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cwalsh's review
5.0
I was not expecting to be so moved by a book about a piece of stolen chewing gum.
mrdannycohen's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
bbboeken's review
5.0
I had really low expectations for this book. Not only was it overhyped, but what the hell is there to write about a piece of chewing gum. I could not have been more wrong.
This book completely overwhelmed me. The love and devotion surrounding Doctor Nina Simone's piece of gum that Ellis appropriated and took care of for twenty years is beyond words. I wanted to weep with every page I turned. Not from sadness --at least not the sadness that brings you down, but one that finds its origin in an uplifting, longing feeling of... melancholy perhaps (Weltschmerz) that often lies at the foundation of treasured memories.
There is not one single negative connotation in this book. There is a completely natural focus on love and respect, without the ethereal superfluousness that is all too often observed to accompany these emotions. It is without a doubt one of the best books I have read this year.
This book completely overwhelmed me. The love and devotion surrounding Doctor Nina Simone's piece of gum that Ellis appropriated and took care of for twenty years is beyond words. I wanted to weep with every page I turned. Not from sadness --at least not the sadness that brings you down, but one that finds its origin in an uplifting, longing feeling of... melancholy perhaps (Weltschmerz) that often lies at the foundation of treasured memories.
There is not one single negative connotation in this book. There is a completely natural focus on love and respect, without the ethereal superfluousness that is all too often observed to accompany these emotions. It is without a doubt one of the best books I have read this year.