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kateea7536's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Wow. I’ve never read a book like this. It is so emotionally raw and vulnerable and filled with so much pondering of life and how it should be lived and what matters. This also encompassed identity, belonging, race, class, wealth, sex, love and friendship. SO MUCH was done within one book and it so sensitively handled every topic that it raised in a way that did not feel false or deliberate, but natural and heartfelt. I was blown away by how moving the prose was and how well written, including an extensive use of metaphor and description that was spellbinding and lyrical (although sometimes perhaps there were too many metaphors!). The only thing I would have loved was dates as well as locations of each chapter, since it was difficult to follow what Michael was doing in what order, but perhaps this was part of the experience, the idea that he was swimming through all these places and feeling searching for something. Ending was fantastic but I would’ve loved to have heard more from the characters perspective.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Mental illness, Drug use, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
lostinthelibrary's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
You can tell this author is a poet. There are some beautiful passages of prose that gave a lot more insight to the motivations of the main character than anything in the plot did. These moments of introspection were the highlight of the novel and very much captured the weight of mental illness.
However, I felt that the plot did not live up to it's intriguing premise and was a mixed bag. I felt like the author did a good job at writing what he knew well (inner London) but struggled with capturing the atmosphere in the US scenes which made the book feel very uneven. A lot of characters make choices that are not fully explored and it overall left me a bit unsatisfied.
However, I felt that the plot did not live up to it's intriguing premise and was a mixed bag. I felt like the author did a good job at writing what he knew well (inner London) but struggled with capturing the atmosphere in the US scenes which made the book feel very uneven. A lot of characters make choices that are not fully explored and it overall left me a bit unsatisfied.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Suicide
ashleycmms's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Sexual content, and Suicide
Minor: Drug use
thechroniclesofnadia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Mental illness
Minor: Suicide
sadiereadthat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
This is the character driven story of a young Congolese man, Michael, living in London. He and his family were refugees, but he has been in London for a long time. His father is dead and he lives with his mother. He teaches English in a high school. He is not happy with the way his life is going and wants a change, so he takes all of his savings and heads to Los Angeles. This is where his story begins, but it does not end there.
This book flips between a chapter taking place in the present and a chapter taking place in the past and providing background information to help us better understand what is going on in his life. I wasn't sure I would like it when I started, so if you feel the same way, I suggest you stick to it. It was very confusing at first, and I didn't even realize it was the same guy in all of the chapters, but it became clearer. The story is wonderful and it seems very dark, but it really is touching and I felt so much for Michael.
This is the character driven story of a young Congolese man, Michael, living in London. He and his family were refugees, but he has been in London for a long time. His father is dead and he lives with his mother. He teaches English in a high school. He is not happy with the way his life is going and wants a change, so he takes all of his savings and heads to Los Angeles. This is where his story begins, but it does not end there.
This book flips between a chapter taking place in the present and a chapter taking place in the past and providing background information to help us better understand what is going on in his life. I wasn't sure I would like it when I started, so if you feel the same way, I suggest you stick to it. It was very confusing at first, and I didn't even realize it was the same guy in all of the chapters, but it became clearer. The story is wonderful and it seems very dark, but it really is touching and I felt so much for Michael.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
foxandbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
*****You should first BE VERY AWARE of your own mental health before reading this book. It is hard to read when you are in a good head space, so please keep that in mind. *****
Wow! JJ Bola is an amazing writer! The words just flow and he has a beautiful way of expressing his feelings. The Selfless Act Of Breathing, is simply put, beautifully written.
All that being said, it is one hard book to read. You need to be in the right frame of mind to read this book, and even if you are strong mentally, this story will bring you down. It will show you just how a lonely and depressed person feels and how their mind works.
Michaels life is all over the place, or at least that is how it seems. He knows what it feels like to be happy or sad. But mostly he moves thru life in an ambivalent state of mind. He has friends and colleagues that he is somewhat close to, but most of the time he can't bring himself to be there for them. This is Michael... This is his life...
