Reviews
What the Critics are Saying About Scattershot
Get it
A frank and touching look at being gay in America throughout the 20th century.
Chrysler recounts his life as a gay man from Minnesota who led an extraordinary and successful life.
Born Lawrence Bernard Cohen in 1931 to a struggling Jewish family in the Midwest, the author was not primed for success. Still, he always felt that he was lucky, often finding opportunities falling into his path. He cites an encounter when he was 16 in Minneapolis in which a woman stopped him to say she saw two angels on his shoulders, calling to mind cartoons in which one shoulder might hold an angel and the other a devil; throughout the book, Chrysler attributes his luck to “his angels” when good things happen for him. The story of his life is extraordinary given the time period—he was witness to some of the most dramatic social and geopolitical changes of the 20th century. The author worked in various roles in the fashion industry, from selling to designing to teaching. From this vantage point, he was able to observe and integrate himself into the wealthy American upper-class, coming into contact with such celebrities as Donald Sutherland, Lauren Bacall, and his good friend Bobby Short. As a gay man living during the AIDS crisis, the tragedy touches on parts of his story, but Chrysler does not delve deeply into the subject, arguing that he has nothing new to add. Still, the topics he does choose to address are handled with tremendous compassion and insight. The memoir’s title is apt, as the author takes a broad, slightly haphazard approach to his story, which reads like oral narration. In the author’s note, Chrysler acknowledges this, confessing, “I’ve always been recognized among my friends as someone who loves to talk…If a particular topic sparks a memory from my past, I dive into a narrative filled with intricate details.” In this book, the author reflects on over 90 years of life—the text can be sentimental and sometimes verges on saccharine, but it’s never overwrought. Chrysler’s storytelling style ultimately works perfectly to convey his fascinating perspective on the time period.
A frank and touching look at being gay in America throughout the 20th century.
A true rags-to-riches tale that is beautifully told.
Very highly recommended.
Scattershot offers irrefutable evidence that humankind’s greatest achievement is a life well lived.
Scattershot: My Journey From the Projects to Paris to Rodeo Drive by Larry Chrysler is a memoir detailing the author’s ascent in the fashion industry, beginning with a difficult upbringing. After opening a popular menswear store in Los Angeles in 1969, Chrysler leveraged his early experiences and the cultural landscape of the era to establish himself as a designer despite heavy obstacles, including his identity as a gay man, the Korean War draft, and tumultuous relationships. Chrysler transitioned from dress design to menswear, launching successful stores like AH MEN and Theodore Man on Rodeo Drive. His achievements were tempered by personal losses, including the suicide of his partner, Frank. Ultimately, Chrysler’s journey is a testament to his resilience, entrepreneurial spirit, and enduring contributions to the fashion world, alongside a celebration of love and companionship in his later life.
In Scattershot, Larry Chrysler delivers a deeply raw and wholly authentic look into one man’s life against all odds and the backdrop of the fashion industry. Chrysler has a conversational style of writing that is both endearing and introspective, and readers get a true grasp of the heartache of loss, the thrill of ambition, and the bittersweet nature of relationships. Chrysler’s encounters with iconic figures, such as Marciano and Perry Ellis, are not merely anecdotes but serve as buoys in the shifting tides of fashion. I appreciate the courage it takes for Chrysler to share his emotional struggles and the string of losses he experienced. One is horrifying. Several within a short span is unthinkable. I love that he went into teaching and art collecting, which shows us how multifaceted he is. A true rags-to-riches tale that is beautifully told. Very highly recommended.
Jamie Michele
Readers’ Favorite
In Scattershot: My Journey from the Projects to Paris to Rodeo Drive, nonagenarian bon vivant Larry Chrysler recounts his extraordinarily long and remarkable life adventures. The narrative exudes candor, earthy humor, gratitude, humility, and a rare and unwavering adherence to his firm conviction that angels are among us and magic is everywhere if we choose to believe and accept the gifts we are given. Chrysler’s adventures are jaw-dropping at times in their extravagance and privilege as he recounts his associations with luminaries from the worlds of fashion and entertainment. But they are also heartwarming and refreshingly modest in their sustained notes of wide-eyed wonder.
Scattershot offers spellbinding glimpses of exotic social and professional circles most readers will only have dreamed of while simultaneously rendering the central characters in tender and emotionally connected strokes that color the remembered moments as precious and his messages as timeless. Larry Chrysler’s life may have been epic in its arc and scope, but his easy, conversational storytelling genius invites us to pull up a chair and be both fully welcomed and present in his odyssey of small miracles. Scattershot offers irrefutable evidence that humankind’s greatest achievement is a life well lived. Larry Chrysler has lived well enough to supply the entire world with inspiration and hope. His memories are somehow magically important to us all, reminding us that anything is possible and no dream is out of reach if we can only find within ourselves the courage to reach up. Scattershot is a veritable textbook for dreamers, and Larry Chrysler is a born teacher.
Rich Follett
Readers’ Favorite
