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Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'
One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In by Kate Kennedy
16 reviews
bookshelfmystic's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
Kate Kennedy self-consciously claims that she’s not sure she has a right to write about her life because she has had, overall, a pretty good one. In the sections where she airs this fear, especially when she discusses her very valid reactions to her miscarriage/fertility challenges and the Virginia Tech shooting , I wanted to reassure her. Surely anyone has a right to write whatever they want, and I’m it’s useful for people with similar experiences to find someone to relate to.
However… I also reserve the right to think that in the last third, this book started to veer into a mediocre-at-best memoir that felt more like the author working out her own personal feelings about her career and her life than a cohesive message for her readers. I got the sense Kennedy was using the writing process as a journaling exercise. A charitable interpretation is that she could have used a better editor: we very much did not need the final chapter to be a reflection on all of the chapters she already wrote.
I also found her feminism-101-level takes to be a bit, well, obvious. Yes, it is unfair that girls are held to certain beauty standards and expected to do emotional labor for boys. But when she started talking about abortion and how being pro-choice can include wanting women to be able to end life-threatening pregnancies, I realized something: The feminist thought in this book was not written for me. As someone who’s pretty informed about abortion and women’s issues in general, I didn’t need them spelled out. But I can imagine there are some readers that may be getting exposed to these ideas for the first time, and that Kennedy geared her writing more toward them.
Critiques aside, I did enjoy listening to this book, especially the 90s and 2000s sections with their fun hits of nostalgia. I particularly liked the sleepover chapter, which made me feel warm and fuzzy about similar core memories formed with my friends. Kennedy stays pretty surface-level, focusing more on behavior trends and pop culture references than on the political (9/11 is not mentioned, for example, which I did find a bit weird given that it was such a formative world event for all American millennials). This is not necessarily a bad thing – I read enough political takes as it is, and a fluffy book is a good change of pace.
It was also nice to hear a perspective from someone whose childhood ambitions and interests were different from my own. I suffered from gifted-kid arrogance and nerd superiority for a long time, and I valued learning about the childhood of a B student who liked pop culture instead of fantasy novels. I appreciated that we still had enough shared experiences for the nostalgia to ring true for me. (Though I admit that almost all of the TV references were over my head. I know this is a me problem.)
However… I also reserve the right to think that in the last third, this book started to veer into a mediocre-at-best memoir that felt more like the author working out her own personal feelings about her career and her life than a cohesive message for her readers. I got the sense Kennedy was using the writing process as a journaling exercise. A charitable interpretation is that she could have used a better editor: we very much did not need the final chapter to be a reflection on all of the chapters she already wrote.
I also found her feminism-101-level takes to be a bit, well, obvious. Yes, it is unfair that girls are held to certain beauty standards and expected to do emotional labor for boys. But when she started talking about abortion and how being pro-choice can include wanting women to be able to end life-threatening pregnancies, I realized something: The feminist thought in this book was not written for me. As someone who’s pretty informed about abortion and women’s issues in general, I didn’t need them spelled out. But I can imagine there are some readers that may be getting exposed to these ideas for the first time, and that Kennedy geared her writing more toward them.
Critiques aside, I did enjoy listening to this book, especially the 90s and 2000s sections with their fun hits of nostalgia. I particularly liked the sleepover chapter, which made me feel warm and fuzzy about similar core memories formed with my friends. Kennedy stays pretty surface-level, focusing more on behavior trends and pop culture references than on the political (9/11 is not mentioned, for example, which I did find a bit weird given that it was such a formative world event for all American millennials). This is not necessarily a bad thing – I read enough political takes as it is, and a fluffy book is a good change of pace.
It was also nice to hear a perspective from someone whose childhood ambitions and interests were different from my own. I suffered from gifted-kid arrogance and nerd superiority for a long time, and I valued learning about the childhood of a B student who liked pop culture instead of fantasy novels. I appreciated that we still had enough shared experiences for the nostalgia to ring true for me. (Though I admit that almost all of the TV references were over my head. I know this is a me problem.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Mass/school shootings
quasinaut's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
This was a fascinating read, in part because Kate Kennedy and I have some shared cultural touchstones from our sheer millennialness, but we are also very different people with very different pop culture interests who are at very different points in our lives now. Stellar wordplay and humor, interspersed with touching personal and/or embarrassing anecdotes. A delight.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Mental illness
Moderate: Miscarriage, Body shaming, and Sexism
Minor: Mass/school shootings
kerryamchugh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Miscarriage
Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Gun violence
readthemol's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In ✨
“We were raised in preparation for a world that no longer exists, and are forever trying to navigate the terms.”
“Social anxiety is like believing in conspiracy theories about yourself.”
“We were to be sexualized without our consent, no matter what.”
One in a Millennial is broken into three sections - Kennedy’s childhood, her college years, and adulthood - largely reflecting on her own personal experiences, but very relatable to many female millennials.
