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A review by laurel00
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott
emotional
informative
reflective
5.0
"But writing with empathy is not enough. It never has been. […] To truly write from another experience in an authentic way, you need more than empathy. You need love."
I picked this up on a whim because, as I passed by a display of books by Indigenous authors at my library, its cover whispered in my ear begging me to take it home, and how could I resist? And I am so incredibly glad that I did.
I've been saying for years now that I don't like reading non-fiction, that I'm not a fan of memoirs, that reading essays reminds me of being back in school—a feeling that I try very hard to avoid. And yet, this collection of essays told through the lens of Elliott's personal life experiences as a biracial, Tuscarora woman was such an amazingly captivating and emotionally engaging read.
There are a million different quotes from this book that I could've chosen to start off my review, and I'm honestly shocked I managed to land on just one. I love that Elliott uses these essays not only to inform, not only to take a critical stance on certain topics, but to tell the story of her own life experiences through these discussions. Her essay on poverty wasn't just well-research and deeply analytical, but was also an extremely vulnerable depiction of her childhood living in poverty as a young Native girl and how it has affected her now, as an adult. Her essays on sexual assault and abuse are simultaneously critical think pieces, deep dives into Elliot's own trauma, and a direct call to the reader that forces you to reexamine your own opinions and life experiences—and how the two affect one another.
It's a great read for Native American Heritage Month, but regardless of when you pick it up, I strongly suggest you take your time with each essay, and engage with all the questions Elliott offers to her audience (either implicitly or explicitly). This is a truly wonderful collection, Elliott is very clearly an incredibly talented author, and I'm so excited to pick up some of her other work!
I picked this up on a whim because, as I passed by a display of books by Indigenous authors at my library, its cover whispered in my ear begging me to take it home, and how could I resist? And I am so incredibly glad that I did.
I've been saying for years now that I don't like reading non-fiction, that I'm not a fan of memoirs, that reading essays reminds me of being back in school—a feeling that I try very hard to avoid. And yet, this collection of essays told through the lens of Elliott's personal life experiences as a biracial, Tuscarora woman was such an amazingly captivating and emotionally engaging read.
There are a million different quotes from this book that I could've chosen to start off my review, and I'm honestly shocked I managed to land on just one. I love that Elliott uses these essays not only to inform, not only to take a critical stance on certain topics, but to tell the story of her own life experiences through these discussions. Her essay on poverty wasn't just well-research and deeply analytical, but was also an extremely vulnerable depiction of her childhood living in poverty as a young Native girl and how it has affected her now, as an adult. Her essays on sexual assault and abuse are simultaneously critical think pieces, deep dives into Elliot's own trauma, and a direct call to the reader that forces you to reexamine your own opinions and life experiences—and how the two affect one another.
It's a great read for Native American Heritage Month, but regardless of when you pick it up, I strongly suggest you take your time with each essay, and engage with all the questions Elliott offers to her audience (either implicitly or explicitly). This is a truly wonderful collection, Elliott is very clearly an incredibly talented author, and I'm so excited to pick up some of her other work!