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shewwimonster's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the writing style and the author, but in the end, things felt a little repetitive and lacking substance. I think I would've had a more enjoyable reading experience had I read an essay here and there over a longer time frame rather than reading several of the essays at a time.
kaitburesh's review against another edition
5.0
This book was hilarious. Sometimes the writing style (switching tenses, no transition from descriptions into memories, etc) bothered me or took me out of the narrative for a minute, but I found myself laughing out loud by myself at multiple occasions in this book. The author, though I knew nothing of her before, displayed all of her insecurities and doubts on the page. Her stories were incredibly relatable and endearing. I also truly enjoyed learning about her upbringing in an Indian household and her relationships with her family. Overall, a super enjoyable summer read and one I will absolutely recommend to others.
itsolivia's review against another edition
3.0
The deal: Scaachi Koul is a culture writer at Buzzfeed. Not the Buzzfeed you’re thinking of with the quizzes and listicles, but the new guard Buzzfeed who does deep dives into skin-whitening beauty products and the reckoning of Louis C.K. Technically, I guess this is the same Buzzfeed. But whatever, you get it. This is a series of her comedic essays about race, identity, feminism, family, etc.
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Is it worth it?: Sure. If you’ve enjoyed any of Scaachi’s other work (or her Twitter presence), you’ll enjoy this. It’s not life-changing, but it’s solid.
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Pairs well with: thinking about body hair, quippy existential dread, feeling like a stranger in your hometown
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B
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Is it worth it?: Sure. If you’ve enjoyed any of Scaachi’s other work (or her Twitter presence), you’ll enjoy this. It’s not life-changing, but it’s solid.
.
Pairs well with: thinking about body hair, quippy existential dread, feeling like a stranger in your hometown
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B
adam_armstrong_yu's review against another edition
3.0
A charming, funny collection of essays. Often, though, an overly heavy reliance on humor and jokes, with little attention paid to specificity and stories through scenes, keeps the reader at a distance from the writer. It feels as if we never get too deep into the author's thoughts, her vulnerabilities remaining shielded. There's not much in the way of personal stakes, with preference given instead to explaining rather than showing, making the absence of the author's self notable. Still, I found the book funny and it's definitely an entertaining read.
karenleagermain's review against another edition
5.0
Thank You to Macmillan- Picador for providing me with an advanced copy of Scaachi Koul's, One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter: Essays, in exchange for an honest review.
PLOT- In her essay collection, One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, Koul explores growing up in Canada as a child of Indian immigrants. She write about her culture, dating, and dealing with sexism and racism, both stemming from societal biases or the kind that is overt, and from a place of hate. Her writing is both funny and gut-wrenching.
LIKE- I immediately fell in love with Koul's voice. She's witty, razor sharp, and insightful. She writes with an openness that is rare: sharing with readers intimate details of her life. For example, she writes about body issues as a child, like worrying over her body hair with an obsession that would never have occurred to her fairer, white classmates. The pain of this is acute, when she recalls a male classmate pointing out the hair on her arms. As a woman, thinking back to that age, my heart broke for her. She writes about being roofied in her twenties, and the way young women have mixed messages drilled into them: Drink to be fun , but don't get sloppy drunk. Drink to be flirtatious, but be on guard that you're not a tease. Go out and enjoy yourself, but predators are lurking everywhere. Koul nails the frustrations of being a woman.
I was most disturbed regarding a chapter when explained how she was cyber attacked for voicing a controversial opinion. It wasn't so much that people disagreed, but it was the way in which they disagreed: through hate. She received messages attacking her sex, her race, her body; truly vile messages. It was shocking and stomach churning.
The chapters where she wrote about her family and traveling to India, were my favorite. The title of her collection actually comes from her cousin, who was getting married in India. It is in reference to the arduous and tedious week-long marriage celebration, which includes elaborate ceremonies, strict traditions, and many changes in outfits. Koul explains how no one who has actually attended an Indian wedding, would want to attend an Indian wedding. I enjoyed this glimpse into another culture and hearing about her family. Just like any family, there is a lot of affection and frustration.
DISLIKE- Nothing. This is an poignant, thought-provoking, and frequently humorous collection.
RECOMMEND- Yes!!! Koul has a unique and appealing writer's voice. I finished, One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, and was left wanting more. She's a great writer!
Like my review? Check out my blog!
PLOT- In her essay collection, One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, Koul explores growing up in Canada as a child of Indian immigrants. She write about her culture, dating, and dealing with sexism and racism, both stemming from societal biases or the kind that is overt, and from a place of hate. Her writing is both funny and gut-wrenching.
