The Things I Came Here With, Chris MacDonald
The Things I Came Here With, Chris MacDonald
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The Things I Came Here With
A Memoir

Author: Chris MacDonald

Narrator: Max Lloyd-Jones

Unabridged: 7 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: ECW Press

Published: 12/27/2022

Synopsis

“Does it hurt?” When you’re a tattoo artist, that’s the most universal question. For Chris MacDonald, the answer is simple: hurts less than a broken heart. Those words are painted above the entrance to his shop, Under My Thumb Tattoos, as a reminder. Chris and his brothers were as wild as the wind, in their house among the fields of Alliston, Ontario, when their parents divorced. Shell-shocked, they were uprooted and brought to Toronto by their dad. Their mother’s mental illness worsened in the aftermath, and she disappeared. As a teenager, Chris left home and found himself immersed in the city’s underbelly, a world where drugs, skateboarding, and punk rock reigned. Between the youth shelters, suicidal thoughts, and haunted apartments, a light shined: and it was art. He eventually found himself following the path of his brother, Rob, and pursuing life as a tattooist. Then, at the height of a destructive summer, everything changed: he met Megan, the girl who would become his rock of ages. This remarkable memoir examines what tattooing means to MacDonald and traces the connection his artistic motives have to both his family and childhood. The Things I Came Here With is about how crucial our past is to understanding our future, but it’s also a love letter to his daughter about the importance of expression, life’s uncertainty, and beauty.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Mike on September 09, 2022

This was a blast to read. It’s a very refreshing, down to earth perspective on the beginnings of a tattooer, musician, artist and father’s wild ride to becoming all of the above. If you have even a remote interest in any of those things, especially in the Toronto area, then the storytelling in this......more

Goodreads review by Sara on October 07, 2022

I burned through this book in just over two days. I became completely immersed in Chris' childhood, and found myself consistently wondering what would happen next. It's like a good friend telling you a story that you never want to end. It's filled with excellent nuggets of life wisdom, from someone......more

Goodreads review by Vanessa on December 12, 2022

The Things I Came Here With by Chris MacDonald and narrated by: Max Lloyd-Jones is a Memoir and what a wonderful audio book this was. I loved it. The narrator's voice was perfect for this audiobook and had you gripped from the beginning till the end. This is a book about Chris MacDonald's memoir, it......more

Goodreads review by A. on November 30, 2022

Chris' book was beautifully moving to me because it felt honest. it felt like effort. there was an elegance to the chapters, to the stories, that balanced a lightness with the pain of the writing. I often find memoirs a challenge to read compared to literature because it can be difficult to really c......more

Goodreads review by joyce on November 14, 2022

I read this book so fast, it was such a good book! A wonderful read about how we all can be a little lost from time to time. It's a nice reminder to always root for the underdogs. Chris is a talented author.......more

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