It Rhymes with Takei
It Rhymes with Takei by George Takei is a full-color graphic memoir published by Top Shelf Productions on June 10, 2025. This edition spans 336 pages and presents a personal narrative that explores Takei’s life, focusing on his journey of coming out as gay at the age of 68. The memoir delves into his experiences as an actor, activist, and witness to the internment of Japanese Americans, revealing a side of his story that has never been shared before.
Readers will find a rich tapestry of Takei’s life, from his childhood crushes in the 1950s to his rise to fame and the challenges he faced in revealing his true self. The book intertwines historical context with personal anecdotes, highlighting the complexities of LGBTQ+ history and the impact of societal norms. Through emotional storytelling and vivid illustrations, It Rhymes with Takei captures the struggles and triumphs of navigating identity, love, and activism, making it a significant addition to the genres of biographies and memoirs.
Official synopsis Publisher
Following the award-winning bestseller They Called Us Enemy, George Takei’s new full-color graphic memoir reveals his most personal story of all-told in full for the first time anywhere!
George Takei has shown the world many faces- actor, author, outspoken activist, helmsman of the starship Enterprise, living witness to the internment of Japanese Americans, and king of social media. But until October 27, 2005, there was always one piece missing-one face he did not show the world. There was one very intimate fact about George that he never shared…and it rhymes with Takei.
Now, for the first time ever, George shares the full story of his life in the closet, his decision to come out as gay at the age of 68, and the way that moment transformed everything. Following the phenomenal success of his first graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, George Takei reunites with the team of Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger for a jaw-dropping new testament. From his earliest childhood crushes and youthful experiments in the rigidly conformist 1950s, to global fame as an actor and the terrible fear of exposure, to the watershed moment of speaking his truth and becoming one of the most high-profile gay men on the planet, It Rhymes with Takei offers a sweeping portrait of one iconic American navigating the tides of LGBTQ+ history.
Combining historical context with intimate subjectivity, It Rhymes with Takei shows how the personal and the political have always been intertwined. Its richly emotional words and images depict the terror of entrapment even in gay community spaces, the anguish of speaking up for so many issues while remaining silent on his most personal issue, the grief of losing friends to AIDS, the joy of finding true love with Brad Altman, and the determination to declare that love openly-and legally-before the whole world.
Looking back on his astonishing life on both sides of the closet door, George Takei presents a charismatic and candid account of how far America has come…and how precious that progress is.
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