Reviews - Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory

696 reviews for:

Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory

Sarah Polley

4.4 AVERAGE

cathsgraphs's review

4.5

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

sophiestasyna's review against another edition

5.0

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Content Warnings

I think I am leaning between 3.5 and 4 stars. I didn’t love every essay, I would say I really enjoyed about half of them and the last one was definitely my favorite. I like how Sarah Polley discusses how trauma affects memory and the way we understand our pasts. I think she has many interesting observations about how memory plays tricks on us and the ways we misremember or try to accommodate our traumas. I also really liked the discussion of how other people’s perceptions of ourselves can deeply manipulate how we remember and view our own traumas as well. My only issue is that it didn’t all feel like it flowed together super well, which Polley did address in the beginning, but it does feel a bit more like a loose collection of things essays rather than a well connected memoir. My favorite essay is the last one, but I don’t know if it really fits with the rest to be honest. Other than that, I really enjoyed the insights Polley gave in this book and i’m intrigued to see her film Women Talking!

penchant's review

3.0

Of everything, Lucy DeCoutere on the Ghomeshi trial stays with me: "I'm only happy for the women who didn't come forward. I know there are lots of them. If you need to hear from me that I'm cool with it, I am. It's okay."

qcaller's review

5.0

inspiring reflective medium-paced

Ms. Polley is an excellent storyteller. Her personal experiences are shared with candor and grace towards those who have wronged her. As a fan of many of the projects she has worked on, her insights shed a whole new light on the production process and the use of child actors. Her experience with a longterm concussion inspire me to face things I've allowed to limit me.

nicolejacobsen's review against another edition

4.5

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

moowho's review

5.0

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

bookgirl1209's review

4.0

A soul-baring, introspective collection of memoirs from actor/writer/director Sarah Polley.

Essay type memoirs are not my favourite but these were long enough that I felt like I was getting a full biography even though they were just snapshots. Polley has a way of writing about her trauma that makes her sound both brave and real and leaves the reader wanting to rescue her or, at the very least, tell her everything is going to be okay.

I can see why this one was up for awards.