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jenmat1197's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
This is the story of the author. When she was 9 years old she got diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma and had a large portion of her jaw removed to save her life. She endured years of painful surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, taunts from classmates, and general stares of the public. She kept waiting for her happily ever after - thinking the next reconstructive surgery would solve everything and her life could begin. She spent her life looking for love and understanding all while trying to shield herself from the hurt and torment due to her appearance.
This was a good book. The author does a good job laying out her life story from the perspective of a child who had no idea what was going on. She didn't even know she had cancer until she was almost done with chemo because no one ever used the word in front of her. She spent most of her life internalizing her feelings and trying to defend herself in a world that was less than understanding. I looked up the author after I read this book and was sad to learn that she died of a heroin overdose in 2002 before she was even 40.
peytondani's review against another edition
4.0
for class. really enjoyed the perspective i gained from this. lucy grealy really lets the reader into all aspects of her mind, and it’s interesting to witness how her thoughts change (and stay the same) from childhood to adulthood. great musings on beauty, illness, and ableism.
catbrigand's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve thought a lot about this book since I read it, especially since finding an op-ed by her older sister Suellen about this book, Ann Patchett’s memoir, and public grief. This book is not pleasant. It may shock you to know that a book about childhood cancer is unpleasant. But it’s also wholly inappropriate to examine motives and situations through only one lens—my copy of the book had reading guide questions about Lucy’s mother’s fitness, as if we in our healthy 21st century lives can make a judgment call about a woman presented through her daughter’s eyes.
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Lucy Grealy was nine years old when she was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer, in her right jaw. The surgery and chemo helped save her life but left her with disfiguring scars.
What is more important to your sense of self than to recognize yourself in the mirror? What if the face you saw in the mirror was one you could not bear to look at? A face that could not possibly reflect the you inside?
Grealy became a renowned poet, and her way with words shows here. She writes so eloquently and honestly about what she went through and how she felt growing up “ugly.” She writes about being the “special” kid in a family of four, getting more of her parents’ attention, skipping school, good friends, how she dealt with bullies, and how she became addicted to the pain killers she was prescribed following major surgery. Her life was not all tragic, however; she also remembers moments of joy and humorous escapades.
The memoir was first published in 1994. The edition I had included an afterword written after Grealy’s death in 2002, by her friend and fellow Iowa Writers Workshop student, Ann Patchett.
What is more important to your sense of self than to recognize yourself in the mirror? What if the face you saw in the mirror was one you could not bear to look at? A face that could not possibly reflect the you inside?
Grealy became a renowned poet, and her way with words shows here. She writes so eloquently and honestly about what she went through and how she felt growing up “ugly.” She writes about being the “special” kid in a family of four, getting more of her parents’ attention, skipping school, good friends, how she dealt with bullies, and how she became addicted to the pain killers she was prescribed following major surgery. Her life was not all tragic, however; she also remembers moments of joy and humorous escapades.
The memoir was first published in 1994. The edition I had included an afterword written after Grealy’s death in 2002, by her friend and fellow Iowa Writers Workshop student, Ann Patchett.
chernandez91's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
0.5
alidottie's review against another edition
3.0
This was a well written, moving story that made me think back on my own childhood/adolesence and how many things I took and even still take for granted.