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Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'
One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In by Kate Kennedy
16 reviews
bookshelfmystic's review against another edition
3.0
However… I also reserve the right to think that in the last third, this book started to veer into a mediocre-at-best memoir that felt more like the author working out her own personal feelings about her career and her life than a cohesive message for her readers. I got the sense Kennedy was using the writing process as a journaling exercise. A charitable interpretation is that she could have used a better editor: we very much did not need the final chapter to be a reflection on all of the chapters she already wrote.
I also found her feminism-101-level takes to be a bit, well, obvious. Yes, it is unfair that girls are held to certain beauty standards and expected to do emotional labor for boys. But when she started talking about abortion and how being pro-choice can include wanting women to be able to end life-threatening pregnancies, I realized something: The feminist thought in this book was not written for me. As someone who’s pretty informed about abortion and women’s issues in general, I didn’t need them spelled out. But I can imagine there are some readers that may be getting exposed to these ideas for the first time, and that Kennedy geared her writing more toward them.
Critiques aside, I did enjoy listening to this book, especially the 90s and 2000s sections with their fun hits of nostalgia. I particularly liked the sleepover chapter, which made me feel warm and fuzzy about similar core memories formed with my friends. Kennedy stays pretty surface-level, focusing more on behavior trends and pop culture references than on the political (9/11 is not mentioned, for example, which I did find a bit weird given that it was such a formative world event for all American millennials). This is not necessarily a bad thing – I read enough political takes as it is, and a fluffy book is a good change of pace.
It was also nice to hear a perspective from someone whose childhood ambitions and interests were different from my own. I suffered from gifted-kid arrogance and nerd superiority for a long time, and I valued learning about the childhood of a B student who liked pop culture instead of fantasy novels. I appreciated that we still had enough shared experiences for the nostalgia to ring true for me. (Though I admit that almost all of the TV references were over my head. I know this is a me problem.)
Moderate: Miscarriage and Mass/school shootings
quasinaut's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Infertility and Mental illness
Moderate: Miscarriage, Body shaming, and Sexism
Minor: Mass/school shootings
kerryamchugh's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Infertility and Miscarriage
Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Gun violence
readthemol's review against another edition
4.0
“We were raised in preparation for a world that no longer exists, and are forever trying to navigate the terms.”
“Social anxiety is like believing in conspiracy theories about yourself.”
“We were to be sexualized without our consent, no matter what.”
One in a Millennial is broken into three sections - Kennedy’s childhood, her college years, and adulthood - largely reflecting on her own personal experiences, but very relatable to many female millennials.
I listened to this on audio and truly think that’s the way to go with this one - it felt like chatting and reminiscing with a friend! I found myself writing down quote after quote and nodding along to what Kennedy was saying. These stuck out to me the most: a need for validation, being a people pleaser, door beads, American Girl dolls, the mall, the sweet pea lotion/spray from bath and body works, impressive words per minute (thanks computer class), Shel Silverstein, AIM away messages, Lizzie McGuire, a general disposition of rage, “but first coffee”, the female zeitgeist, jeans and a going out top…and so much more.
Kennedy’s description of mental health felt so relatable - “problems don’t feel big enough to feel sad” - and her unique way of describing depression and anxiety felt spot on - “wasn’t completely in power when the power went off.” I’m glad there’s less taboo around mental health and more people are talking about it these days. While this is a mostly light hearted read, she does touch on some tough topics/feelings that I think can feel very singular/isolating, but turns out many others feel/think the same way.
This was put on my radar earlier this year by @bottomlessbooks.ct & @essentiallynovel (thank you!) I had never listened to Kate Kennedy’s podcast before, but I’m so happy I listened to her audiobook!
Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ALC of One in a Millennial! This published on January 23rd, 2024.
Minor: Eating disorder and Mass/school shootings
jlothian's review against another edition
4.5
Note: listened to the audiobook read by the author, it adds that extra layer of emotion when you can hear the excitement, sadness, etc in her voice.
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Infertility, Mass/school shootings, and Gun violence
lexibar's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol and Mental illness
Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Gun violence
Minor: Rape
rachelpeck7's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Infertility
Minor: Mass/school shootings
roziereads's review against another edition
4.25
Moderate: Alcohol, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Miscarriage, Infertility, Abortion, and Pregnancy
kaylinvm94's review against another edition
3.5
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advance review copy of this book.
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Mass/school shootings, and Body shaming
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Bullying, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Infertility, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Misogyny, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Sexual content