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samnoel's review against another edition
DNF
maybe it’s just me, but this book was not what i was expecting. this book is very specific to the authors life as a woman: hating her hands, lots of sexual encounters, lesbianism, lots of sexual encounters, heroin, being spat on, etc.
i also found the writing hard to follow so not only was it topics i couldn’t specifically relate to, i couldn’t follow her stories about them either.
maybe it’s just me, but this book was not what i was expecting. this book is very specific to the authors life as a woman: hating her hands, lots of sexual encounters, lesbianism, lots of sexual encounters, heroin, being spat on, etc.
i also found the writing hard to follow so not only was it topics i couldn’t specifically relate to, i couldn’t follow her stories about them either.
jbrooks124's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
4.0
Essays reflecting on Febos' life between adolescence and womanhood, poignant and analytical and heartrending. Though her experiences are deeply personal, her words speak to every woman.
8675309mp's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
elisep97's review against another edition
4.0
"Strong and big were what every animal wanted except us. To be human meant that unlike in most other species, females were the cultivators of meticulous plumage. We competed to be the weakest and smallest and most infantile. We seemed to spend all of our resources withering ourselves to be attractive to males. The goal was to be as soft and tidy and delicate as possible."
amsearer's review against another edition
5.0
Audiobook review: Melissa's voice was captivating, and the stories left me contemplating the universal nature of the experience of, well, girlhood. This is the first book of Melissa's that I've read but I want to know more after this.
lolar's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Sexual harassment
10iii_kat's review against another edition
4.0
(pol + eng)
(pol)
z każdą stroną, z każdą historią miałam wrażenie, że melissa mówi do mnie i pewnym stopniu o mnie. wiele punktów jej życia przecina się z moimi punktami, co jest wielce smutne ale sam fakt, że nie jestem sama daję mi nadzieję na przyszłość.
chciałabym, żeby każdy to przeczytał bo jest to ważna książka, otwierająca oczy na wiele spraw i może sprawi, że ludzie się w chociaż pewnym stopniu zaczą zmieniać.
(eng)
with each page and each story, I felt like melissa was talking to me and, in some sense, about me. many points of her life meet my points, which is very sad but the fact that I'm not alone gives me hope for the future.
I wish everyone would read it because it's an important book that opens your eyes to many issues and, maybe, it will make people change, at least to some extent.
(pol)
z każdą stroną, z każdą historią miałam wrażenie, że melissa mówi do mnie i pewnym stopniu o mnie. wiele punktów jej życia przecina się z moimi punktami, co jest wielce smutne ale sam fakt, że nie jestem sama daję mi nadzieję na przyszłość.
chciałabym, żeby każdy to przeczytał bo jest to ważna książka, otwierająca oczy na wiele spraw i może sprawi, że ludzie się w chociaż pewnym stopniu zaczą zmieniać.
(eng)
with each page and each story, I felt like melissa was talking to me and, in some sense, about me. many points of her life meet my points, which is very sad but the fact that I'm not alone gives me hope for the future.
I wish everyone would read it because it's an important book that opens your eyes to many issues and, maybe, it will make people change, at least to some extent.
neeavenla's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
jailala's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
This book is powerful. It should be read slowly and with great care. The essays here describe the inherent trauma of growing up a 'girl' in America (and other places in the world too). Though my path and the authors differed in many many ways, I found myself feeling again and again the power with which she was able to name my own emotions, follow my own traumas, SEE my shame and pain and confusion and NAME them all. Sometimes we read a book and we shout "YES! This is what I wanted to say! This is how I should say this!" This is one of those books.
Read it with care and caution. Take your time. Explore the depths in yourself that are revealed.
And if you are male- please appreciate how likely this story is to resonate with most, if not all, of the women you know. Whether your mother or grandmother, your aunt or your sister, your lover or your child, these experiences are not exaggerated - either in their stark reality or in their ability to confuse and claim our hearts in a cave of doubt and turmoil. If you are lucky, your loved one will be able to share with you what they themselves have experienced or felt and you will be able to understand them more fully. However, many of us have been taught to shove these things down, to lock away everything we're confused about or angry about or sad about. Be patient and kind and humble and listen- that is how we should treat everyone we meet but most of all when faced with truths like the essays presented here.
Read it with care and caution. Take your time. Explore the depths in yourself that are revealed.
And if you are male- please appreciate how likely this story is to resonate with most, if not all, of the women you know. Whether your mother or grandmother, your aunt or your sister, your lover or your child, these experiences are not exaggerated - either in their stark reality or in their ability to confuse and claim our hearts in a cave of doubt and turmoil. If you are lucky, your loved one will be able to share with you what they themselves have experienced or felt and you will be able to understand them more fully. However, many of us have been taught to shove these things down, to lock away everything we're confused about or angry about or sad about. Be patient and kind and humble and listen- that is how we should treat everyone we meet but most of all when faced with truths like the essays presented here.