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siriface's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Racism and Suicide attempt
krys_kilz's review
4.5
Geller's voice was refreshing. She doesn't sugar coat anything nor does she attempt to give her pain/trauma a deeper meaning or poetic beauty. She simply lays it all out without apology. And that raw vulnerability felt like a breath of fresh air. As a survivor, your story doesn't have to prioritize other people's comfort or inspire others with your unbelievable strength. It doesn't have to be palatable. It can just be.
I especially appreciated how Geller spoke about forgiveness and the repeating cycles of addiction and recovery. And how you cannot force other people to change no matter how much you love them.
Structuring the memoir around archived family photos, journal entries, and letters was also a really cool writing methodology.
tw: death of a parent, alcoholism, addiction, child abuse, domestic abuse
"...the longer I stood there, the more I realized I wasn't angry at myself. I wasn't even angry at my mother. I was angry at things outside our control. I was angry at the broken communities we were born into, and the godly men who perpetuated the cycles of abuse. Who told us to seek happiness in ignorance and faith in a God who seemed indifferent to our suffering. Who taught us to forgive too readily, and that forgiveness restored power, when in my experience, forgiveness had only taken my power away."
"Can't you see? Everything keeps repeating. All of this has happened before. I don't want you to end up like our parents."
Eileen took my hands, drew them down into her lap, and looked into my eyes. "I'm just happy you made it out," she said, softly. "It had to get one of us, you know?"
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
betyourbuttons's review
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Violence and Suicide attempt
emzireads's review
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
buttermellow's review
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, and Suicide attempt
sjanke2's review
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
caseythereader's review
4.25
📚 Additionally, the photographs and other items help to remind the reader that this isn't just a parade of anonymous events, it's the life of a family.
📚 Reading a description of something awful her father did and then looking him in the eye on the next page...I can't even find words for it.
📚 There's so much in here about generational trauma and cycles of addiction and abuse, and yet, there is a feeling of healing and growth by the end of the book, even though things aren't "fixed" or "solved."
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
keatynbergsten's review
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness