Tango: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels

The author's fans know Bond better as Kiki, the all-talking all-singing, rage-and-booze-fueled half of Kiki and Herb%E2%80%94downtown cabaret sensations who recently starred in the Tony-nominated Kiki and Herb on Broadway. Kiki isn't Bond, of course, but her fans will not be shocked to find that Bond's childhood%E2%80%94though it didn't include an orphanage like the one where Kiki and Herb met%E2%80%94wasn't all roses and fun. Featuring a long-term secret affair with the neighborhood bully and parents who seemed to wish they'd had a different child, Bond's childhood was spent longing to be understood, loved, and allowed to wear lipstick. Though it's impossible not to sympathize, Bond is given to stating the obvious. Despite how voice-driven (in every sense of the word) Kiki and Herb were, the book's voice feels muted and not particularly individual. (Sept.)