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Reviews tagging 'Stalking'
Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School by Kendra James
3 reviews
elnelson's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Stalking, and Racial slurs
Minor: Eating disorder, Bullying, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Outing, Racial slurs, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Classism
bookcheshirecat's review
informative
medium-paced
3.0
“White effort never gets to the foundation of the problem itself, because that would require acknowledging that the foundation of whiteness is the problem and that, in turn, might hurt the endowment.”
➽ Admissions was an interesting memoir about Kendra James' time at a prestigious boarding school. I thought that the topic was interesting, so I enjoyed learning more about Taft and how the author struggled as one of the few black students on campus. No matter that she's a legacy, Kendra had many different experiences compared to her white peers that she unpacks here. I liked the discussions of systematic racism, especially in such an elite institution that is supposed to directly feed into the Ivy League!
➽ The actual writing of the memoir left a lot to be desired though. A lot of time is dedicated to rehashing the drama of Kendra's teenage years and the descriptions often felt superficial and repetitive. The commentary could have been stronger there, but I feel like the author focused more on retelling as much of her past instead of giving it meaning by digging deeper into her emotions. It was also a bit disappointing that her memoir only briefly touches upon life after Taft and her adulthood. It would have been more interesting to see her work as an admissions officer and how that intersects with the experiences she had at Taft as a black student!
➽ Admissions was an interesting memoir about Kendra James' time at a prestigious boarding school. I thought that the topic was interesting, so I enjoyed learning more about Taft and how the author struggled as one of the few black students on campus. No matter that she's a legacy, Kendra had many different experiences compared to her white peers that she unpacks here. I liked the discussions of systematic racism, especially in such an elite institution that is supposed to directly feed into the Ivy League!
➽ The actual writing of the memoir left a lot to be desired though. A lot of time is dedicated to rehashing the drama of Kendra's teenage years and the descriptions often felt superficial and repetitive. The commentary could have been stronger there, but I feel like the author focused more on retelling as much of her past instead of giving it meaning by digging deeper into her emotions. It was also a bit disappointing that her memoir only briefly touches upon life after Taft and her adulthood. It would have been more interesting to see her work as an admissions officer and how that intersects with the experiences she had at Taft as a black student!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Sexism
Minor: Physical abuse and Stalking
cosmicpasta's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Stalking
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