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elyssam's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
This was such a good travel memoir. I feel like although we were learning about Shayla Lawson’s life, I was constantly reflecting on my own. The writing at times was very poetic. I listened to the audio and it was great!
enbybooklove's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
This is a collection of essays-as-memoir, creating what is essentially a nonlinear account of the author’s travels around the world, self-discovery, experiences bonding with other Black and black folks, and experiences of racism. The writing renders in words the essence of what it is like to exist and travel as a Black femme. The intersectionality of the author’s lens (Black, non-binary, femme, religious, globetrotter) immediately made this a wonder of a book for me. I wanted so much to just give it 5 stars and feast on every single word, but a number of the passages lost me to the point where I couldn’t quite extract meaning from them. I struggled with whether this was simply my own processing issue, or lack of shared heritage, and certainly there were some references I didn’t get that slowed me down. Ultimately though, there were multiple pages I had to read like poetry and let the words wash over me. Not necessarily a bad thing, or an unexpected thing from a poet, but I wanted so much to understand EVERYTHING. But maybe that’s too greedy. I’ve written myself back to a 5-star review (well, 4.75 for StoryGraph)
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.
bookreviewswithkb's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
thank you to @tinyrepbooks and @penguinrandomhouse for the review copy
“intimacy is not about the fact we need each other. it’s about facing the face we are each other. the separations in who we are, are a myth.”
this book is a memoir in the form of collection of essays of Lawson’s life experiences as a Black person traveling throughout the world, detailing lessons on liberation, friendship, and self-transformation
barnstormingbooks's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Shayla Lawson’s memoir of essays is special. That seems like such a simple way to describe this book, but it is accurate. Much like the beautiful and vulnerable photo Lawson chooses for the cover, the essays unfold in ways that are inviting, thoughtful, and yet remind the reader of where they stand in space. The organization flows, bucking the linear model many memoirist choose, moving instead through themes. Lawson both invites readers that are like and unlike her to listen and engage, but without teaching or orating. Instead it is just through existing and building intricate and interesting spirals of emotion, experience and thought.
This was a slow read for me. After every essay I needed time to think, to dig into what I had read and what those subtle implications were floating just below the surface. Everytime I gave myself space to explore I was satisfied.
Highly recommend this lovely and challenging book.
internationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
slow-paced
4.5
This is a memoir as much about life in general as it is about the author’s life. I love that the title is “how to” - like a user’s guide I want to follow. Part memoir, part travelogue, part manifesto, each chapter of this book pairs a theme with a city. My favorites:
On Sex (LA)
On Privilege (Roosteren, Netherlands)
On Love (New York)
On Time (Mexico City)
Online (Montélimar, France)
On Trafficking (Shanghai)
This is not a book to speed through. I had to read this slowly to truly savor each word and reflect on the themes in my own life. It’s not surprising that the prose was so captivating since Lawson is a poet. Even if you don’t share any of Lawson’s identities - Black, nonbinary, disabled, queer, traveler - you’ll find this relatable in so many ways.
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