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thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
“We are still here, despite everything that has been taken away any moment we aren't looking.”
lizaroo71's review against another edition
3.0
Where to begin. I have been reading many books on a list NPR put out in December 2020 for the best books published in 2020. This is on that list. It's written in verse, but my goodness it is dense. Gansworth traces his familial roots to the boarding schools that stripped the native nations’ denizens of their culture and identify. The repercussions are long reaching into generations down the line.
Gansworth uses The Beatles' Apple label and The White Album as inspiration in a unique way. Luckily I read the notes in the back before I completed the sections modeled on the songs from the album or I may have missed the attention to detail. But, while I found the material insightful and I loved the references to the music of the era, I found that the format didn't mesh well with the content. I think this would have worked better as straight paragraphs or short vignettes. As verse, many of the pieces felt verbose. As a teacher of high school students, I would say many would find this difficult to navigate. They also would not understand most of the pop culture and music references. Gansworth writes YA fiction also. I think I would like to read some of those books to get a fuller picture of his writing style.
This is aimed at YA and published by Levine Querido. They also published [b:Everything Sad Is Untrue:|54848594|Everything Sad Is Untrue (a true story)|Daniel Nayeri|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1596858371l/54848594._SX50_.jpg|70768669] which is labeled as YA, but is dense in the same way. Perhaps the editors should reconsider the label and just aim both books at adults. They certainly are not written in a way that suggests the material is more accessible to teens.
Gansworth uses The Beatles' Apple label and The White Album as inspiration in a unique way. Luckily I read the notes in the back before I completed the sections modeled on the songs from the album or I may have missed the attention to detail. But, while I found the material insightful and I loved the references to the music of the era, I found that the format didn't mesh well with the content. I think this would have worked better as straight paragraphs or short vignettes. As verse, many of the pieces felt verbose. As a teacher of high school students, I would say many would find this difficult to navigate. They also would not understand most of the pop culture and music references. Gansworth writes YA fiction also. I think I would like to read some of those books to get a fuller picture of his writing style.
This is aimed at YA and published by Levine Querido. They also published [b:Everything Sad Is Untrue:|54848594|Everything Sad Is Untrue (a true story)|Daniel Nayeri|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1596858371l/54848594._SX50_.jpg|70768669] which is labeled as YA, but is dense in the same way. Perhaps the editors should reconsider the label and just aim both books at adults. They certainly are not written in a way that suggests the material is more accessible to teens.
amanda_doty's review against another edition
5.0
I completely fell in love with this book when I read it this summer. So much so, I am now reading it with my sophomores. Every time I pick it up, I am surprised by the voice that comes from it. The lyricism of the verse. It is just so. good.
rdyourbookcase's review against another edition
2.0
I wasn't smart enough for this book. I wanted to love it, but it was difficult for me to grasp the author's writing style. I think that many teens will lose interest in it because it's not as concise as the usual teen in-verse books. I'm glad that I tried it, but it wasn't for me.
emilymorgan02's review against another edition
4.0
A memoir in poetry will always be my favorite kind of memoir.
readwithpassion's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished this manuscript (Gansworth's memoir in words and pictures--a book in verse). I genuinely don't think my life will ever be the same. This is one of the best books I've ever read.
neglet's review against another edition
Interesting memoir; as you’d expect from verse, presented more as a series of scenes rather than a connected narrative. Some powerful moments with repeated imagery.
hollyanns's review against another edition
3.0
This is a memoir in verse about Eric and his family, Rez life, and pop culture. It was dripping with references from Batman to the Beatles, and I appreciated all the thematic tie-ins. There was a lot I really liked about the format and the writing, but my frustrations lied with what felt like several very repetitive poems and how much the last half (quarter?) dragged. He’s clearly a good writer, but it felt like there was a lot that could’ve been cut and still told the same story. But as the author said, this book wasn’t written for me, so please take my opinion with a grain of salt.
I’d recommend this to fans of novels in verse, memoirs, or Indigenous literature.
I’d recommend this to fans of novels in verse, memoirs, or Indigenous literature.
zellm's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting read. It doesn't feel YA, and I think it would do better with an older audience (adults). I felt like most of the book was really effective, although I wouldn't call it poetry - more stylistic prose. But I do feel like the actual rhyming poems side by side with prose recounting of the same events was the weakest part of this book. It felt repetitive and unnecessary. I get that it was a Beatles reference but it didn't work for me.