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A review by ramonamead
Jell-O Girls: A Family History by Allie Rowbottom
2.0
There were parts of I found extremely interesting, and others that were confusing and/or unnecessary. The overall feel of the book is choppy. It's clear that the author had a lot of different threads she tried to weave together. It works in a few spots but overall leaves the reader feeling scattered and disconnected from the material and characters.
This is part family memoir, part history of Jello, and part commentary on sexism and the power of the patriarchy. I most enjoyed learning about Jello's role in American culture throughout the decades. The connection between Jello's story and the author's family is there, but seems she could have made it stronger.
The book should have had pictures. There are many times the author describes a Jello advertisement or her family photos. Trying to visualize what she's describing took me out of the story. Photos would have been fun, broke up the text, and emphasized the points the author was trying to make.
This is part family memoir, part history of Jello, and part commentary on sexism and the power of the patriarchy. I most enjoyed learning about Jello's role in American culture throughout the decades. The connection between Jello's story and the author's family is there, but seems she could have made it stronger.
The book should have had pictures. There are many times the author describes a Jello advertisement or her family photos. Trying to visualize what she's describing took me out of the story. Photos would have been fun, broke up the text, and emphasized the points the author was trying to make.