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jenilee's review
5.0
Talusan writes beautifully, intimately and honestly about very dark times in her life. It’s hard to imagine one life filled with so much trauma - facing racism as a child after her family moves from the Philippines to the US, learning of her family’s undocumented status, years of sexual abuse by her grandfather, fighting for her health as she’s faced with painful decisions on how to beat cancer, letting go of the chance at motherhood...
The weight of her abuse carries on throughout her life and leads to depression, fighting for her mental health and body image issues. Years before the #metoo movement, she kept her silence for so long. But it’s brave leaders like Talusan who empower victims to speak up regardless of who might be hurt, because in the end, it’s YOU that matters.
Even if you can’t fully relate to her experiences, her writing brings the personal to a universal level. You feel her pain but also see her strength. I wanted so badly to reach into the book and hug her.
Very powerful and highly recommend but be aware of many triggers.
The weight of her abuse carries on throughout her life and leads to depression, fighting for her mental health and body image issues. Years before the #metoo movement, she kept her silence for so long. But it’s brave leaders like Talusan who empower victims to speak up regardless of who might be hurt, because in the end, it’s YOU that matters.
Even if you can’t fully relate to her experiences, her writing brings the personal to a universal level. You feel her pain but also see her strength. I wanted so badly to reach into the book and hug her.
Very powerful and highly recommend but be aware of many triggers.
fronkiekong's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
currently deliberating how many copies to get of this to circulate in my family
pilipinxpages's review
5.0
This book hit me like a ton of bricks emotionally. The personal narrative is written masterfully and takes you into Talusan's world within seconds. The embedded story of abuse and grief over different eras of Talusan's life had me connected to her words knowing how complex telling this story is. If you want a story about life, disappointment, survival and the love that perseveres in the work, this is the book for you.
alicelalicon's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Incest, Infertility, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Medical content
justri's review
5.0
I learned early on that I would have to search a little harder, more purposefully, for books written by people like me. I am glad to say that that's not the case anymore. Talusan's writing is like a conversation. There was always room for me to reply; to react, and though my experiences are not the same as hers, I saw myself in her questions and experiences. Her memories mean more because they reflect mine. They reflect my parents' memories. My grandparents' memories.
I don't know if I'll ever a publish a memoir myself, but if I do, it'll be because I read Talusan's. She wrote so I could write.
Maraming salamat, Tita Grace, for your stories.
I don't know if I'll ever a publish a memoir myself, but if I do, it'll be because I read Talusan's. She wrote so I could write.
Maraming salamat, Tita Grace, for your stories.
phee's review
3.0
Read this in one sitting as the internet has gone out in my area. The older I'm getting, the more I'm appreciating memoir's and value of learning from them.