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421 reviews for:
Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North
Blair Braverman
3.89 AVERAGE
421 reviews for:
Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North
Blair Braverman
3.89 AVERAGE
It's hard to review memoirs. After all, it can feel like you're judging someone else's life; how do you judge their telling of their story without feeling like you're judging their life?
For me, I keep coming back to audience and what a story may or may not add to the world. In that context, this book arguably shouldn't have been published; it doesn't add anything new to an understanding of dogsledding (the realm in which Braverman is arguably a celebrity, so in that context it could have been a celebrity memoir) nor are her stories (at least the ones presented here) particularly about her unique experience of the world. Instead, they mostly present her as a passive observer in an array of men's lives which...hard pass. Rather than presenting a strong, brave, and empowered woman, the stories shared here mostly reinforce misogynistic spaces and Braverman's passivity in those spaces...which is incredibly disappointing.
There's also the matter of editing. Namely, it feels like this either wasn't edited or was poorly edited. Developmentally, large chunks of this feel like Braverman avoiding therapy—which is fine for personal writing, but just doesn't work the same way when it's written for an audience. And fine, that's her right, to take journal entries and turn it into a book (which is what chunks of this felt like), but that doesn't make for very good reading.
There's also the point that Braverman has the capacity to really makes language sing for her, and while there are snippets of that in here (when talking about the beauty of the natural world or in her afterword, which is gorgeous and by far the best part of the entire book), that writing is all too rare in this book. (I'm disappointed in Braverman's editors for not pushing for more of that language in this book, tbh, for not pushing for more of the stories where her language comes alive.)
I told Kerr the other day that I've long had this feeling with writers from the Iowa Writers Workshop that their language can end up feeling stilted and dead. That isn't particularly charitable, I realize, but there are definite sections of this that embody that oversimplification. And given the contrast, given how some sections of this (like the afterword) really do come alive, the deadness is even more disappointing.
I don't give stars for memoirs...but I can certainly understand some of the one- and two-star reviews on this one. (Which is a real bummer, because I know Braverman is capable of better, having seen it in bits and pieces here, as well as having seen it in some of her other pieces.)
For me, I keep coming back to audience and what a story may or may not add to the world. In that context, this book arguably shouldn't have been published; it doesn't add anything new to an understanding of dogsledding (the realm in which Braverman is arguably a celebrity, so in that context it could have been a celebrity memoir) nor are her stories (at least the ones presented here) particularly about her unique experience of the world. Instead, they mostly present her as a passive observer in an array of men's lives which...hard pass. Rather than presenting a strong, brave, and empowered woman, the stories shared here mostly reinforce misogynistic spaces and Braverman's passivity in those spaces...which is incredibly disappointing.
There's also the matter of editing. Namely, it feels like this either wasn't edited or was poorly edited. Developmentally, large chunks of this feel like Braverman avoiding therapy—which is fine for personal writing, but just doesn't work the same way when it's written for an audience. And fine, that's her right, to take journal entries and turn it into a book (which is what chunks of this felt like), but that doesn't make for very good reading.
There's also the point that Braverman has the capacity to really makes language sing for her, and while there are snippets of that in here (when talking about the beauty of the natural world or in her afterword, which is gorgeous and by far the best part of the entire book), that writing is all too rare in this book. (I'm disappointed in Braverman's editors for not pushing for more of that language in this book, tbh, for not pushing for more of the stories where her language comes alive.)
I told Kerr the other day that I've long had this feeling with writers from the Iowa Writers Workshop that their language can end up feeling stilted and dead. That isn't particularly charitable, I realize, but there are definite sections of this that embody that oversimplification. And given the contrast, given how some sections of this (like the afterword) really do come alive, the deadness is even more disappointing.
I don't give stars for memoirs...but I can certainly understand some of the one- and two-star reviews on this one. (Which is a real bummer, because I know Braverman is capable of better, having seen it in bits and pieces here, as well as having seen it in some of her other pieces.)
The subtitle really says it best: this is about finding a home in an unsafe world. Huge sections of the book are about sexual assault (the threat, act, and recovery). Also a major content note for animal harm. The writing is fabulous, but this was a tough read.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Rape
A completely engaging memoir about Braverman's experiences finding her "true north" in her young life. I loved how vivid the Alaskan and Norwegian settings became and I love how full of character the people she interacted with were.
