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cottagecorecabbage's review against another edition
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Cancer, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Abortion and Racism
yilliun's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Rape, and Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault
danimcthomas's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Rape, Abandonment, Mental illness, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Incarcerationhannahcstocks's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Rape, Grief, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Cancer, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Physical abuse, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Stalking, Sexism, and Misogyny
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
louiepotterbook's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Stalking, Gaslighting, Racism, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death, and Rape
hankatcol's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Racism, and Rape
Moderate: Abandonment
lorenag5's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Grief, Racism, Rape, Cancer, Mental illness, Misogyny, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Sexual assault
silver_lining_in_a_book's review against another edition
4.0
“We don’t give up on our people. We don’t stop loving them.” She looked into my face, her eyes watering at the bottoms. “Not even when we’re burning alive.”
There is something about memoirs that are written so beautifully they almost read like magical realism that just does it for me. Ashley C. Ford's voice is one of the most lyrical and emotional I have come across this year - I couldn't stop reading it.
This book is so incredibly crafted, you can feel all the love and hard work Ashley has poured into it. I especially loved following this up with Ford's interview with Clint Smith, author of How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, which touched on so many aspects of the book that I was curious about while reading; it cemented this book as a real masterpiece in my mind.
Considering how short this book is, I do not want to go into a summary of the novel, but I will mention what my favourite aspect - besides the prose - was. This is, of course, a trend for me at this point, but exploring different family dynamics and familial love was the highlight of this book. It's something that never fails to grasp my attention, but the way Ford approached it made me feel like I was experiencing everything she described for myself, particularly when it came to her relationship with her mother and grandmother.
The reason that I cannot give this book the full 5 stars is that I found the beginning to be difficult to get into and I almost put the book down. I am so glad I powered through it, but it was a little bit of a challenge. I also this that certain very important events in Ford's life were glossed over due to the conciseness of this book. I think it would have been very impactful to explore these (no spoilers!) in more detail.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Grief, Rape, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Grief, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Minor: Infidelity, Fatphobia, Drug use, Body shaming, and Alcoholism
helenaeoftroy's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Rape, Emotional abuse, Violence, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
albernikolauras's review against another edition
4.0
Ashley C. Ford is a tremendous writer, and this memoir is written almost in flashes of memories and reflections. It's a true glimpse into her life, through the highs and lows and the waves of emotions she experienced between. The book is bookended by interactions with her father, who is a presence in the story despite not being present throughout her childhood. I highly recommend.
Moderate: Child abuse, Stalking, Rape, Racism, and Physical abuse