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courtofsmutandstuff's review against another edition
5.0
I loved Lauren's first book and, though different, this book is just as good. Lauren has an amazing skill for writing memoirs that read more like fiction. She is so frank, so descriptive, that you follow her journey intrinsically. Lauren never tries to shield herself from wrongdoings or showing the darker side of things, but her writing itself is so captivating that you root for her and care about her story deeply. I highly recommend this book, especially if you're interested in adoptions or trauma care.
I read this through the FirstToRead program.
I read this through the FirstToRead program.
ecooley115's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book
Scott and Jillian deserve a slow clap standing ovation for this story they live out. I am amazed. This should be read by every single person wanting to adopt a child. This book is relevant and worth every minute spent reading it.
Scott and Jillian deserve a slow clap standing ovation for this story they live out. I am amazed. This should be read by every single person wanting to adopt a child. This book is relevant and worth every minute spent reading it.
dannafs's review against another edition
4.0
I am surprised by how much I loved Jillian Lauren's Everything You Ever Wanted, a book about the hurdles of parenting. As a childless, not-interested in mothering, single woman, a book about exactly the opposite held little appeal. I read it anyway because I was swept-off-my-feet in love with Lauren's first memoir, Some Girls.
Lauren proves for the third time that she has a beautiful and uniquely poetic writing style. I was immediately caught by her story, and continually awed by her brutal honesty. It's a rare thing to hear how impossible parenting can feel, how challenging a child can be, and the flailing failures of motherhood. Lauren writes about it all, which aroused compassion and empathy in me. I wanted to see her son succeed; Lauren's desperation is palpable. Most of all, this is a book of faith. Belief that families can be grown, that love has the power to change, and that, above all, spirits are salvageable. Yes, spirits are salvageable.
Favorite quotes:
"Every mom I meet offers an endless list of things that can apparently make the difference between your child winning the national chess championship and winning the domino tournament in a maximum security prison" (91-2).
"I lift the shades to a brightening sky smudged with clouds the color of Creamsicles and a full moon hanging over a little white farmhouse. Green and gold fields of sunflowers turn their expectant faces to the horizon. This kind of sunrise is a gift to baristas, farmers, insomniacs, and mothers" (157-8).
"I have always thought that at the end of the world, Jen will be the last person standing, kept company only by the roaches and Cher" (196-7).
"I am on Matt's couch again. Half the time I think I am irretrievably lost and half the time I know that I will not be here forever. This disgusting place with this love of my life. Not Matt, of course. Gross. Not even hero in. Okay, heroin, yes, heroism. But really it's the relief. The floating glaze of today and today and today. Is it so much to ask for, some relief? Says everyone who has ever made a deal with the devil. Is it so much to ask for?
"This is how it feels: My back opens up with waves of light. Radiance flows around my shoulder blades, hooks through the web of my rib cage, and spreads out like wings. Then I rock shut and my need washes over me like rain. How can I leave?" (224-5).
"...this same me, one hand always clinging to a buoyant balloon of hope, as ghastly as things seem. What on earth gave me the gall to dream of this life today, when I was nothing but appetite, a pure specimen of selfishness and single-minded desire?" (225-6).
Lauren proves for the third time that she has a beautiful and uniquely poetic writing style. I was immediately caught by her story, and continually awed by her brutal honesty. It's a rare thing to hear how impossible parenting can feel, how challenging a child can be, and the flailing failures of motherhood. Lauren writes about it all, which aroused compassion and empathy in me. I wanted to see her son succeed; Lauren's desperation is palpable. Most of all, this is a book of faith. Belief that families can be grown, that love has the power to change, and that, above all, spirits are salvageable. Yes, spirits are salvageable.
Favorite quotes:
"Every mom I meet offers an endless list of things that can apparently make the difference between your child winning the national chess championship and winning the domino tournament in a maximum security prison" (91-2).
"I lift the shades to a brightening sky smudged with clouds the color of Creamsicles and a full moon hanging over a little white farmhouse. Green and gold fields of sunflowers turn their expectant faces to the horizon. This kind of sunrise is a gift to baristas, farmers, insomniacs, and mothers" (157-8).
"I have always thought that at the end of the world, Jen will be the last person standing, kept company only by the roaches and Cher" (196-7).
"I am on Matt's couch again. Half the time I think I am irretrievably lost and half the time I know that I will not be here forever. This disgusting place with this love of my life. Not Matt, of course. Gross. Not even hero in. Okay, heroin, yes, heroism. But really it's the relief. The floating glaze of today and today and today. Is it so much to ask for, some relief? Says everyone who has ever made a deal with the devil. Is it so much to ask for?
"This is how it feels: My back opens up with waves of light. Radiance flows around my shoulder blades, hooks through the web of my rib cage, and spreads out like wings. Then I rock shut and my need washes over me like rain. How can I leave?" (224-5).
"...this same me, one hand always clinging to a buoyant balloon of hope, as ghastly as things seem. What on earth gave me the gall to dream of this life today, when I was nothing but appetite, a pure specimen of selfishness and single-minded desire?" (225-6).
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