I listened to this on audio and truly think that’s the way to go with this one - it felt like chatting and reminiscing with a friend! I found myself writing down quote after quote and nodding along to what Kennedy was saying. These stuck out to me the most: a need for validation, being a people pleaser, door beads, American Girl dolls, the mall, the sweet pea lotion/spray from bath and body works, impressive words per minute (thanks computer class), Shel Silverstein, AIM away messages, Lizzie McGuire, a general disposition of rage, “but first coffee”, the female zeitgeist, jeans and a going out top…and so much more.
Kennedy’s description of mental health felt so relatable - “problems don’t feel big enough to feel sad” - and her unique way of describing depression and anxiety felt spot on - “wasn’t completely in power when the power went off.” I’m glad there’s less taboo around mental health and more people are talking about it these days. While this is a mostly light hearted read, she does touch on some tough topics/feelings that I think can feel very singular/isolating, but turns out many others feel/think the same way.
This was put on my radar earlier this year by @bottomlessbooks.ct & @essentiallynovel (thank you!) I had never listened to Kate Kennedy’s podcast before, but I’m so happy I listened to her audiobook!
Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ALC of One in a Millennial! This published on January 23rd, 2024.
“We were raised in preparation for a world that no longer exists, and are forever trying to navigate the terms.”
“Social anxiety is like believing in conspiracy theories about yourself.”
“We were to be sexualized without our consent, no matter what.”
One in a Millennial is broken into three sections - Kennedy’s childhood, her college years, and adulthood - largely reflecting on her own personal experiences, but very relatable to many female millennials.
I listened to this on audio and truly think that’s the way to go with this one - it felt like chatting and reminiscing with a friend! I found myself writing down quote after quote and nodding along to what Kennedy was saying. These stuck out to me the most: a need for validation, being a people pleaser, door beads, American Girl dolls, the mall, the sweet pea lotion/spray from bath and body works, impressive words per minute (thanks computer class), Shel Silverstein, AIM away messages, Lizzie McGuire, a general disposition of rage, “but first coffee”, the female zeitgeist, jeans and a going out top…and so much more.
Kennedy’s description of mental health felt so relatable - “problems don’t feel big enough to feel sad” - and her unique way of describing depression and anxiety felt spot on - “wasn’t completely in power when the power went off.” I’m glad there’s less taboo around mental health and more people are talking about it these days. While this is a mostly light hearted read, she does touch on some tough topics/feelings that I think can feel very singular/isolating, but turns out many others feel/think the same way.
This was put on my radar earlier this year by @bottomlessbooks.ct & @essentiallynovel (thank you!) I had never listened to Kate Kennedy’s podcast before, but I’m so happy I listened to her audiobook!
Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ALC of One in a Millennial! This published on January 23rd, 2024.
Content Warnings
Minor: Eating disorder and Mass/school shootings
jlothian's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
As a female born in the early 1980s this hit all the high points I expected and many I had forgotten about.
Note: listened to the audiobook read by the author, it adds that extra layer of emotion when you can hear the excitement, sadness, etc in her voice.
Note: listened to the audiobook read by the author, it adds that extra layer of emotion when you can hear the excitement, sadness, etc in her voice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Infertility, Mass/school shootings, and Gun violence
lexibar's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I was provided access to this audiobook by the publisher via NetGalley. I really enjoyed the nostalgia of this book. Limited Too!, American Girl, trundle beds, AIM, oh my! I really enjoyed the author’s commentary on how girls and women are made to feel as if our interests aren’t valid or acceptable by men, and thus society as a whole. I also appreciated that where she could, she mentioned her privilege, but also was honest with the ways in which she struggled with mental health and later on, fertility. This book was perhaps deeper than I anticipated, but it was that depth that made it all the more compelling. I also appreciated that the author addressed how her voice appeared labored at times (there’s a spoiler here, so I won’t say it) because I noticed and it was a bit distracting but I wouldn’t say it was often. But I did notice, so I liked that she explained why. I also personally love when you can hear a narrator’s emotions in an audiobook because it just makes it even more relatable. Overall, I’d recommend this audiobook!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Mental illness
Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Gun violence
Minor: Rape
rachelpeck7's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility
Minor: Mass/school shootings
roziereads's review against another edition
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Miscarriage, Infertility, Abortion, and Pregnancy
kaylinvm94's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Part memoir (despite saying it's not), part commentary on the formative culture and socializing experienced by many (white, middle class, American) millennial women, full of pop culture and nostalgia. As a younger millennial, a lot of these experiences were spot on, with a couple being a few years ahead of me, but overall a real trip down memory lane framed in the larger social context we were experiencing these things in. The content is interesting but as a whole the book is very long winded and took a long time to get through. The author is clearly a good writer, but the point often gets lost in pun-filled rambling.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advance review copy of this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advance review copy of this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Mass/school shootings, and Body shaming
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Bullying, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Infertility, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Misogyny, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Sexual content