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jinglehui's review against another edition
3.5
You are complex. There is your sadness, and there is your wildness. There are the mysteries of your joy-the way you allow chocolate to melt in your fingers while eating it; the little dance you do before pressing an ele- vator button. There is your silence too, on display today during the car ride, the radio off, nothing but the squeak of the wipers and the patter of rain.
rready's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
This was beautiful and breathtaking. Achingly vulnerable and personal and, yet I could see myself and the experiences of those I love reflected in the pages. Stunning.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
readwithmeemz's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
My goodness, this was beautiful. A love letter in the purest and truest sense, this was a beautiful reflection on love, race, identity, culture, and so much more. Tender and loving, and beautiful and reflective, this was a short but really lovely read. It was my first book by David Chariandy, and it definitely won’t be my last.
sssummer's review
4.0
4.5
I'm really picky about what type of "pensive" introspective writing I really like, and I don't think Chariandy's particular voice is normally one that appeals to me. But in spite of that, I ended up really liking this book and it definitely left me in a particular mood.
A lot of this book was about his complicated relationship with his complicated ancestry, and I thought that the section "The Test" was particularly insightful. I'll insert a quote from that passage below. As well, it's interesting how he speaks about parts of his racial identity as something that is "silent", yet is still telling/revealing. For example, when he talks about how his skin tone marks others to ask 'where he is from' in spite of his practiced Canadian accent or the content of what he says, and also how the ancestry test "quietly" reveals the violence against black women. I don't think I can articulate yet why that way of conceptualization/description was so notable for me, but it just was.
the “heat maps of my ancestry”, my “paternal line” lighting up with orange and yellow almost all of Asia and Europe, and my “maternal line” lighting with concentrated colour only the continent of Africa… I remember, also, watching quietly the outline of the Americas, where generations of my ancestors had been born into lives of bondage and soil. Not a hint of colour there. Not even the weakest indication of belonging.
I'm really picky about what type of "pensive" introspective writing I really like, and I don't think Chariandy's particular voice is normally one that appeals to me. But in spite of that, I ended up really liking this book and it definitely left me in a particular mood.
A lot of this book was about his complicated relationship with his complicated ancestry, and I thought that the section "The Test" was particularly insightful. I'll insert a quote from that passage below. As well, it's interesting how he speaks about parts of his racial identity as something that is "silent", yet is still telling/revealing. For example, when he talks about how his skin tone marks others to ask 'where he is from' in spite of his practiced Canadian accent or the content of what he says, and also how the ancestry test "quietly" reveals the violence against black women. I don't think I can articulate yet why that way of conceptualization/description was so notable for me, but it just was.
the “heat maps of my ancestry”, my “paternal line” lighting up with orange and yellow almost all of Asia and Europe, and my “maternal line” lighting with concentrated colour only the continent of Africa… I remember, also, watching quietly the outline of the Americas, where generations of my ancestors had been born into lives of bondage and soil. Not a hint of colour there. Not even the weakest indication of belonging.
smittenforfiction's review
5.0
I read this for ReadEHthon.
› Significant and moving, I've Been Meaning To Tell You is a small book that packs a poignant punch. Because it's only 128 pages I'm not going to say much...just that this is a must-read. A profound piece of writing that will stay with you. As a white woman, I'm so very grateful to get a glimpse into what it's like to live life as a Black person. I will do my best to know my privilege, be an ally, and always speak up against racism.
› Significant and moving, I've Been Meaning To Tell You is a small book that packs a poignant punch. Because it's only 128 pages I'm not going to say much...just that this is a must-read. A profound piece of writing that will stay with you. As a white woman, I'm so very grateful to get a glimpse into what it's like to live life as a Black person. I will do my best to know my privilege, be an ally, and always speak up against racism.
vrog12's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 - a thoughtful reflection on race, identity and belonging from a father to his daughter. For fans of Ta-nahesi Coates’s Between the world and me.
ellenmc07's review
5.0
An absolutely brilliant and human look at the complex relationship between all facets that encompass parenthood and the journey one has in watching their children grow up.