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asieee's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
It's not often that I am able to find an author whose background matches mine closely--BIPOC, woman from Nashville, TN navigating religion and sexuality. This collection of stories thoughtful, uncompromising and really just a joy to read. My favorite quote:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Physical abuse
kaileed's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
bella_cavicchi's review
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
This collection -- a set of essays, a memoir, memoir-essays...? -- is fantastic, blending humor and vulnerability in a broad exploration of desire. I did wish for more moments of cultural critique, but take that as a reflection of what IS included -- i.e. all so good that I wanted more!
And a related read that her writing had me recall: Tressie McMillian Cottom's piece on the Black essay. So many brilliant books within the genre that I've loved, and so many I can't wait to get to.
Great stuff.
And a related read that her writing had me recall: Tressie McMillian Cottom's piece on the Black essay. So many brilliant books within the genre that I've loved, and so many I can't wait to get to.
Great stuff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, and Rape
sfbookgirl's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
I stopped giving memoirs a star rating but that isn’t to say that I really enjoyed Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be. I definitely did not anticipate the extent of sexual content Nichole Perkins includes in her memoir but found it refreshing to read about a woman who is so open about her sexuality. Perkins touches on and delves deep into her life as a Black woman experiencing mental illness, racism, and her ability to be so self-aware about both her flaws and her strengths.
I am generally a big fan of short stories and I enjoyed how Perkins breaks up her memoir into several stories to mark key moments in her life. Perkins also writes about her experience attending an HBCU and why choosing to enroll in an HBCU gave her empowerment. Even if you haven’t heard about Perkins before, it’s worth picking up her memoir to learn about a strong woman who embraces the imperfect.
Thank you Grand Central Pub for a gifted copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Stalking, Rape, Racial slurs, Fatphobia, Alcoholism, and Ableism
2treads's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
...I learned to stand firmly in the singularity of love, unspoken yet clear and worth every moment it took to arrive.
There was something in every single essay of Perkins' collection that as a Black woman I could relate to and understand. Her experiences good and bad are are ones we can see reflected in our own childhoods, teen years, and adulthood.
Each essay deals with familial dynamics, societal perceptions and expectations, sibling love and support, and lingering trauma. What I really enjoyed about these essays was how she weaved her love of pop culture, be it music, musical icons, movies, or tv shows into the fabric of her losing, uncovering, and discovering herself.
Perkins is blunt in relaying to the reader that it took her quite some time to unlearn harmful ideations and notions about herself and especially about herself as a bigger bodied Black woman. She explores what that can mean for expressing thoughts and desires and how harmful stereotypes that are so engrained within our society can hamper the way in which we can truly live freely.
There was something in every single essay of Perkins' collection that as a Black woman I could relate to and understand. Her experiences good and bad are are ones we can see reflected in our own childhoods, teen years, and adulthood.
Each essay deals with familial dynamics, societal perceptions and expectations, sibling love and support, and lingering trauma. What I really enjoyed about these essays was how she weaved her love of pop culture, be it music, musical icons, movies, or tv shows into the fabric of her losing, uncovering, and discovering herself.
Perkins is blunt in relaying to the reader that it took her quite some time to unlearn harmful ideations and notions about herself and especially about herself as a bigger bodied Black woman. She explores what that can mean for expressing thoughts and desires and how harmful stereotypes that are so engrained within our society can hamper the way in which we can truly live freely.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Stalking
caseythereader's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
Thanks Grand Central Publications for the free advance copy of this book.
- SOMETIMES I TRIP ON HOW HAPPY WE COULD BE is for fans of Roxane Gay, Tressie McMillan Cottom, and of course Perkins' dearly departed podcast Thirst Aid Kit.
- Perkins is working to untangle the messages she received in her youth about how to be a proper Black woman and learn to live her life exactly the way she wants to.
- She is open about everything from sex to church to drugs to love. Some essays I wish were expanded on a little more, but I'll read anything by Perkins - her mix of tender and serious is perfect.
- SOMETIMES I TRIP ON HOW HAPPY WE COULD BE is for fans of Roxane Gay, Tressie McMillan Cottom, and of course Perkins' dearly departed podcast Thirst Aid Kit.
- Perkins is working to untangle the messages she received in her youth about how to be a proper Black woman and learn to live her life exactly the way she wants to.
- She is open about everything from sex to church to drugs to love. Some essays I wish were expanded on a little more, but I'll read anything by Perkins - her mix of tender and serious is perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
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