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A review by hooksbookswanderlust
Maame: A Today Show Read With Jenna Book Club Pick by Jessica George
5.0
4.5 rounded up
This book had been in my queue for so long that I forgot what it was supposed to be about. By the time I decided to go ahead and start it, I opted not to look up the synopsis, trusting my judgment in placing it on my TBR in the first place. I knew it was going to be a heavier book, and sometimes you have to be in the right headspace for those books. I’m glad I waited because “headspace” turned out to be more accurate and appropriate for this book than i would have guessed.
I’m not much of a fan of the stream-of-consciousness writing style. I think that it can be confusing, especially in an audiobook, to determine what’s being spoken aloud, and what’s in a character’s head. While that was the case here occasionally, I felt like it really served to drive home the mental health theme throughout the book.
Maddie is relatable for her sense of family, duty, love, and the way she cares more than she should about what other people’s perceptions of her are. On top of that are the micro aggressions she deals with on account of her race. Add in her general naïveté of the world and life outside the four walls of her house, and it’s no surprise she feels overwhelmed and depressed. Then she contents with the stigma of requiring therapy. It was all handled so compassionately and I think it will challenge readers to really look inside their own minds to see parallels and make asking for the help they need more acceptable in their own minds.
I felt a whole spectrum of emotions reading this book. While it’s true that this is a heavy book, there’s enough lightness balanced throughout too. It’s a perfect reminder that no emotion is linear and there is no normal. It tells us it’s okay to feel what we feel, to ask for help when we need it and most importantly to speak our truth the the ones who love us. I loved watching Maddie come into herself as a woman and grow and heal to live her own truth.
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I hope you enjoyed this review! This review and many more appear on my blog, Hooks, Books, & Wanderlust, where you'll find book reviews, lists, crochet tutorials & patterns, as well as camping, hiking and travel adventures.
Come hang out with me on Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Blog | Email
This book had been in my queue for so long that I forgot what it was supposed to be about. By the time I decided to go ahead and start it, I opted not to look up the synopsis, trusting my judgment in placing it on my TBR in the first place. I knew it was going to be a heavier book, and sometimes you have to be in the right headspace for those books. I’m glad I waited because “headspace” turned out to be more accurate and appropriate for this book than i would have guessed.
I’m not much of a fan of the stream-of-consciousness writing style. I think that it can be confusing, especially in an audiobook, to determine what’s being spoken aloud, and what’s in a character’s head. While that was the case here occasionally, I felt like it really served to drive home the mental health theme throughout the book.
Maddie is relatable for her sense of family, duty, love, and the way she cares more than she should about what other people’s perceptions of her are. On top of that are the micro aggressions she deals with on account of her race. Add in her general naïveté of the world and life outside the four walls of her house, and it’s no surprise she feels overwhelmed and depressed. Then she contents with the stigma of requiring therapy. It was all handled so compassionately and I think it will challenge readers to really look inside their own minds to see parallels and make asking for the help they need more acceptable in their own minds.
I felt a whole spectrum of emotions reading this book. While it’s true that this is a heavy book, there’s enough lightness balanced throughout too. It’s a perfect reminder that no emotion is linear and there is no normal. It tells us it’s okay to feel what we feel, to ask for help when we need it and most importantly to speak our truth the the ones who love us. I loved watching Maddie come into herself as a woman and grow and heal to live her own truth.
-------------
I hope you enjoyed this review! This review and many more appear on my blog, Hooks, Books, & Wanderlust, where you'll find book reviews, lists, crochet tutorials & patterns, as well as camping, hiking and travel adventures.
Come hang out with me on Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Blog | Email