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A review by siobhanward
So Here's the Thing: Notes on Growing Up, Getting Older and Not Giving a Shit by Alyssa Mastromonaco
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.0
This might be closer to 2.5* for me...
I really wanted to like this book. I thought that Mastromonaco's first book Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? was an interesting enough read, and I was curious about what else she had to say. This one was more of a miss for me. Just like her first book, I loved the insight into working in politics, with Barack Obama and even on John Kerry's team. However, like the other book, I found I wasn't so enthralled with the other parts of the book.I think that part of the problem was that there was not a clear path or theme to this book - it was part memoir, part advice and a little bit of humour, but it didn't come together into a super cohesive book.
I also really struggled with Mastromonaco's use of self-deprecation about her body. I fully get using self-deprecation as humour - I do it all the time. However, when every chapter is talking about how fat she thinks she is, it doesn't just get repetitive, it can also start to feel degrading to everyone else. We all have these thoughts about ourselves and while I understand using humour to hide insecurities, at some point, it just moves into self-pity and may start to hurt people who are struggling with body image. Anyway, that was mostly an aside, but was something I really noticed throughout the book and it definitely just wore me down by the end.
I really wanted to like this book. I thought that Mastromonaco's first book Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? was an interesting enough read, and I was curious about what else she had to say. This one was more of a miss for me. Just like her first book, I loved the insight into working in politics, with Barack Obama and even on John Kerry's team. However, like the other book, I found I wasn't so enthralled with the other parts of the book.I think that part of the problem was that there was not a clear path or theme to this book - it was part memoir, part advice and a little bit of humour, but it didn't come together into a super cohesive book.
I also really struggled with Mastromonaco's use of self-deprecation about her body. I fully get using self-deprecation as humour - I do it all the time. However, when every chapter is talking about how fat she thinks she is, it doesn't just get repetitive, it can also start to feel degrading to everyone else. We all have these thoughts about ourselves and while I understand using humour to hide insecurities, at some point, it just moves into self-pity and may start to hurt people who are struggling with body image. Anyway, that was mostly an aside, but was something I really noticed throughout the book and it definitely just wore me down by the end.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming