Naturally Tan: A Memoir

I heard Tan France interviewed on NPR one morning, and on impulse purchased his new memoir called “Naturally Tan.” I’m a sort of fan of Queer Eye, but have only watched a handful of episodes of the first season. Tan France, a sweetly fey British guy of Pakistani heritage, is the fashion maven for the show. If you don’t know the premise of the show – rather intentionally different from the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy series – it is about five non-coastal gay men who go into middle America to make over people’s looks and lives while proving to them that LGBT folk are messengers of love and inclusion. It is not entirely my cup of tea, but virtually every episode I’ve watched has brought me to tears.I find all five boys really attractive, and all of them could be my sons, so I guess I shouldn’t confess that. But Tan France has a special place for me, with his silvered pompadour and his British accent. His memoir is ingenuous, a bit flaky, very millennial, and generally as endearing as he is. There were moments when I felt my hackles rise, but in the end, I couldn’t help but like him.It is very different for a young gay man these days, but (as I always remind people) not as different as you’d think. Add to this his experience growing up brown in small-city England where he was one of a tiny minority of Asians in his community, and you know there’s something to look for in a memoir. The fact that he grew up in a religious Muslim family, and ended up marrying a Mormon cowboy from Utah, makes reading such a book important for anyone tracking our progress in the world.This is not a literary memoir. But it feels like France’s own true voice, with all his charm and his cunning innocence. And that’s part of his appeal: wide-eyed innocence coupled with a world-wise savvy that propelled him through a rather flaky early career into personal success before the people at Netflix spotted him and thought he might do something good to this show they had planned.Television and fashion are easy industries to dismiss as shallow, but they are both cutthroat and merciless, and Tan’s survival and success in two such tricky worlds says something about his inner strength. What the book reveals further is his essential goodness as a person. France doesn’t have much patience or interest in old white people like me – even gay ones – but if he represents what his generation has accomplished (or, at least, could accomplish), then I’m more than happy to be proud of who he is.

I love Queer Eye and Tan so I was excited to read this. Like a couple others have said, it’s not written very well; I’m wondering how he decided what to include because it seemed pretty random. He gives fashion advice here and there but there were a few times he said things like “it’s ok for you to do it if you want, but I’d never do it” so he came off as pretty judgmental. There was a moment he said women shouldn’t have hair that’s long enough to reach their butts, because it’s essentially gross. Which again I thought could be pretty offensive and insensitive even culturally for some, so that was unfortunate. He also said something about how he was like the “Original millennial” because he wanted things handed to him when he was younger so that was pretty annoying. I ended up giving it to my sister, I knew I wouldn’t ever want to read it again...

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin Press for allowing me to read Naturally Tan. I love Tan France so much. I love all the guys from Queer Eye. That show makes me cry, every single time. I really enjoyed reading about how Tan grew up and how hard it was to live as a secret gay man. Tan is hilarious and knows his way around clothes. I love how much he loves his husband and how all the men are becoming positive role models for the LGBTQ community. This made me smile.

What an interesting and moving journey. I enjoyed it a lot, especially because I didn't know much about Tan France. Sure, he's shared some aspects of his life in Queer Eye, but he definitely opens up more in his book.My favorite part is how funny it is. Tan has a sassy and very direct kind of humor. He says what he thinks without holding back and it definitely stands out throughout the book. I laughed so many times with his witty honesty and love for I told you so's; and I swooned and smiled every time he'd share details about his relationship with his husband. *heart eyes*Another thing I really enjoyed was his insightful advice regarding fashion, relationships, jobs and starting your own business. He knows what he's talking about and it shows.I'm glad he got to share more about his life. I hope readers give this story a chance, there's definitely something (or many some things) to learn from him.

I am a middle aged straight white American woman and love QE. I enjoyed this quick read about Tan and his life. He is refreshingly candid and unafraid to discuss race and bigotry along with fashion tips. I would recommend not just for fans of QE but anyone interested in being their authentic self.

I really liked this book, not over the top liked but really enjoyed it. It is a perfect summertime read for the pool or beach. He is quite funny. The book reads like you are chatting it up with the author over tea. Comfortable...relaxed and light. He gives such great pearls of wisdom in each of his chapters. Life from his perspective as a foreigner in the USA, as a person of Pakistani heritage, as an employee as well as an employer but also as a friend in life's lessons learned. I see some of my flaws he describes in people he has met along the way. He has great insight as the direction he wants to go its just getting there. Isn't that all of us? Except he acts upon his dreams and ambitions. I would highly recommend even if you don't know who he is, you'll get to know him.

I think just because I love Tan I thought I'd love the book. That wasn't the case! I liked it though and I felt it was really meaningful that he shared the tough parts of his life. I think he's truly an inspiration but I found it distasteful when he was kind of spiteful about certain people who hurt his feelings in the past and he'd say things to the effect of "look at me now!" I felt certain things he said weren't said lightly.I found myself laughing out loud at times which I loved and his personality really came through! I think we can all relate to so many things he talks about! I also loved the fashion tips whenever he gave them!Overall think there's a good insight into Tan's life but it felt a little slap dash and I think it could have been a bit better and he could've included more.

Things I liked about the book:- Funny tone- Nice, short sentences- Artwork and pictures- Cultural facts about the US that I didn't knowThings I didn't like about this book:- It doesn't scratch the surface of Tan's upbringing- It feels that Tan is not ready to talk about his feelings around big moments in his life. For example, he briefly describes thinking about suicide, but the before and after of this revelation is two paragraphs with just facts.- Tan criticizes certain looks in a matter of fact way. If you disagree with his point of view, it's good to remember that his opinions are not facts and a lot of the things he talks about are subjective. His criticisms are quite a contrast with the accepting vibe of the Queer Eye show.Overall it was easy to read. I think it could have easily been a nice article in a magazine as it doesn't go too deep and you could strip out advice about clothes (unless that's' your cup of tea of course!).

