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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I hated every page of this rather large book with every fiber of my female being. From the flippant way the author moves through childhood into adulthood, to the exaggerated sex to the way the author seems to loathe being female, I could not get through this entire book without feeling sorry for the mangled, forgotten mother, or anger at the overly handsy, less-than-supportive boyfriend. This book was not the breast cancer survivor story I anticipated it being when I picked it up.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I really liked this book. I think it's a beautiful and original way to craft a memoir. There were several panels that I just sat with a while because they discussed the idea of our life and mortality and how precious it is but also how it's our life and filled with our choices and we are the ones to make the best of it.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
A graphic memoir by Jennifer Hayden. This is, in some ways, a breast cancer memoir, but it more than that, putting the author's experience of breast cancer in context with her entire life, from wishing her breasts were bigger as a teenager, to dealing with her mother-in-law's and mother's own cancer diagnoses to deciding to have a radical dual mastectomy. The illustrations are funky and fun and complement the text. I enjoyed this and recommend it to anyone who is looking for interesting, off-the-beaten-path graphic books.
the unaddressed internalised & externalised misogyny, messy pacing, meandering plot, & same-face art (pretty much all the characters looked like the same two people), weren't for me. maybe i'm a snob, but i was mostly only either bored, annoyed, or upset. i'd have far more empathy for the darker parts & grief in this book if it wasn't all so riddled with (also unaddressed) privilege & posturing.
but once again, maybe i'm a snob.
A bildungsroman, cancer memoir, and family drama, all in graphic format. I loved Hayden's exploration of her relationship with and feelings about her body--and how this affected her relationships with her family, husband, in-laws, and friends. A cool premise, but at times it felt somewhat overly-long, and lost focus on long sub-plots about other characters.
Really fascinating take on life and how we overcome obstacles. Really enjoyed it! As a native of Central Jersey I also appreciated that they reaffirmed its geographic certainty.
I admired the honesty and evolution of the author in this book. I was expecting it to be less of a memoir and to be more focused on her experience with breast cancer.