With It Rhymes with Takei, the renowned actor and activist George Takei provides readers with his most personal and in-depth memoir yet—laying bare the answers to many questions that fans must have asked him over the years. When did he get his big break as an actor? Did his Japanese American parents support his choice of career? How and when did he meet his husband Brad? What was it like to meet people like Cary Grant, Nobu McCarthy, Nichelle Nichols, and Frank Lloyd Wright? Who were his closest comrades on Star Trek? How did he react to John Cho’s portrayal of his Star Trek character Hikaru Sulu?
At the heart of the memoir, though, is Takei’s struggle to come out publicly as gay, which did not happen until he was 68.“[There] was always a critical chunk of me left out,” he says. “By sharing this story, I fill in that gap I secreted away in a closet full of anxiety.” The book’s cover and a crucial part of the prologue depicts an older Takei standing in front of an open closet door with many younger Takei selves emerging behind him.
In my International Examiner review of Takei’s first graphic novel, They Called Us Enemy, I noted that Takei’s fans might want to see more development of his life as an actor and activist; this book provides much of that detail, and more.
And in that respect, It Rhymes with Takei is a more satisfying read, placing it alongside memoirs like Nobuko Miyamoto’s Not Yo’ Butterfly—much-needed, detailed stories from our Asian American elders who have paved the way for younger creatives and activists. The narrative and chronological scope here is more expansive, perhaps echoing the hard-earned freedom that it took to create this book. (It is much longer as well, topping out at close to 350 pages.)
In this second memoir it is a treat to see Takei’s coming of age as a young actor, including meeting with some of Hollywood’s renowned actors. We find out how Takei got his big break with voiceover acting, how his Japanese American parents were deeply supportive of his acting, and how his Japanese American agent was instrumental in his early career. And we come along for an extended treatment of his European adventures, including time in England and Italy.
Though Takei refers briefly to the stereotypes he faced as an Asian actor in the 1960s and beyond, it would also have been valuable to read more about his struggles with a racist industry. (He addressed these stereotypes—and apologized for occasionally enacting them in his early career—in the biopic “To The Stars,” which may explain their omission here.)
Activists will also find much to cherish. Seeing Takei’s volunteerism and cross-racial solidarity from a relatively early age is a rich part of the book. We see Takei run for student government, react to the Watts uprisings with his Black roommate, volunteer for the Adlai Stevenson campaign, and even run for political office himself.
With this book, Takei also places himself in a nearly-lifelong tradition of activism, which can provide hope and inspiration for younger activists in training. To live a life of sustainable and even joyful activism through decades is a discipline that not many have learned to master. Fans who know Takei mainly for his social media presence will find a great deal of real-world depth and commitment to activism in this book.
But of course, as the book’s cover signals, the book is really an interweaving of the many lives that Takei has lived, especially as an Asian American gay actor who was closeted for much of his adult life. In this book he calls his gay identity his “most personal issue,” and the struggle to remain closeted or to come out is the most compelling thread of the narrative.
Illustrator Harmony Becker’s image of a psychological “shame net” engulfing Takei’s body is a powerful one that shows readers some of the reasons why he remained closeted for so long, but the book also provides broader context about issues like McCarthyism and police raids on gay bars, including the Stonewall uprising. As he says early in the book, “Society groomed me to be closeted.”
Readers learn about his boyhood realizations, from his hidden attraction to classmates to his Buddhist upbringing which provided him with an important foundation for self-acceptance. We are privileged to witness his family’s mixed reactions, celebratory and otherwise, when he comes out to them. Yet the book celebrates the safe spaces and the joys of being with other queer folks as well. (To borrow Takei’s signature phrase, there are a few “Oh myyyyyy” scenes that imply more mature offscreen action. Onscreen, though, the references are tame.)
As with many autobiographies, it’s hard to find the right structure to depict a life, and this one is a bit puzzling. There’s a prologue, a Part 1 and a Part 2, but it’s not clear why these divisions exist. A couple of flashes “forward” into the present circle around TV or talk show interviews, and the narrative spirals forward and back to these moments. But Takei’s “voiceover” narration provides enough propulsion to guide the reader through the decades of the book.
However, to release It Rhymes With Takei during Pride month seems quite intentional, and in a time when so many marginalized communities are vulnerable and embattled, this book will provide many of Takei’s fans with the example and courage to continue fighting.
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Celebrate the release of It Rhymes with Takei at the official book launch on Thursday, July 10, at 7:00 p.m. at JANM’s Democracy Center. George Takei will be in conversation with Jonathan Kaji, the son of JANM’s founding president Bruce Kaji, and will also be joined by his husband, Brad Takei. It Rhymes with Takei will be available for purchase at the JANM Store and there will be a book signing after the program. Purchase tickets to the event here.
© 2025 Tamiko Nimura
