Scan barcode
towering_tbr's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC of Anger is my Middle Name by Lisbeth Zornig Andersen translated by Mark Mussari. This is Lisbeth's memoir of growing up in Denmark in a very dysfunctional household, dealing with neglect, sexual abuse, and physical violence. Her story was difficult to read for two reasons, the first because the content was hard to stomach. The people in her life who were suppose to protect her were the ones either putting her in harm's way or directly hurting her. Immediately, I bonded with her and felt protective of her. The other reason this book was difficult to read was the uneven narrative structure. I'm not sure if it was a translation issue but several times I would need to reread sections to try to understand what I had read. Additionally she would bring up people she had only briefly mentioned earlier without reminding the reader who they were, which I found confusing. Lastly, I found as a reader not familiar with Danish institutions, I needed a little more information. She tells us she is put in an orphanage. (Both of her parents are alive but they are neglectful so this seems the best option.) Later she mentions she is embarrassed at the orphanage because they are hosting Parent's Day and all the parents show up except hers. I need more understanding as to how Danish orphanages work. Why are all the parents showing up? Why are they putting their children in the orphanages if they are capable of showing up? I need background information. This is just one tangent but there were a few times I was confused. Her story is dark. It reminded me thematically to The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls or Educated by Tara Westover but overall the writing was a bit clunky. I gave it 3 stars.
This book will be published March 1, 2020. Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC
This book will be published March 1, 2020. Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC
meldav4's review against another edition
4.0
Anger Is My Middle Name is a heart-wrenching, disturbing, and raw memoir about a girl who has experienced so much, and has shown immense bravery and courage to share her story with the world. She does this to educate others; to encourage people to speak up; to help people recognize the signs of someone else who may be going through it and may not be able to speak up themselves. Abuse is a horrible act that haunts victims in so many ways, and though it is so hard to read about, it is also so important for people to be aware of, be familiar with, or even be able to relate to and know that there are others out there experiencing the same thing and who may now know the signs they should be aware of and be able to reach out for help. Rating memoirs has always been something I don’t really agree with or like doing, but, in this case, it was easy to do. I think the author did a fantastic job depicting her vivid and emotional past with us, using a writing style that really captured the pain and history well.
natalyisreading's review against another edition
3.0
Lisbeth tells the story of her childhood which was filled with abuse, punishment, hunger, and fear. A father who disappeared, a stepfather who abused them, and a mother who failed. She spent her childhood in pubs, in orphanages and in youth institutions. Sad to see that no adult intervenes to help the always silent, dirty, skinny girl with warts on her hands and chronic eye inflammation. Until she got old enough to use anger and take life into her own hands.
tarnya_smith's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Please read trigger warnings before reading this book, it has many.
Hard to rate something based on someone’s traumatic life experiences but was handled very matter of factly. Coming back to this review I think the thing that has stuck with me is the level of bravery the author has to share this story and also use it to help others.
Hard to rate something based on someone’s traumatic life experiences but was handled very matter of factly. Coming back to this review I think the thing that has stuck with me is the level of bravery the author has to share this story and also use it to help others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Child abuse
br2infinity's review against another edition
4.0
I love memoirs about “breaking the cycle” and human resilience. I’m still chewing on some thoughts about the differences between Danish and American foster systems...
monsterreads's review against another edition
4.0
Anger is my Middle Name is a hauntingly raw memoir discussing the mostly devastating childhood years of the author, Lisabeth. The book takes us through the story of her young life, being poor, neglected, and abused and how she slowly started to overcome the distrust for adults and the damage they have done to her. It is a wonderfully told story, sans adult analysis, so we can understand how she was feeling at her age directly. This memoir is a heartwrenching tale of a child repeatedly let down by the adults who were supposed to protect her and how the anger from her experiences further hinders her life. Definitely an amazing memoir, that depicts the unfortunate truth of many children's lives.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.
bexcapades's review against another edition
5.0
TW: abuse, neglect, childhood & adolescent sexual assault, rape
This was a really interesting memoir about Lisbeth's life and how it has shaped her into the person she is today. She discusses what has happened to her in a matter of fact way and explains how each thing shaped her behaviour.
She explains anger as a feeling as well as a behaviour. She doesn't use her trauma as an "excuse" but as an insight into how other people not knowing or understanding can change their perception about what she is like.
It is a non-judgemental account with not a lot of emotion. It seems factual, almost clinical and I think that this is deliberate to ensure that you listen to her story.
This was a really interesting memoir about Lisbeth's life and how it has shaped her into the person she is today. She discusses what has happened to her in a matter of fact way and explains how each thing shaped her behaviour.
She explains anger as a feeling as well as a behaviour. She doesn't use her trauma as an "excuse" but as an insight into how other people not knowing or understanding can change their perception about what she is like.
It is a non-judgemental account with not a lot of emotion. It seems factual, almost clinical and I think that this is deliberate to ensure that you listen to her story.
kennedyolson20's review against another edition
4.0
What a fantastic, heart wrenching book. It hurt me so much reading about what the author went through during her childhood. I think this book did a great job of showing some of the errors in orphanages and what makes a decent household, even for children in the foster system. Brilliant.