More than this being a "finding herself through adventure" memoir -- something so rare with a lady at the helm -- this is very much about being one of those women who survived to tell a story about the cruelties of misogyny. This is a book that deals frankly with not only sexual assault, but also of the despicable ways that men will gaslight and mentally anguish young women. Braverman wrestles with this throughout, and there's no real conclusion here. Rather, it's left there, because wrestling with her own experiences is part of her growing up and a part of her history...and future. There's a particularly powerful scene wherein one of the men Braverman grew to trust unabashedly makes a rape joke and she has to pause and look at the depth that misogyny is a disease.
Readers looking for diversity, it's absolutely worth noting that Braverman is Jewish, and while it's not a huge part of the story, it is something that comes up when she's given the opportunity to be a guest speaker at the folk school she attended. Likewise, her partner is a trans man. This relationship, and the way she feels with it while back in Norway, is raw and hard and also realistic and beautiful.
I've read some other reviews that have said this is good for the beginning and end and that was enough. But it's that murky, kinda-can't-pull-it-together middle that allows the end to be what it is. Likewise, other reviews noted that so much of her coming of age is in the stories of men around her. And...that seems like a thing that's obvious because her experiences as a woman in lands where women don't tend to venture for fear of their own safety and for fear of defying social conventions are just that. They're peppered by men.
I'd hand this to a teenager who wants a real adventure story of a young woman. I'd hand it to those who love memoirs by women. I'd hand it to those looking for a "feminist Jack London." There's a lot here.
More than this being a "finding herself through adventure" memoir -- something so rare with a lady at the helm -- this is very much about being one of those women who survived to tell a story about the cruelties of misogyny. This is a book that deals frankly with not only sexual assault, but also of the despicable ways that men will gaslight and mentally anguish young women. Braverman wrestles with this throughout, and there's no real conclusion here. Rather, it's left there, because wrestling with her own experiences is part of her growing up and a part of her history...and future. There's a particularly powerful scene wherein one of the men Braverman grew to trust unabashedly makes a rape joke and she has to pause and look at the depth that misogyny is a disease.
Readers looking for diversity, it's absolutely worth noting that Braverman is Jewish, and while it's not a huge part of the story, it is something that comes up when she's given the opportunity to be a guest speaker at the folk school she attended. Likewise, her partner is a trans man. This relationship, and the way she feels with it while back in Norway, is raw and hard and also realistic and beautiful.
I've read some other reviews that have said this is good for the beginning and end and that was enough. But it's that murky, kinda-can't-pull-it-together middle that allows the end to be what it is. Likewise, other reviews noted that so much of her coming of age is in the stories of men around her. And...that seems like a thing that's obvious because her experiences as a woman in lands where women don't tend to venture for fear of their own safety and for fear of defying social conventions are just that. They're peppered by men.
I'd hand this to a teenager who wants a real adventure story of a young woman. I'd hand it to those who love memoirs by women. I'd hand it to those looking for a "feminist Jack London." There's a lot here.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Brilliantly structured memoir about finding yourself and rediscovering your voice after you thought you lost it. Her passion for sledding and the dogs can be felt as the reader and the culture immersion is a welcome change.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Child abuse
DNF 1/3 of the way in, found it a bit meandering and hardly any dog-sledding scenes as of yet.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
I wanted to love this because I think Blair Braverman is absolutely amazing. I love her pieces I've read in other publications, I LOVED her interview with the Women Who Travel podcast, but something about this just wasn't working for me. Part of it, I think, was the back and forth chronology between Norway 1.0, Alaska, and Norway 2.0 -- at times I couldn't figure out where in time she was. I especially enjoyed the parts about her relationships with Dan, Quince, and her dogs. Other parts bored me some what. Regardless, Braverman is a badass and I'll continue to read her work.
I don't normally read memoirs, but I've been following this author on twitter for awhile now as I love dog sledding, and she's just amazingly witty and interesting, so I had to read this. It was a lot different than I thought--as a warning, it deals pretty candidly with her experience being victimized and sexually assaulted by different men in her life, and trying to come to terms with that. It was a really interesting read, full of good dogs and interesting places, and I fully enjoyed it.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced