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underthestars9 's review for:
Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life
by Alice Wong
I have never read a memoir quite like this, I absolutely loved it, even with the transcribed interviews which are not usually my favorite. Alice invites you to have an intimate look into her life - on her terms and conditions. It's not a trauma tell-all, or a tooting of horns, or trying to be anything that it isn't naturally. It's just Alice as she is, without concern about being a perfect memoir and without concern about pleasing, comforting, or being understood by abled (and white) people.
After reading Alice's anthologies and following her work, this memoir lets her put the spotlight onto herself and her creativity and voice really shine through.
I both read the print copy and listened to the audiobook. Audio was not the ideal format for this book in my opinion, but the audio wasn't unlistenable by any means. I think Nancy Wu did a great job in picking up Alice's personality in her narration, but the transcribed podcasts and interviews just do not translate (back) into audio smoothly. And her voice of W Kamau Bell didn't seem in the best taste and made me vaguely uncomfortable, particularly compared to how she voiced other interviews/podcasts. But that could just be me.
As a disabled person, I find Alice's work as a space to rest and be seen and held up by disabled love, resilience, and radiance. This memoir is no exception. It feels as if Alice has invited us into her home for a nice meal among disabled kin and community, and I am grateful to her for holding this space.
After reading Alice's anthologies and following her work, this memoir lets her put the spotlight onto herself and her creativity and voice really shine through.
I both read the print copy and listened to the audiobook. Audio was not the ideal format for this book in my opinion, but the audio wasn't unlistenable by any means. I think Nancy Wu did a great job in picking up Alice's personality in her narration, but the transcribed podcasts and interviews just do not translate (back) into audio smoothly. And her voice of W Kamau Bell didn't seem in the best taste and made me vaguely uncomfortable, particularly compared to how she voiced other interviews/podcasts. But that could just be me.
As a disabled person, I find Alice's work as a space to rest and be seen and held up by disabled love, resilience, and radiance. This memoir is no exception. It feels as if Alice has invited us into her home for a nice meal among disabled kin and community, and I am grateful to her for holding this space.