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emilyharmonica's review
4.5
Graphic: Death, Racism, Infidelity, Alcohol, Excrement, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Grief, Drug use, and Abortion
waybeyondblue's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Cancer
Moderate: Medical content, Pregnancy, and Racism
Minor: Excrement and Car accident
emfield's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, and Cancer
Minor: Addiction, Car accident, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, and Excrement
uhohzmia's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Cancer and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Excrement, and Vomit
bethsreading's review against another edition
(I do not give star ratings for memoirs)
Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, Grief, Vomit, Cancer, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Medical content
Moderate: Mental illness, Infidelity, Excrement, Abortion, and Racism
bookworm_haley's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Death of parent, Excrement, Chronic illness, and Death
emma_b_rhodes's review
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Cancer, and Grief
Minor: Abortion
raelong12's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Terminal illness, Vomit, Cancer, and Death of parent
Moderate: Excrement, Alcoholism, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
ashley_turch's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, Medical content, Death, and Vomit
Moderate: Excrement, Abortion, Alcoholism, Car accident, and Racism
Minor: Animal death
Very heavy and graphic descriptions of parental terminal illness and death. Only animal death is a short description of a squirrel dyingtoastyghosty13's review against another edition
4.0
The only mistake I made in opening this book was to choose to read it while visiting my parents during Thanksgiving break; it made me even more sentimental and concerned for their health and well being. While I do not condone some of the rhetoric between Michelle and her mother, Michelle loved her mother and this book made me be more aware of the love I constantly have for my parents no matter what.
Michelle's relationship with her mother was tumultuous while growing up.
Michelle eventually found out that her mother had
This book is a love letter to her mother, but also a critical analysis of her father.
Between all of this, Michelle does recount her experiences of trying to find a place of belonging, although not as majorly as the content on her parents. She discusses feeling like an outside in different communities because she is too far from the norm for any of them, "too korean or too white". It was heartbreaking to read about how she was very alone in a lot of this until her adult years where she forged meaningful relationships with bandmates and her significant other, Peter. It made me so so happy that Peter was as supportive as he was. He hung in there through all of Michelle taking care of her mother, and their life choices like school and jobs plunging them into long distance. I did long distance with my now fiance for years, it was incredibly difficult but worth it in the end. It seems to have worked out for Michelle and Peter as well, since they got married right before her mothers death so that she could attend the wedding.
The ending of this book had a nice turn around where Michelle talks about her success in later years. Her music has granted her some limelight, and she even starts touring internationally. This book comes to a close following her tour and how the last show is in Korea near some relatives. She is able to go there and it almost feels as if she has some closure, being able to live her dreams creating music and spending time with those she loves.
This book is beautifully written. It will make you ugly cry and put you in a horrible mood the entire time but it is completely worth it. It reminds you of how the relationships with the ones you love most, whether they are blood family or found, are the most important thing even through some of the hardships (obviously not all hardships).
Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Drug abuse, Car accident, Racism, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Infidelity
Minor: Abortion, Vomit, and Excrement