Michael is a teacher in London. His family immigrated to London when he was little. He has become despondent. He is only halfway present when he is teaching, he shows up late, he doesn't answer emails and he has become increasingly absent in his relationships with his friend Sandra, Jalil and his mom. JJ Bola touches on those relationships, but he does so in such a way that shows how a person with mental illness thinks. So the person in the book you get to know is Michael, not necessarily all the other people he knows or comes in contact with.
Michael decides to quit his job, take all the money he has and go to America. And once all his money is gone he is going to kill himself. He is tired of life, tired of being sad, so he makes plans for this trip. He is going to start in California and just go where he wants. While on this trip he meets many different people, does things he has never done before. But he is still sad, but now his plans of spending all his money and killing himself are becoming real. Will he do it??
This book goes back and forth between timelines. The author tells you the place at the beginning of each chapter but doesn't tell you the date, so at first it was confusing for me. I think the author does this on purpose to show how the mind of a person, who suffers from crippling depression, thinks. The chapters that are in America end with the amount of money Michael has left, so the closer you get to the end the more anxious you feel and you can feel it in the writing as well. Definitely a 4.5⭐ book.
Now for the big ending. Does Michael kill himself? I am not sure how to interpret the end of the book. The end of the book ( at least for me) could be interpreted in two ways.
1) Michael came home to his mom and everything is fine. The reason I struggle with this is because Michael has no money left and as far as I could tell did not book a round trip ticket since he was going to kill himself. So how did he get home???
2) The end of the book is back in London with Michaels mom. She is despondent knowing that he son went on a trip and plans to kill himself. She distances herself from the man (a preacher) who she was going to marry. She gets more and more sad, doesn't get out of bed, but then there is a knock at the door and it is Michael. Now I think Michaels mom also kills herself and only sees Michael after that she does that.
I could be reading the ending all wrong. Like I said there are a bunch of unanswered questions, and I think it was meant to be that way. There is always unanswered questions when someone commits suicide.
Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books and JJ Bola for the eARC of this in exchange for my honest opinion.
Wow! JJ Bola is an amazing writer! The words just flow and he has a beautiful way of expressing his feelings. The Selfless Act Of Breathing, is simply put, beautifully written.
All that being said, it is one hard book to read. You need to be in the right frame of mind to read this book, and even if you are strong mentally, this story will bring you down. It will show you just how a lonely and depressed person feels and how their mind works.
Michaels life is all over the place, or at least that is how it seems. He knows what it feels like to be happy or sad. But mostly he moves thru life in an ambivalent state of mind. He has friends and colleagues that he is somewhat close to, but most of the time he can't bring himself to be there for them. This is Michael... This is his life...
Michael is a teacher in London. His family immigrated to London when he was little. He has become despondent. He is only halfway present when he is teaching, he shows up late, he doesn't answer emails and he has become increasingly absent in his relationships with his friend Sandra, Jalil and his mom. JJ Bola touches on those relationships, but he does so in such a way that shows how a person with mental illness thinks. So the person in the book you get to know is Michael, not necessarily all the other people he knows or comes in contact with.
Michael decides to quit his job, take all the money he has and go to America. And once all his money is gone he is going to kill himself. He is tired of life, tired of being sad, so he makes plans for this trip. He is going to start in California and just go where he wants. While on this trip he meets many different people, does things he has never done before. But he is still sad, but now his plans of spending all his money and killing himself are becoming real. Will he do it??
This book goes back and forth between timelines. The author tells you the place at the beginning of each chapter but doesn't tell you the date, so at first it was confusing for me. I think the author does this on purpose to show how the mind of a person, who suffers from crippling depression, thinks. The chapters that are in America end with the amount of money Michael has left, so the closer you get to the end the more anxious you feel and you can feel it in the writing as well. Definitely a 4.5⭐ book.