LIKE- I immediately fell in love with Koul's voice. She's witty, razor sharp, and insightful. She writes with an openness that is rare: sharing with readers intimate details of her life. For example, she writes about body issues as a child, like worrying over her body hair with an obsession that would never have occurred to her fairer, white classmates. The pain of this is acute, when she recalls a male classmate pointing out the hair on her arms. As a woman, thinking back to that age, my heart broke for her. She writes about being roofied in her twenties, and the way young women have mixed messages drilled into them: Drink to be fun , but don't get sloppy drunk. Drink to be flirtatious, but be on guard that you're not a tease. Go out and enjoy yourself, but predators are lurking everywhere. Koul nails the frustrations of being a woman.
I was most disturbed regarding a chapter when explained how she was cyber attacked for voicing a controversial opinion. It wasn't so much that people disagreed, but it was the way in which they disagreed: through hate. She received messages attacking her sex, her race, her body; truly vile messages. It was shocking and stomach churning.
The chapters where she wrote about her family and traveling to India, were my favorite. The title of her collection actually comes from her cousin, who was getting married in India. It is in reference to the arduous and tedious week-long marriage celebration, which includes elaborate ceremonies, strict traditions, and many changes in outfits. Koul explains how no one who has actually attended an Indian wedding, would want to attend an Indian wedding. I enjoyed this glimpse into another culture and hearing about her family. Just like any family, there is a lot of affection and frustration.
DISLIKE- Nothing. This is an poignant, thought-provoking, and frequently humorous collection.
RECOMMEND- Yes!!! Koul has a unique and appealing writer's voice. I finished, One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, and was left wanting more. She's a great writer!
Like my review? Check out my blog!
bluehairedreads's review against another edition
4.5 stars. Its so interesting reading this because I related to a lot of it sooo much. As a girl/woman, as a WOC, as a plus sized girl/woman, a child of an immigrant, the first of my family to be born in the US, etc., a LOT of this hit home, in funny ways and in hard ways. I loved the little inserts of Scaachi and her dad's emails to each other. I don't really even know how to articulate my feelings. I just really loved it.
balletbookworm's review
4.0
This was a really readable collection of essays by Scaachi Koul, a writer for Buzzfeed. She covers a number of topics - growing up Indian in Canada, visiting India for a family wedding, getting annoyed about double-standards in both Western and Indian culture, the privilege of being light-skinned vs not light-skinned and how it changes between Canada and India, the social politics/pressure of female hair removal (or not), rape culture, and her relationship with her parents. I laughed a bit, cried a bit, agreed a bit, and got real mad for a bit.
mjbirdy's review against another edition
4.0
Audiobook review -
In this collection of essays Scaachi Koul touches on a myriad of very complex and culturally specific topics as they pertain to her, a canadian national and child of Indian migrants.
Honestly, if you are a fairly active consumer of this kind of content, Koul’s insights add nothing new to the discourse. Now, while that’s true I don’t believe it takes anything from the value of the book, it’s as good as the first or the last book you read that touches on the same issues and I want to mindful of that in my review.
One reason I do recommend you read this book, though you might not learn anything new is solely for the authors witty one liners like “bravery is for people who dare to get tattooed in another language or eat pinkish chicken” and for questions like “what is the normal amount of alcohol for someone with a baseline level of childhood trauma?” Because legit... I’m still pondering.
I 1000% percent recommend the audiobook which is read by the author with sections read by her dad. It’s less than 6 hours long and the chapters are short 30ish minute slots that makes it so you don’t ever lose your place.
In this collection of essays Scaachi Koul touches on a myriad of very complex and culturally specific topics as they pertain to her, a canadian national and child of Indian migrants.
Honestly, if you are a fairly active consumer of this kind of content, Koul’s insights add nothing new to the discourse. Now, while that’s true I don’t believe it takes anything from the value of the book, it’s as good as the first or the last book you read that touches on the same issues and I want to mindful of that in my review.
One reason I do recommend you read this book, though you might not learn anything new is solely for the authors witty one liners like “bravery is for people who dare to get tattooed in another language or eat pinkish chicken” and for questions like “what is the normal amount of alcohol for someone with a baseline level of childhood trauma?” Because legit... I’m still pondering.
I 1000% percent recommend the audiobook which is read by the author with sections read by her dad. It’s less than 6 hours long and the chapters are short 30ish minute slots that makes it so you don’t ever lose your place.
dude_watchin_with_the_brontes's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not sure why this was filed under humor, except maybe because it was written by a woman? It's an interesting memoir of a young second-generation Canadian woman. To quote another review I found on Goodreads: "She makes no attempts to tell a universal story... She just offers her own story and it is more than enough."
Warning: there are a LOT of potential triggers for alcoholics, including unresolved feelings about a close friend whose alcoholism spiraled out of control.
Warning: there are a LOT of potential triggers for alcoholics, including unresolved feelings about a close friend whose alcoholism spiraled out of control.