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br00k3a133n's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
2.25
I'm torn and a bit disappointed. The first half of this book was interesting and captivating and beautiful and depressing...but then the second half came along.
There was so much in this that was enjoying but as it went on ended up liking my time with it less and less.
Maybe if it had been half to a third shorter it might have not overstayed it's welcome (which know is strange to say with personal essay, but a lot of the back half just felt long and not as personal as it could have been)
There was so much in this that was enjoying but as it went on ended up liking my time with it less and less.
Maybe if it had been half to a third shorter it might have not overstayed it's welcome (which know is strange to say with personal essay, but a lot of the back half just felt long and not as personal as it could have been)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Biphobia, Drug abuse, and Addiction
Minor: Fatphobia
katsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
"In a small town, the promises of religion are the language of protection..."
"I wonder, sometimes, if I believed in God, would I still feel so afraid?"
"In a small midwestern town, darkness gets buried like a secret."
"So often, though, the things we hope to be true about ourselves and the things we really want are incongruous."
"...bucking a traditional system is never easy."
"It takes a great deal of privilege--by way of money, education, and access--to live within one's ideals."
"...there are no good guys or bad guys. There is only us."
I really enjoyed this collection of essays. Faliveno's writing was really amazing. I liked how the essays were split up into sections. The sections made it easy to pause when I needed to since the essay's were a little longer than I liked. I also liked how the different sections tied together larger themes within each essay, however, sometimes the sections could be a little disjointed. I expected these essays to focus more on gender and sexuality, and while that is definitely a large focus of many of the essays, they explore much more than that. I identified with a lot of the author's conversation on what it's like to grow up as a woman in the Midwest. In addition to midwestern culture, gender and sexuality, the text also explored themes like motherhood, grief, cultural expectations, gun culture and one essay about moths that, I have to admit, I didn't quite understand.
"I wonder, sometimes, if I believed in God, would I still feel so afraid?"
"In a small midwestern town, darkness gets buried like a secret."
"So often, though, the things we hope to be true about ourselves and the things we really want are incongruous."
"...bucking a traditional system is never easy."
"It takes a great deal of privilege--by way of money, education, and access--to live within one's ideals."
"...there are no good guys or bad guys. There is only us."
I really enjoyed this collection of essays. Faliveno's writing was really amazing. I liked how the essays were split up into sections. The sections made it easy to pause when I needed to since the essay's were a little longer than I liked. I also liked how the different sections tied together larger themes within each essay, however, sometimes the sections could be a little disjointed. I expected these essays to focus more on gender and sexuality, and while that is definitely a large focus of many of the essays, they explore much more than that. I identified with a lot of the author's conversation on what it's like to grow up as a woman in the Midwest. In addition to midwestern culture, gender and sexuality, the text also explored themes like motherhood, grief, cultural expectations, gun culture and one essay about moths that, I have to admit, I didn't quite understand.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Death, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abortion and Pedophilia
mariahsnerdynotes's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A moving collection of essays that deals with trauma, found family, identity, sexuality, feelings on grief, being a teenager, and much more. While the writing comes off as slightly disjointed at times, it doesn't take long to realize that the narrative is woven together by the theme that connects it all. The essays focus in on what being from Wisconsin means to the author, her life in New York City, her childhood, her flaws, and the complicated web of feelings and thoughts that life truly is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, and Grief
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Abortion
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