Take It Like a Man: The Autobiography of Boy George

The British pop band Culture Club produced a string of mid-1980s hits like ``Do You Really Want to Hurt Me'' and ``Karma Chameleon,'' but the provocative, campy persona of frontman Boy George always attracted more attention than the band's music itself. Characterized by his droll wit, elaborate makeup and bizarre, gender-bending dress, Boy George took pop-star iconography to new heights of outlandishness and was a worldwide media darling until his drug habit all but destroyed his career. In this highly entertaining autobiography, the singer details with wit and pathos his working-class childhood as the self-dubbed ``pink sheep'' of a large suburban family, his teenage fascination with and emulation of glam-rock icons like David Bowie and Marc Bolan, his years as a London punk scenester, his jet-setting life as a pop celebrity and his painful descent into and recovery from heroin addiction. At times rambling and disjointed, this is nevertheless a compelling portrait of an individual who, by publicly celebrating his kinks and quirks, parlayed his alienation from mainstream British culture into a highly successful career. Bright is a London-based journalist. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour. (Oct.)