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sometimesbryce 's review for:
Imagine Wanting Only This
by Kristen Radtke
We forget that everything will become no longer ours.
3.5 rounded up
Kristen's uncle died while she was in college. A genetic heart condition passed down through her family had killed him. A few days prior, Radtke had stolen some photos from the death place of a photographer in an old abandoned building. What's documented in the stunningly vivid pages of Imagine Wanting Only This is this tale, and also the story of humanity - why we're here and where we're going. What happens when we die. What's left. The art is breathtaking and the story, memorable, gut-wrenching and harrowing. Throughout the story, though, there is an incredible sense of privilege: to travel unapologetically, to hurt the ones who love us, to have the time and means to find oneself. Many readers have pointed this out and found some degree of fault with it. I struggle to do the same. Radtke doesn't make excuses for her privilege, or ask that it is overlooked. For me, non-fiction gets a pass on many things and Radtke's privilege is one of them. This isn't like [b:The Futures|29942557|The Futures|Anna Pitoniak|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461001729s/29942557.jpg|50333192]. It is still interesting. I enjoyed this, and though I don't like Radtke as a person, I admire and adore her as a storyteller.
A note about the controversy involving the stolen pictures: She absolutely should not have stolen the pictures and Seth's mom's opinions of this book are just and right. However, as an objective party, I have to admit that Radtke's treatment of Seth, of personalizing him and taking some ownership of him is something I've done and something I think many artists (of all kinds) do. We see ourselves in others and use stories to incorperate them into our own. I'm not making a morality statement. I'm just saying that Radtke is not unique in her perception of Seth. When death occurs, especially such a tragedy as Seth's, it's difficult to see the world in black or white. I'm sorry for any pain this book has caused, but I'm not sure Rdatke is quite the devil we make her out to be.
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge: A book derby on a college or university campus
3.5 rounded up
Kristen's uncle died while she was in college. A genetic heart condition passed down through her family had killed him. A few days prior, Radtke had stolen some photos from the death place of a photographer in an old abandoned building. What's documented in the stunningly vivid pages of Imagine Wanting Only This is this tale, and also the story of humanity - why we're here and where we're going. What happens when we die. What's left. The art is breathtaking and the story, memorable, gut-wrenching and harrowing. Throughout the story, though, there is an incredible sense of privilege: to travel unapologetically, to hurt the ones who love us, to have the time and means to find oneself. Many readers have pointed this out and found some degree of fault with it. I struggle to do the same. Radtke doesn't make excuses for her privilege, or ask that it is overlooked. For me, non-fiction gets a pass on many things and Radtke's privilege is one of them. This isn't like [b:The Futures|29942557|The Futures|Anna Pitoniak|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461001729s/29942557.jpg|50333192]. It is still interesting. I enjoyed this, and though I don't like Radtke as a person, I admire and adore her as a storyteller.
A note about the controversy involving the stolen pictures: She absolutely should not have stolen the pictures and Seth's mom's opinions of this book are just and right. However, as an objective party, I have to admit that Radtke's treatment of Seth, of personalizing him and taking some ownership of him is something I've done and something I think many artists (of all kinds) do. We see ourselves in others and use stories to incorperate them into our own. I'm not making a morality statement. I'm just saying that Radtke is not unique in her perception of Seth. When death occurs, especially such a tragedy as Seth's, it's difficult to see the world in black or white. I'm sorry for any pain this book has caused, but I'm not sure Rdatke is quite the devil we make her out to be.
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge: A book derby on a college or university campus