I just love all that queer eye stands for and Tan's book embodies this. It describes his childhood and the racism he encountered and gives a really good insight into how this affected him. I love that he is comfortable with himself and successful despite all his past difficulties. The book doesn't labour this though and gives tips and advice for stylish dressing. Who knew that I should lose my fringe for example, possibly except for my husband and Tan.. I read this in a couple of sittings and loved it. I cant wait for the next season of queer eye and am awaiting my next order which is Karamo's book.

I'm back with another incredible read from one fifth of the Fab 5. Today it's Tan's turn and my goodness, if I thought I couldn't love Tan anymore, I was very very wrong.Within the first few sentences, I loved Tan's narrative in telling his story. His voice and his humour shines through and there were moments when I laughed out loud and nodded along with what he was saying. For example, the odd differences in American words and English words had me in stitches because I've been in many of those situations. 'Check the box' had me giggling so much as I could picture Tan's face and hear his frustration grow. It very much felt like he was there telling me his story and I always love that with books. It gives you this sense of warmth and connection and like you're not alone; like the book becomes your best friend for a few hours and that always makes me smile. I actually read this in a day because I didn't want to put it down, I wanted to keep listening to Tan.I knew I had to read this book when I read the blurb and the quote on the back. The part where Tan says "the more we know about each other, the happier and healthier the world will be." I think that is an incredibly beautiful way to look at things and is a fine example of what the Fab 5 do on Queer Eye. They don't judge people, they go in with an open mind and they radiate positivity and love and you get to see people flourish because of this. Learning about Tan's childhood and reading about the bullying he had to go through will make your blood boil. For me, I couldn't fathom how people could be so cruel and it made me teary imagining him in those situations. It gave me a great understanding of how he became the person he is today and also made me want to do more, to be better and ensure that I am even more aware of what goes on around me. From being out and about on the street to being on the school playground, I want to do my part in making sure no one has to go through what he did. Tan talks about visibility and when reading his story you gain an even deeper understanding of how important it is to take the time to get to know people rather than judging them by the way they look. That is just one of the reasons every one needs to read this book.In addition, I felt so inspired getting to learn about how Tan started his businesses. I was always intrigued hearing about him being behind the camera for so many years, so it was fun to dive in and see what he did. You can't help but feel motivated by what he achieved and by how much work he put in. While I didn't have quite as many jobs as Tan, I have had my fair few in trying to figure out what I ultimately wanted to do and also, of course, just to pay the bills. I admired how he went after what he wanted and how he continually moved forward in his search to find his happy. Maybe this is me being nosy, but I'd love to see Tan's sketches and drawings because I think it's awesome that he designed 50's inspired swimsuits for women, among other pieces. When he talks of how his husband packaged up all the orders and had to ship them and how he would go on trips to check the samples and how they were working from their living room, one it made me smile how much of a team they were and how they had each other's back, and two, it inspired me to keep going no matter what. I liked reading about his work ethic but also how he learnt to step back and be vulnerable when things got too much.Furthermore, Tan talking about his husband Rob is a romance novel just waiting to happen. I don't think I stopped smiling as I read about their meeting for the first time and how their love has grown and only gotten stronger over the years. You can just feel their chemistry bounce off the pages through the beautiful stories Tan shares. The two of them will make you believe in love and fairy tales and I think that is a gorgeous thing. And while I know all relationships are different, I think the advice Tan gives on a healthy relationship are rather wonderful. Communication, respect, making each other laugh, having the same values and morals as your partner are all so important and it's hard to come away not feeling like Tan and Rob are goals!!!I love, love, love hearing about the 'Queer Eye' auditions. Picturing those moments where people meet for the first time and it's like the universe has done this magical job of connecting these people who were meant to find each other just makes me ridiculously giddy and happy. Having Tan explain the process and how he met Karamo, Bobby, Jonathan and Antoni just filled my heart with joy. The fact that Tan had never been on camera before but how all these little moments came in to play where someone called upon him to audition and then having Rob encourage him to go for it, again it felt like the magic of the universe connecting the dots. I loved that Tan was very open in expressing his nerves and fears too when being on camera for the first time and how he had many doubts. It shows that we can still be fearful, that we can still worry and that we can all have down moments, but we can get through them. It shows that we don't have to be perfect in order to achieve our dreams, that often there are so many stumbling blocks, that we will make mistakes and we will need to reach out to others and ask for help to find our rhythm.This book is a delight. It has moments of heartbreak and of struggles but I believe those moments are important, that they need to be read and heard in order for us to be better. "Naturally Tan" is also warm, inviting and full of love, hope and humour and I highly recommend you give it a read.

I have complete and total respect for Tan France after reading this book. Reading this book felt like an insight into his childhood, culture, life experiences and how to just embrace the world and all the fantastic things it has to offer.I mean the guy was able to retire in his mid 30s because of his hard work and determination - pretty cool right?I love the illustrations throughout this book which divide up the chapters. The conversational approach was something I personally enjoyed as I could here him talking which you don’t always get from an autobiography as it feels so formal. You’re able to learn what it was like for him to grow up as a gay man in South Yorkshire in a traditional Muslim family. He touched on so many topics, some of which made me horrified.If you’re looking for an nice easy read, packed full of humour or you want to learn where the French tuck started, how Queer Eye came about, his love for the #fabfive (including first impressions!) or why he got known for his floral shirts then I have to recommend this!Those who loved Sarah Millican’s How To Be A Champion will enjoy this as the format is similar - lots of chat and plenty of advice/how to’s etc.