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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
I listened to the Audiobook edition which was read by Issa Rae.
So fun! If you like Issa and Insecure, you’ll really enjoy this book! Fun laugh out loud stories! Super quick read
Perhaps round down to 3 1/2.
I felt similarly to how I did when I read Mindy Kaling's first memoir. I just wanted a bit more from it, in all directions. I wanted her to go a bit deeper into her trials and emotions, but I also wanted more of her awkward self.
The more I criticize this book, though, the more I realize that there are answers to those criticisms within the book. It was worth the listen, airy and succinct. I still wanted More in some way, but it's her first book, and it's good, and that's enough.
I felt similarly to how I did when I read Mindy Kaling's first memoir. I just wanted a bit more from it, in all directions. I wanted her to go a bit deeper into her trials and emotions, but I also wanted more of her awkward self.
The more I criticize this book, though, the more I realize that there are answers to those criticisms within the book. It was worth the listen, airy and succinct. I still wanted More in some way, but it's her first book, and it's good, and that's enough.
DNF only due to library check-out limits and my inability to schedule listening time. Lots of smart (witty) commentary on race, family, and life in general. I'd probably rate this book higher if I was more familiar with Issa Rae's work but it's a fun read even without the context.
3.5 rounded up. There was a lot of parts of this book that I could relate to: how the stereotypes of being black affect her relationships with others, herself, and having to prove her blackness to others. That being said, sometimes I felt like the stories ended so abruptly, there wasn't a clear flow and it had me wondering why a story was told at all.
The book was funny. I got better insight on Issa and she's pretty hilarious. Or the things that happen to her. It's an autobiography of how she became "Awkward Black Girl" and nothing more. So, if you wanted some deep bio, prob not your cup of tea. She keeps it light and comical and pretty real.
2.5 stars. I️ love Issa Rae and her show, Insecure, but this memoir just didn’t do much for me. Much of it felt repetitive, partly because Rae has told some of the same anecdotes in various interviews I’ve heard or read, and partly because Rae unnecessarily reminds the reader just about every chapter of the basic road map of her life, as if she thinks we might have just started reading randomly in the middle of the book. This is a minor problem but it bothered me as I️ listened to the audio version. Which, by the way, was the single largest saving grace of this book; if I️ hadn’t been listening to Rae herself narrate, I️ almost certainly wouldn’t have bothered finishing this book. I️ almost feel bad leaving such a harsh review of a book by someone of whom I️ am a huge fan, but I️ think it’s far from Rae’s best work.