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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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
I read this book two full years ago and still think about it on a weekly basis. Blair's story offers both a unique perspective and is universal to all women existing under the patriarchy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
All mentions of assault and abuse are from the perspective of the survivor and handled with care.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
This was not at all what I expected, but it was very good. An exploration of self, of growth and healing, and of navigating a world populated by casually despicable people -- but also good people. This was a great memoir.
The writing is real... I could see and feel and taste every experience. In a nutshell: An American girl and family live in Norway for a year; girl returns as an exchange student; girl falls in love with the great white north and dogs and dogsledding. Along the way, however, are poignant and disturbing coming of age experiences that illuminate how challenging it is to become a strong, confident, secure woman in a world where men dominate. Is it right? Is it fair? How does a girl know... how does a girl say no?
So well written but I had a hard time staying engaged.
If you want the dog content, quit complaining and go follow Braverman on Twitter. This is a powerful memoir, equal parts funny and poignant and pointed- and very vividly written. As much about becoming at ease with a place as it is about becoming at ease with yourself.
Ahhhhhh yeeeeessssssss. I loved reading this book. I was so compelled by the author's voice, by her magnetic draw to the north, by her adventures; along the way, this book broke my heart in the most wonderful/painful and riveting ways. Blair's depiction of misogyny, assault, and sexual harassment are so familiar--and brutal in that familiarity. In describing her own experiences, she completely captures the confusion and pain in something so ubiquitous as to be rendered invisible. I related to so much of her story, and I imagine many others would as well.
I'd wanted to read this book ever since I heard an interview with the author, and I'm so glad I did. I look forward to more of her work!
I'd wanted to read this book ever since I heard an interview with the author, and I'm so glad I did. I look forward to more of her work!
This is a book about how men are scum:
"I thought of a another man, the day before, who had wrapped his arms around me from behind. Treasure, he'd whispered, you're north of the moral circle now.
"But he was tugging my long underwear off my hips, kissing me even as I pressed my mouth shut. Pulling a condom from his pocket, rolling it on. As soon as I saw it, my heart sank: he had come here for this. I pressed my knees together. He shoved them apart easily. 'Please stop-' I whispered, but he put a finger to my lips. 'Shh,' he said. 'We don't want everyone to hear us.'"
"But one night, two of the male guides stood and watched me, murmuring about the way my wet shirt stuck to my skin. I felt intimately exposed, humiliated, as I dipped my head once more into the bucket to rinse the last soap from my hair, feeling their eyes on my back, making my body theirs. By the time I stood up, they were gone. I wondered what they would have done if I wasn't Dan's girl. I stopped washing my hair, and wore more hats."
"Though there were a few female mushers, the men on the glacier dominated social life; their authority came with and edge of sexism that seemed at once inevitable and disconcerting. In my first weeks, men flicked their gaze down my body, then caught my eye and smiled. Someone walked behind me in the snow, and when I slowed to walk beside him, he urged me forward: 'We don't get this kind of view much around here.'"
and although I was hoping for more dog sledding, I'm pretty partial to Norway & misandry, so this was quite enjoyable.
"I thought of a another man, the day before, who had wrapped his arms around me from behind. Treasure, he'd whispered, you're north of the moral circle now.
"But he was tugging my long underwear off my hips, kissing me even as I pressed my mouth shut. Pulling a condom from his pocket, rolling it on. As soon as I saw it, my heart sank: he had come here for this. I pressed my knees together. He shoved them apart easily. 'Please stop-' I whispered, but he put a finger to my lips. 'Shh,' he said. 'We don't want everyone to hear us.'"
"But one night, two of the male guides stood and watched me, murmuring about the way my wet shirt stuck to my skin. I felt intimately exposed, humiliated, as I dipped my head once more into the bucket to rinse the last soap from my hair, feeling their eyes on my back, making my body theirs. By the time I stood up, they were gone. I wondered what they would have done if I wasn't Dan's girl. I stopped washing my hair, and wore more hats."
"Though there were a few female mushers, the men on the glacier dominated social life; their authority came with and edge of sexism that seemed at once inevitable and disconcerting. In my first weeks, men flicked their gaze down my body, then caught my eye and smiled. Someone walked behind me in the snow, and when I slowed to walk beside him, he urged me forward: 'We don't get this kind of view much around here.'"
and although I was hoping for more dog sledding, I'm pretty partial to Norway & misandry, so this was quite enjoyable.