Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir by Ashley C. Ford

34 reviews

tiff_taff's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

Ashley Ford’s memoir is so well written. As someone who also has a complicated relationship with my mother, I found pieces of myself in the pages. She tells her story without embarrassment and owns her journey. 

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sgrizzle's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

5.0

“When you write about you and me? Just tell the truth. Your truth. Don’t worry about nobody’s feelings, especially not mine. You gotta be tough to tell your truth, but it’s the only thing worth doing next to loving somebody.”

This memoir is so full of truth and power. FOR SURE anyone who works with youth should read it, because the power of supportive adults showed up again and again (though it broke my heart that she didn’t have more). But also if you are interested in memoir, this one is a must.

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thenovelmaura's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

I don't read many memoirs (or much nonfiction in general), but I'd been wanting to pick up Somebody's Daughter ever since I heard Ford speak on the Financial Confessions podcast. The power of her honesty and vulnerability was riveting when I listened to her speak there, and I got that same sense of connection to her via her writing here. It of course helped that she narrated her own audiobook, so I was literally being told the story of her life in her voice.

There are a lot of intense themes in this book, including sexual assault, poverty, and a complicated mother-daughter relationship. While I could never claim to understand the experience of having an incarcerated parent, as an adoptee, I found solace in Ford's reflections on a connection to a biological parent who she's never really known. This is a powerful and worthwhile read, and I'm glad to have added it to the (admittedly short) list of memoirs that I've enjoyed.

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kaylinvm94's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0


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emmersnicole's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5


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donnique's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

Some of the best memoir writing I've ever seen. A perfect encapsulation of a life filled with heartbreak, trauma, and triumph. I cried. 

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annabulkowski's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0


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sambashua's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.25


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rorikae's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

'Somebody's Daughter' by Ashley C. Ford is a heartfelt memoir that dives into Ford's relationship with her parents and with herself. 
Ford chronicles her youth through her young adulthood through her relationship with her mother and her father, who was incarcerated during her childhood. Though the story is framed through Ford's relationship with her father and how she came to terms with the crime for which he was imprisoned, it is almost more about her relationship with her own mother and how it has changed through her life. We follow her through school, young loves, going away to school, and growing up through the lens of herself as somebody's daughter.
I have been a fan of Ashley C. Ford's for quite some time. I can't remember the first time I encountered her work but I've listened to her podcasts and interviews with her before so I was excited to delve into her memoir. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about her life and I think she does a great job of pairing honesty with evocative prose to create an emotionally moving memoir. She reads the audiobook, which I highly recommend, because she has a great voice. An audiobook memoir is that much more personal when the author reads it themself. I also recommend the audiobook because it has an hour long conversation between Ford and Clint Smith about their books, which acts as an epilogue of sorts as we learn more about the writing of the memoir. 
I cannot wait to read what Ford writes next. 'Somebody's Daughter' solidified that she is an author whose work I will be following for years to come. 

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bookworm_leilani's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

4.5


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