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litamisssunshine's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
tildahlia's review
3.0
This was a quick read but I must confess, I wanted to like this book more than I ultimately did. I feel it is one of those situations where the author is incredible, interesting and an excellent talker but...not the most amazing writer?! (Bryan Stevenson springs to mind in this category). The sections where he recounts his struggles coming to terms with his queerness as a black, Christian man, was a compelling portrait of shame and the strongest part of this book for me. I also appreciated the acknowledgement and self-reflection on his own (mis)treatment of women in his life.
astronotpoet's review
5.0
This is a memoir chock-full of quotes that I read, read, and read again. Compelling, honest, and poignant. I read it in a day.
"It wasn't that I was too weak to simply think differently or give a middle finger to hateful people. I wanted to die, which is to say not live, which is to say not have to be strong enough all the time to fight to exist, which is to say fight at all, which is to say, I really want to live without having to fight so damn hard to exist" (154).
Also -- "Americans travel so quickly to the edges of their love" (224) - I need to ruminate on this more but feel like it is worth discussing.
Finally, highlighting the Toni Morrison quote he cites on page 41: "All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was. Writers are like that: remembering where we were, that valley we ran through, what the banks were like, the light that was there and the route back to our original place. It is emotional memory—what the nerves and the skin remember as well as how it appeared. And a rush of imagination is our 'flooding'."
Magic.
"It wasn't that I was too weak to simply think differently or give a middle finger to hateful people. I wanted to die, which is to say not live, which is to say not have to be strong enough all the time to fight to exist, which is to say fight at all, which is to say, I really want to live without having to fight so damn hard to exist" (154).
Also -- "Americans travel so quickly to the edges of their love" (224) - I need to ruminate on this more but feel like it is worth discussing.
Finally, highlighting the Toni Morrison quote he cites on page 41: "All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was. Writers are like that: remembering where we were, that valley we ran through, what the banks were like, the light that was there and the route back to our original place. It is emotional memory—what the nerves and the skin remember as well as how it appeared. And a rush of imagination is our 'flooding'."
Magic.
ajb24's review
5.0
A beautiful memoir - Moore provides such raw and honest reflections on his past self while also placing himself in a larger social context that makes his words really impactful/meaningful. I've never read a memoir like this before and I really appreciate it for the perspective it brings.
britlovestoread's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
A very good and very emotional memoir.
Darnell is very open and vulnerable sharing memories from his childhood and young adult life. A glimpse into what it was like for him growing up Queer and Black in Camden. Several reflections on his family and his neighborhood filled with compassion and understanding he developed over the years.
I definitely recommend.
Darnell is very open and vulnerable sharing memories from his childhood and young adult life. A glimpse into what it was like for him growing up Queer and Black in Camden. Several reflections on his family and his neighborhood filled with compassion and understanding he developed over the years.
I definitely recommend.
beckbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
kimmeyer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25