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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
A memoir of Keri's life growing up living life to the max as she was intensely involved in competitive figure skating. She rotates the story between her growing up days and life in prison and how she got there. Drugs. Lots of drugs.
This is a heartbreaking memoir to listen to and watch the choices that she makes giving herself away to addiction. As she tells her story she asks for no pity and is not shamed by her past. She tells you how it is being in jail, in prison, the lifestyle, the system in general. She does a great job of keeping it real yet mildly explaining the roughness of prison.
This is a story of overcoming, of redemption, of trying, of doing, of becoming. Like each of us do in our own trials in our own lives.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance e-copy in return for my review.
This is a heartbreaking memoir to listen to and watch the choices that she makes giving herself away to addiction. As she tells her story she asks for no pity and is not shamed by her past. She tells you how it is being in jail, in prison, the lifestyle, the system in general. She does a great job of keeping it real yet mildly explaining the roughness of prison.
This is a story of overcoming, of redemption, of trying, of doing, of becoming. Like each of us do in our own trials in our own lives.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance e-copy in return for my review.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
I was intrigued by this memoir as it had local ties. I grew up 40 minutes from Ithaca, NY. This was a very raw memoir, tough to read at times, but it shows how drug addiction can happen to ANYONE. I appreciated the vulnerability and honesty. The book also was informative about the prison system, it is a real look inside. The author’s writing was very fascinating and impressive. I will be recommending this book to anyone who wants to know more about the prison system.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a honest feedback.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a honest feedback.
emotional
informative
inspiring
Definitely a more reportorial writing style than I usually read/prefer, which at times felt jarring and overly blunt/straightforward.
However, her story was great and this was super for personal insight into the criminal justice system. Blakinger wrote this at a good time in life, I felt like she had appropriately reflected on her actions and her habit of keeping a journal allowed her to intersperse her contemporary feelings with her subsequent reflections. I was most struck by all the petty humiliations and challenges of life inside, beyond the normal challenges of being away from society.
However, her story was great and this was super for personal insight into the criminal justice system. Blakinger wrote this at a good time in life, I felt like she had appropriately reflected on her actions and her habit of keeping a journal allowed her to intersperse her contemporary feelings with her subsequent reflections. I was most struck by all the petty humiliations and challenges of life inside, beyond the normal challenges of being away from society.
This was a really tough read. Tough life. Bad choices. Unbelievable treatment in jail. Just a hard all around read.
Keri was a promising figure skater, who developed an eating disorder, who developed a drug addiction, who did all sorts of unspeakable things during the drug life, who ultimately gets caught and shipped off to jail.
Luckily, a good "ending", and she starts helping others who have been incarcerated, but the indignities and inhumane treatment that was status quo is crazy to read about. Definitely worth a read to understand the prison system.
Keri was a promising figure skater, who developed an eating disorder, who developed a drug addiction, who did all sorts of unspeakable things during the drug life, who ultimately gets caught and shipped off to jail.
Luckily, a good "ending", and she starts helping others who have been incarcerated, but the indignities and inhumane treatment that was status quo is crazy to read about. Definitely worth a read to understand the prison system.
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Listen, I am not one to annotate books. Like, it actually bothers me when people highlight all over the pages and make notes. BUT I was given both a physical galley and the digital download of this one. And I found myself pulling up the digital version so that I could highlight passages that really resonated with me.
This memoir was very healing to me, not because I have ever been addicted to drugs or incarcerated, but because those feelings of hopelessness and wanting to take up less space in the world and be enough for everyone else were so hurtful to me in their own ways as I grew up. It was refreshing to hear such an honest and emotional story of survival.
This memoir was very healing to me, not because I have ever been addicted to drugs or incarcerated, but because those feelings of hopelessness and wanting to take up less space in the world and be enough for everyone else were so hurtful to me in their own ways as I grew up. It was refreshing to hear such an honest and emotional story of survival.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5 stars
Take note that this book is full of potential triggers including eating disorders, addiction, suicide, drug use, homelessness, etc.
What a journey! Highly recommend listening to the audiobook as the author narrates. She brings hope, clarity and is quite self-aware of her privilege that helped her land back on her feet.
Take note that this book is full of potential triggers including eating disorders, addiction, suicide, drug use, homelessness, etc.
What a journey! Highly recommend listening to the audiobook as the author narrates. She brings hope, clarity and is quite self-aware of her privilege that helped her land back on her feet.