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chilltash's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
A powerful collection of essays, that explores various aspects of the author's identity in stories that are deeply personal, but also relevant. They are vivid threads in the tapestry that helps readers understand the bigger picture of how people are perceived and treated in the modern world.*
My favorite thing about the book is that Lawson is not afraid to show how they are not afraid to show how their consciousness grew, how they evolved as a person, as a result of these experiences. Hopefully their vulnerability will help others understand that this is a process where our opinions/beliefs will change and evolve as we become more aware of the inequities in the world.
*Not just the U.S. as several of the stories Lawson tell happened while traveling or living abroad.
My favorite thing about the book is that Lawson is not afraid to show how they are not afraid to show how their consciousness grew, how they evolved as a person, as a result of these experiences. Hopefully their vulnerability will help others understand that this is a process where our opinions/beliefs will change and evolve as we become more aware of the inequities in the world.
*Not just the U.S. as several of the stories Lawson tell happened while traveling or living abroad.
dejeunee's review
the writing feels very self indulgent and disjointed. I spent the whole first chapter trying to figure out what she was talking about and by the second chapter I’d just checked out.
jayisreading's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Spanning across multiple countries and continents, Lawson’s memoir is more than that; it also is a manifesto of sorts, with a demand that we each deeply reflect on our complex identity and positionality in the world. Lawson, a Black American who is nonbinary, femme, disabled, and queer, draws heavily from their own traveling experiences to reflect on their identity on all fronts. One thing I particularly appreciated was how Lawson grappled with being from the United States and what that means in other countries. This is further complicated when they bring Blackness into the picture, and I found their reflections quite profound to the point that I was deeply reflecting on my own identity and how race and nationality shaped my experiences when I also lived abroad.
While Lawson’s memoir takes the reader through Africa, Asia, Central America, Europe, and the Caribbean, many chapters also focus on their experiences in different regions of the United States, which makes sense, considering how vastly different each region can be. While the themes and locations are incredibly diverse, I was really impressed that Lawson found a thread through all of them, especially in the way they stepped back to think about the world as a whole.
Written with deep gratitude, humility, and a sense of wonder, Lawson’s reflections are so welcomed in the way they challenge us to think about our place in the world and the existing potential to make it a better place.
Graphic: Racism, Chronic illness, and Death
Moderate: Slavery, Ableism, Colonisation, Grief, and Misogyny
Minor: Trafficking, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, War, Infidelity, and Suicide
librar_bee's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
5 stars. A gorgeous and tender travel memoir that weaves every facet of Shayla Lawson's identity with the world around them. Gender, race, sexuality, disability, all that Shayla embodies is made fleetingly beautiful in these essays, many of which deal with very difficult subjects like racism, domestic violence, and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
Lawson's writing is reverent of the world and those they interact with. With every sentence, the growth that Lawson themselves has experiences is honored. There is great humility and gratitude in their writing, and even in their darkest moments, a fierce hope in the beauty of the world and its potential.
Truly a decolonial memoir, Lawson's observations of the world are spiritual, poignant, and think towards a better, more tangible future that is here and now.
Lawson's writing is reverent of the world and those they interact with. With every sentence, the growth that Lawson themselves has experiences is honored. There is great humility and gratitude in their writing, and even in their darkest moments, a fierce hope in the beauty of the world and its potential.
Truly a decolonial memoir, Lawson's observations of the world are spiritual, poignant, and think towards a better, more tangible future that is here and now.
pdxpiney's review
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Loved the intersectional, decolonial perspective(s), but lost me a bit with jet setting/glamour and a number of vague passages.
candelibri's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
bi_n_large's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Graphic: Racism, Infidelity, Suicide, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Medical content, Domestic abuse, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Sexual content, Misogyny, and Slavery