Scan barcode
A review by inherbooks
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott
4.0
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground is a collection of essays written by Alicia Elliott jam-packed with nuanced questions and perspectives.
Alicia Elliott gives us a look into her life growing up as a child of an Indigenous man and a White woman. When I first picked this up, I was expecting to read about a series of events that affected and shaped the person she has become – one full of reflection, insight, and growth. I got exactly that and so much more. The author effortlessly discusses topics such as capitalism, mental health, epigenetics, food security, malnutrition, and sexual assault all set against the backdrop of colonialism. She digs deep into history and present-day events to provide factual context for how much has changed (or hasn’t). I’ve never read a collection of essays before and I was pleasantly surprised by how much of an educational experience it was. I absolutely loved her writing - blunt, unwavering, and empathetic.
What stood out to me was Alicia Elliot’s emphasis of the love that existed in her childhood home despite all of the blatant chaos that had Child Services lingering at their doorsteps like vultures waiting for the opportunity to take them away. She grapples with her mother’s mental illness, one that can never be fully defined by a single term no matter how much medicine tries, and its coexistence with her multiple roles as a wife, mother, sister, and loved one. Despite all that was imperfect about her life, there were moments of happiness and joy that she reminisces on lovingly. This acted as a reminder to me that it isn’t enough to paint our life in a single brush stroke, that within a canvas, there are layers that, when peeled back, uncover hurt intertwined with growth, loneliness with comfort, hate with love.
My favourite essays (though I love all) are:
- Boundaries like Bruises
- On Forbidden Room and Intentional Forgetting
- Crude Collages of My Mother
This is definitely a book that prompts in-depth analysis and makes for a very interesting pick for your next book club discussion.
Alicia Elliott gives us a look into her life growing up as a child of an Indigenous man and a White woman. When I first picked this up, I was expecting to read about a series of events that affected and shaped the person she has become – one full of reflection, insight, and growth. I got exactly that and so much more. The author effortlessly discusses topics such as capitalism, mental health, epigenetics, food security, malnutrition, and sexual assault all set against the backdrop of colonialism. She digs deep into history and present-day events to provide factual context for how much has changed (or hasn’t). I’ve never read a collection of essays before and I was pleasantly surprised by how much of an educational experience it was. I absolutely loved her writing - blunt, unwavering, and empathetic.
What stood out to me was Alicia Elliot’s emphasis of the love that existed in her childhood home despite all of the blatant chaos that had Child Services lingering at their doorsteps like vultures waiting for the opportunity to take them away. She grapples with her mother’s mental illness, one that can never be fully defined by a single term no matter how much medicine tries, and its coexistence with her multiple roles as a wife, mother, sister, and loved one. Despite all that was imperfect about her life, there were moments of happiness and joy that she reminisces on lovingly. This acted as a reminder to me that it isn’t enough to paint our life in a single brush stroke, that within a canvas, there are layers that, when peeled back, uncover hurt intertwined with growth, loneliness with comfort, hate with love.
My favourite essays (though I love all) are:
- Boundaries like Bruises
- On Forbidden Room and Intentional Forgetting
- Crude Collages of My Mother
This is definitely a book that prompts in-depth analysis and makes for a very interesting pick for your next book club discussion.