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breedlove's review against another edition
5.0
Just coming into my sexuality in college when the Pulse shooting occurred I was struck with a fear that sticks in the back of my mind to this day 7 years later. A fear that I grow closer each day to setting aside in order to live fully within my community despite continued tragedies day after day. Brandon’s emotional reliving of his life and words of wisdom have struck me at a turning point as I approach 30. Thank you Brandon.
In this memoir he has poignantly spoken to the process of healing but furthermore to that of community and love. “I wanted to get past the idea of earning my own forgiveness and learn to live unapologetically again.”
Beyond the events of that night Brandon’s reflection on growth and life obstacles also struck a cord. “I was unexpectedly living the life I had spent years envying from afar.” If you find yourself at a turning point in life asking “What’s next?” I think you’ll find this memoir a good place to start answering that question.
In this memoir he has poignantly spoken to the process of healing but furthermore to that of community and love. “I wanted to get past the idea of earning my own forgiveness and learn to live unapologetically again.”
Beyond the events of that night Brandon’s reflection on growth and life obstacles also struck a cord. “I was unexpectedly living the life I had spent years envying from afar.” If you find yourself at a turning point in life asking “What’s next?” I think you’ll find this memoir a good place to start answering that question.
idesofjaim's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Brandon is a friend of a friend, so I’ve been familiar with him, his work, and the story of Drew for a few years now. Hearing about Drew’s beautiful soul is always a two-sided event; a joy to see the light he brought to those closest to him, and an immense sadness to know all of this is spoken in past tense.
Hearing about Brandon’s younger years was just as painful, yet all too familiar. Being ostracized from the family and community you were given, being othered, finding yourself in horrible situations only because you sought to be desired and accepted, so many unfortunately common things among the queer community. Add to that the layers of additional identifies, Brandon himself being Black. This book hits home about the profound impact of found family, and that makes a tragedy like Pulse that much more devastating.
Looking at this purely as a book, I find Brandon to be a great writer. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, narrated by him, as it is an enjoyable experience. There were some points that gave me a bit of whiplash as the timeline shifted back and forth, or where it was unclear whether we’d now moved to a more present state or still back in the past. Overall, though, I think everything tied together nicely, and I commend Brandon on not only writing this all down but the further bravery of reading it on recording for the world. I can imagine for someone in his position you get sick of hearing about bravery and how strong you are, but it is still very brave to put yourself in a position to recount all of this time and time again.
Hearing about Brandon’s younger years was just as painful, yet all too familiar. Being ostracized from the family and community you were given, being othered, finding yourself in horrible situations only because you sought to be desired and accepted, so many unfortunately common things among the queer community. Add to that the layers of additional identifies, Brandon himself being Black. This book hits home about the profound impact of found family, and that makes a tragedy like Pulse that much more devastating.
Looking at this purely as a book, I find Brandon to be a great writer. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, narrated by him, as it is an enjoyable experience. There were some points that gave me a bit of whiplash as the timeline shifted back and forth, or where it was unclear whether we’d now moved to a more present state or still back in the past. Overall, though, I think everything tied together nicely, and I commend Brandon on not only writing this all down but the further bravery of reading it on recording for the world. I can imagine for someone in his position you get sick of hearing about bravery and how strong you are, but it is still very brave to put yourself in a position to recount all of this time and time again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Rape, Racial slurs, Mass/school shootings, Homophobia, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Hate crime
tarainez's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 rounded up. This is obviously a powerful story and a sad one.
I think my only complaint is that the timeline was hard to follow. I wasn’t sure when each event described occurred, so it felt a little piecemeal at times. Other than that, this was a great memoir.
I think my only complaint is that the timeline was hard to follow. I wasn’t sure when each event described occurred, so it felt a little piecemeal at times. Other than that, this was a great memoir.
bookitbean's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
minseigle's review against another edition
5.0
This was an Amazon First Reads book. I had doubts about choosing it because it's a memoir and that's not my preferred genre. But it was a great read! It was relevant to today's politics, being June and Pride month, and the anniversary of the Pulse shooting. The book, written by a survivor, was tastefully and truthfully done.
flutelady3's review against another edition
5.0
A memoir from one of the survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting that happened in 2016. A heart-wrenching experience of losing his best friend and his best friend’s boyfriend and feeling the survivors’ guilt. He also talks about his involvement with gun reform, work with and in the LGBTQIA+ community, and the reason for writing the book. I enjoyed it and think it was a powerful and moving read.
juliaehill's review
4.0
What an excellent memoir. I'm a few years older than Brandon Wolf, but grew up in the same small Oregon town and went to the same high school. I am sickened but, unfortunately, not surprised he experienced so much bigotry and discrimination growing up there. It is brave of him to highlight the continued (widespread) existence of white.supremacy groups, as well as their connections to people in power--we don't often discuss or address this insidious presence in our communities, and the trauma they inflict.
Brandon describes the Pulse nightclub shooting in this book and--perhaps more importantly--how he has recovered and started to heal after the loss of his friends and chosen family. His story is an important reminder of the commonplace harassment faced by people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and others, and is a challenge to all of us to do better at acknowledging everyone's common humanity. I hope he continues his activism and leadership for many years to come.
Brandon describes the Pulse nightclub shooting in this book and--perhaps more importantly--how he has recovered and started to heal after the loss of his friends and chosen family. His story is an important reminder of the commonplace harassment faced by people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and others, and is a challenge to all of us to do better at acknowledging everyone's common humanity. I hope he continues his activism and leadership for many years to come.