Now for the big ending. Does Michael kill himself? I am not sure how to interpret the end of the book. The end of the book ( at least for me) could be interpreted in two ways.
1) Michael came home to his mom and everything is fine. The reason I struggle with this is because Michael has no money left and as far as I could tell did not book a round trip ticket since he was going to kill himself. So how did he get home???
2) The end of the book is back in London with Michaels mom. She is despondent knowing that he son went on a trip and plans to kill himself. She distances herself from the man (a preacher) who she was going to marry. She gets more and more sad, doesn't get out of bed, but then there is a knock at the door and it is Michael. Now I think Michaels mom also kills herself and only sees Michael after that she does that.
I could be reading the ending all wrong. Like I said there are a bunch of unanswered questions, and I think it was meant to be that way. There is always unanswered questions when someone commits suicide.
Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books and JJ Bola for the eARC of this in exchange for my honest opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
theskyboi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Thank you to Book Club Favorites at Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review.
JJ Bola's second novel, The Selfless Act of Breathing, is prose with a poetic sensibility. It relates the story of a teacher from London, Michael Kabongo, who is battling a crisis of identity and desire as he decides to quit his job before embarking to the United States. Plagued by his own inability to sort through the most pressing collateral effects of mental illness, Michael prefers the impulsive yet decisive trip that he hopes will punctuate this chapter of his life.
As intense as it is challenging, Bola's prose accurately reflects how depression can consume the self, leaving fewer doubts clarified than not. For those of us who have dealt with the lowest valleys of depression, Michael's inner monologue and interpersonal interactions are something of a mirror to peer into. Even those not afflicted by this disorder can sympathize with Michael's trip halfway across the world to cope with grief, identity, and mortality.
Told in alternating chapters between different points in Michael's recent history, Bola's novel expertly balances exposition with character development, and the reader's experience is all the richer for it. Something of a contemporary adult companion piece to The Little Prince, Michael Kabongo's journey appeals to the wayward soul in us all, especially as we work to determine where we find our homes. At its core, The Selfless Act of Breathing focuses on the fear of loss—loss of self, home, love, and desire. For those seeking some comfort in knowing that they are not alone, this book answers the call.
As for my qualms, the protagonist ascribes to a certain machismo in his interactions with women, which I could not get past. The relationships he establishes are fraught with issues, which are never truly atoned for or addressed; he simply goes about things with no growth but much room for improvement. Overall, it has a redeeming message that is told in a somewhat incomplete way.
JJ Bola's second novel, The Selfless Act of Breathing, is prose with a poetic sensibility. It relates the story of a teacher from London, Michael Kabongo, who is battling a crisis of identity and desire as he decides to quit his job before embarking to the United States. Plagued by his own inability to sort through the most pressing collateral effects of mental illness, Michael prefers the impulsive yet decisive trip that he hopes will punctuate this chapter of his life.
As intense as it is challenging, Bola's prose accurately reflects how depression can consume the self, leaving fewer doubts clarified than not. For those of us who have dealt with the lowest valleys of depression, Michael's inner monologue and interpersonal interactions are something of a mirror to peer into. Even those not afflicted by this disorder can sympathize with Michael's trip halfway across the world to cope with grief, identity, and mortality.
Told in alternating chapters between different points in Michael's recent history, Bola's novel expertly balances exposition with character development, and the reader's experience is all the richer for it. Something of a contemporary adult companion piece to The Little Prince, Michael Kabongo's journey appeals to the wayward soul in us all, especially as we work to determine where we find our homes. At its core, The Selfless Act of Breathing focuses on the fear of loss—loss of self, home, love, and desire. For those seeking some comfort in knowing that they are not alone, this book answers the call.
As for my qualms, the protagonist ascribes to a certain machismo in his interactions with women, which I could not get past. The relationships he establishes are fraught with issues, which are never truly atoned for or addressed; he simply goes about things with no growth but much room for improvement. Overall, it has a redeeming message that is told in a somewhat incomplete way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and War
Minor: Police brutality
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