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adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Murder
Really liked this memoir. Male friendship, grief, creating identity in your youth. Found it honest & focused.
I feel like this book wants to be a tribute to Ken but idk that it succeeds completely. It felt a little more like an exercise in wordplay than a truthful outpouring of heart about a friend. Though if the author expresses his feelings by trying to use complicated wordplay, maybe that's his version of honesty. But all the fancy words and analysis are just obfuscating real feelings or real thoughts imo. It wouldn't be so bad in a book of say literary analysis where you kind of expect this level of redirection and word play as far as the eye can see but in a book about grieving for a friend, you know what to expect (clarity and transparency) so it comes off as jarring here. Stylistically it just seems a bit much for the subject matter. idk that I can really ping the author on that though if this writing style comes through naturally for him. Pretension is so common in literary circles that I feel like this kind of circuitous writing style is kinda par for the course for someone with his background. Like maybe its just assimilation at that point? idk I did love the parts where Ken shines through regardless of all the fancy wordplay. But I felt like the writing style was working against it a lot of the time. Overall good intentions, bad execution is my impression.
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I know why people like this book, but I found Hsu’s characterization of himself insufferable, even though/if it was intentional. I think I would have liked it more if he hadn’t kept his readers at an emotional distance almost the entire time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Murder
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Will reread by jun 2028 if not before
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Reading this book made me reflect back on my past and current friendships. As well as future friendships, now that I’m transferring to UC Davis (sorry Cal). It made me appreciate all the people that I chose to stay friends with and reminds me to work as much as possible to maintain those friendships. I want my friendships to fizzle out or end because of uncontrollable factors or due to incompatibility, but never because of simply not doing the effort to work on the friendship.
*Started this book before UCB Transfer admission decisions came out, then a few days later, got accepted. Universe things.*
*Started this book before UCB Transfer admission decisions came out, then a few days later, got accepted. Universe things.*
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder