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A review by thatlibrarynerd
Hidden Girl: The True Story of a Modern-Day Child Slave by Shyima Hall
This was a weird book to read and realize midway through that I really didn't like the author as a person. Of course I respect her trauma and admire her ability to be so open about what she's gone through. But she's also judgmental and hypocritical.
An example. The book repeatedly addresses how Muslim men specifically used religion as an excuse to be domineering... and then throws in this really unnecessary piece about abstinence that had no bearing on the story. It's hard to respect someone who objects when religion is used to try to control her, yet feels it's justified to try to push her religious-influenced beliefs on others.
Also, she talks about how as a result of her trauma, she couldn't trust unreliable people. Okay... but the description of "unreliable" people felt extremely ableist. This could have been fine. She could have explained that she gets anxious or it's just something she could handle. Instead it reads like she maintains this set of standards and can't be around people who aren't good enough.
I'm not always going to agree with people whose books I read, and that's fine. Her cop worship made complete sense, for example. But a judgmental, mean-spirited hypocrite? Maybe the final nail in the personality coffin is how she kept saying "I couldn't understand how people could be..." Not just when writing about her childhood, it's like she literally never developed empathy and doesn't see that as a flaw.
I can be sorry for what someone went through and still never want to meet them.
...I thought I was done, but some additional thoughts about the book itself.
It pays attention to the wrong things? Feels like it spends more time explaining the dresses she wore to junior and senior proms than the fact that her foster parents stole from her.
The fact is, this reads like a summary. It very, very rarely feels immediate or describes specific instances. As a result, it can feel flat and drawn-out.
I've noticed that with a lot of crime-and-recovery stories (in this case, from the victim's perspective), the book will be split in half. Half crime, half recovery. Because the recovery bit is so vague in its goal, it often feels meandering and takes a talented writer to remain engaging. Sadly no talented writers were involved in the creation of this book.
An example. The book repeatedly addresses how Muslim men specifically used religion as an excuse to be domineering... and then throws in this really unnecessary piece about abstinence that had no bearing on the story. It's hard to respect someone who objects when religion is used to try to control her, yet feels it's justified to try to push her religious-influenced beliefs on others.
Also, she talks about how as a result of her trauma, she couldn't trust unreliable people. Okay... but the description of "unreliable" people felt extremely ableist. This could have been fine. She could have explained that she gets anxious or it's just something she could handle. Instead it reads like she maintains this set of standards and can't be around people who aren't good enough.
I'm not always going to agree with people whose books I read, and that's fine. Her cop worship made complete sense, for example. But a judgmental, mean-spirited hypocrite? Maybe the final nail in the personality coffin is how she kept saying "I couldn't understand how people could be..." Not just when writing about her childhood, it's like she literally never developed empathy and doesn't see that as a flaw.
I can be sorry for what someone went through and still never want to meet them.
...I thought I was done, but some additional thoughts about the book itself.
It pays attention to the wrong things? Feels like it spends more time explaining the dresses she wore to junior and senior proms than the fact that her foster parents stole from her.
The fact is, this reads like a summary. It very, very rarely feels immediate or describes specific instances. As a result, it can feel flat and drawn-out.
I've noticed that with a lot of crime-and-recovery stories (in this case, from the victim's perspective), the book will be split in half. Half crime, half recovery. Because the recovery bit is so vague in its goal, it often feels meandering and takes a talented writer to remain engaging. Sadly no talented writers were involved in the creation of this book.