a pleasure to experience from beginning to end.” —Provincetown Banner

“A funny and insightful work about growing up.” —Express Gay News

 “Quirky, entertaining, and insightful.” —Philadelphia Gay News

“Not your average gay memoir.” —The Washington Blade

“Lisicky’s sharp observations and thoughtful writing are best appreciated when read slowly, allowing time to blend the fine individual parts into a coherent whole.” —Frontiers Newsmagazine

“The warmth of the reflections and the steady pulse of humor suggest that Lisicky wasn’t an unhappy boy or an unobservant one. . . . Famous Builder shows the . . . urge to grapple and illuminate.” —Kirkus Reviews

"This book shows all the vital signs of genius. In Famous Builder Paul Lisicky asks the tragic American question: who are you if you’ve recreated yourself? And he answers it: you are alone, vulnerable and fully loaded.” —Edmund White

“How difficult it is to make the familiar fresh again! Yet that’s exactly what Paul Lisicky does in this wise and unusual memoir, gently rotating our perspective on suburbia until a truly New World—as peculiar, obsessive, and utterly marvelous as his younger self’s miniature housing developments—shimmers before us.” —Andrea Barrett

“Paul Lisicky writes with red-blooded realism about the mysteries of subterranean New Jersey, both its sunny burbs and dark corners. Deliciously wacky and lyric, these charged essays explore the warring powers of youth, of family, and of the writer’s imperturbable emergence as an artist. Each entry explodes with authentic feeling. A charmed love letter to American life.” —Maria Flook

“The appearance of a writer like Paul Lisicky—a writer who deeply respects the complexities of love and desire, who can find tragedy and transcendence almost everywhere he looks—is a rare event.” —Michael Cunningham

“Nobody writes about hilarious longing the way Paul Lisicky does. Some writers manage to be funny and sad in turn; Lisicky manages to be both at the same time.” —Elizabeth McCracken

“One of the most beautiful memoirs in recent history, a must for people craving intelligent thought made from careful prose. It reads like it’s been rinsed in light.” —Alexander Chee