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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Not sure how I feel about this book.... ?!?!
I had to finish it to know how it ended... but I really didn't want to read it.
I had to finish it to know how it ended... but I really didn't want to read it.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
appreciate that it gives reader a glimpse of what it’s like to commit to group therapy.
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
This book was so unique and honest. I'll probably think about this one for a while!
I picked this up randomly from the library when none of the audio books I wanted were available. Sometimes a random pick resonates. In this case it did not.
For me a memoir has a high bar to clear. There must be a certain amount of self awareness, a dash of humility (which doesn’t always come through even when an author is confessing her worst secrets), a sense of humor and - most importantly - a way of providing insight into the reader’s life. In other words, if your life story is worth writing and reading I want to get something profound out of it. It doesn’t have to be life shattering. A single nugget to mull over would be adequate. And not too much to ask given what this author and I have in common. Otherwise just make it a novel and be done with it.
And ultimately that’s how I finished this book. By pretending it was a novel. A mildly diverting fluffy bit of forgettable cotton candy writing to entertain me as I run my errands and clean my condo.
If you are looking for a memoir about therapy with a bit more profundity to it I’d suggest Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb.
For me a memoir has a high bar to clear. There must be a certain amount of self awareness, a dash of humility (which doesn’t always come through even when an author is confessing her worst secrets), a sense of humor and - most importantly - a way of providing insight into the reader’s life. In other words, if your life story is worth writing and reading I want to get something profound out of it. It doesn’t have to be life shattering. A single nugget to mull over would be adequate. And not too much to ask given what this author and I have in common. Otherwise just make it a novel and be done with it.
And ultimately that’s how I finished this book. By pretending it was a novel. A mildly diverting fluffy bit of forgettable cotton candy writing to entertain me as I run my errands and clean my condo.
If you are looking for a memoir about therapy with a bit more profundity to it I’d suggest Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb.
I’m not sure how to rate this one. It’s definitely entertaining. But it also glorifies an extremely unorthodox, possibly unethical therapist and his methods. And yet, the author credits them/him with straightening out her extremely fucked up life. So... I don’t know. I’d hope no one would be stupid enough to read this and think this is how therapy goes for every single person, for good or bad.
What I enjoyed the most about this book is how extremely Chicago it is—MY Chicago. Name dropping intersections, neighborhoods, and places like crazy challenged my cognitive map to remember where they were after so many years away. The familiarity is probably what got me past how weird the premise is and allowed me to enjoy and even love the people in this book. The author even went to Loyola Law. When she mentioned a mailbox outside “the law library,” I knew that was an editing decision because the law library is on the third floor of a high rise.
What I enjoyed the most about this book is how extremely Chicago it is—MY Chicago. Name dropping intersections, neighborhoods, and places like crazy challenged my cognitive map to remember where they were after so many years away. The familiarity is probably what got me past how weird the premise is and allowed me to enjoy and even love the people in this book. The author even went to Loyola Law. When she mentioned a mailbox outside “the law library,” I knew that was an editing decision because the law library is on the third floor of a high rise.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
It was fine. As someone who has been in therapy but never group, the dynamics of group therapy was interesting, but I didn’t really connect with this book or find it that insightful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcohol