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dreamgalaxies's review against another edition
4.0
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Content warnings are, as always, at the bottom.
“It’s okay, I’ve learned, to love the things that make you, even if they’re also the things that unmake you.”
This book is not a chronological memoir, which may upset the expectations of some. It's more of a book of essays organized by theme--but the themes sort of bleed into one another, and the organization is honestly a bit chaotic. Certain events show up multiple times in the narrative while others are sort of skated over. Beyond this, there are certain structural and stylistic choices that didn't really work for me here--the dictionary definitions, for example, and the parallel narratives of Jensen's experiences juxtaposed with those of Black Americans, which didn't dwell enough on any of those people to give a strong impression in my opinion.
The content, however, is timely, thought-provoking, and heart-wrenching. Jensen tells stories about her experiences with violence and poverty living all over the US, including in her family home. This book is much less about the experience of living as an Indigenous person in the United States than I imagined, and is more a meditation on striving toward whiteness and what white culture in America, in fact, looks like--which can be strongly relatable for people from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
There are some really strong and important threads here about alcoholism and domestic violence, especially, that I think would make great reading in certain classes. Her descriptions of her interpersonal relationships with her family and with her partners is beautifully rendered and painfully relatable.
CWs: so many. gun violence, police brutality, child abuse (physical/emotional), animal abuse, alcoholism, racism, sexual assault, murder, suicide, trauma.
Content warnings are, as always, at the bottom.
“It’s okay, I’ve learned, to love the things that make you, even if they’re also the things that unmake you.”
This book is not a chronological memoir, which may upset the expectations of some. It's more of a book of essays organized by theme--but the themes sort of bleed into one another, and the organization is honestly a bit chaotic. Certain events show up multiple times in the narrative while others are sort of skated over. Beyond this, there are certain structural and stylistic choices that didn't really work for me here--the dictionary definitions, for example, and the parallel narratives of Jensen's experiences juxtaposed with those of Black Americans, which didn't dwell enough on any of those people to give a strong impression in my opinion.
The content, however, is timely, thought-provoking, and heart-wrenching. Jensen tells stories about her experiences with violence and poverty living all over the US, including in her family home. This book is much less about the experience of living as an Indigenous person in the United States than I imagined, and is more a meditation on striving toward whiteness and what white culture in America, in fact, looks like--which can be strongly relatable for people from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
There are some really strong and important threads here about alcoholism and domestic violence, especially, that I think would make great reading in certain classes. Her descriptions of her interpersonal relationships with her family and with her partners is beautifully rendered and painfully relatable.
CWs: so many. gun violence, police brutality, child abuse (physical/emotional), animal abuse, alcoholism, racism, sexual assault, murder, suicide, trauma.
hollycoaster's review
3.0
I was so excited to read this one but it wasn’t what I expected. It read more like a series of essays rather than a memoir. While some of the essays were really poetic and powerful, many of them were full of data and Webster’s dictionary definitions that distracted me from the overall premise. Regardless, she shares her thoughts and experiences on incredibly important topics and I’m still glad to have learned from her/read this one!
whatrachelreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.75
cuddlygryphon's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, and Dementia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Drug use, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Blood, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, and Drug abuse
Minor: Misogyny, Genocide, Police brutality, Cancer, Suicide, Child abuse, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
katie_esh's review
3.0
More of a collection of essays than a memoir, Toni Jensen shares her experience as a Metís woman with a focus on gun violence, domestic abuse, and trafficking in America. Toni is white passing, and she frequently reflects on her privilege compared to other relatives who face racism more directly. Non-linear narratives don't usually bother me, but I had a hard time following along with what was happening where in this book. Also, we get a Webster's definition about every 10-15 pages which got tired after a while.
gregory_glover's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
It builds slowly. Maybe I should say the weave of the various strands of the narrative slowly tightens into a beautiful tapestry. I need to sit with it a while before offering a full review, but it made me think the whole journey through. I would love to discuss this with some other readers at some point to hear what others caught and think of this way of writing memoir.