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A review by sarahmcg
Becoming Shameless by Eden Simchah
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Thank you to the author for the eARC and opportunity to read her memoir ahead of the release date, 2/22/23!
This memoir detailed Eden’s life, initially from the perspective of her young childhood self. She had a complicated relationship with her mother who would berate her for the smallest perceived slights or mistakes, reminiscent of Jennette McCurdy’s account in her memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” The way Eden’s mother treated her broke my heart, but her storytelling was honest and compelling.
It was lovely to see how Eden progressed from living with her mom to getting out and away and slowly discovering more about her identity, self-worth, and sexuality, including coming out as a lesbian at 27 years old. There are some important perspectives on sexual assault, internalized homophobia, and binge eating disorder, so please be aware of those triggers/content warnings.
I loved to see her growth and takeaways at the end of the book, including finding a healthy relationship, going to therapy, and finding her passion as a body positive and LGBTQIA+ inclusive personal trainer. There are also a lot of fun music references to Jewel, Avril Lavigne, and P!nk :) oh and references to tumblr! I think Eden & I must be close in age (early 30’s).
Some notable quotes:
- “Hating my body hasn’t helped at all. If anything, the more I think about how wrong my body is, the more I want to binge until I can’t feel anything anymore. Maybe learning to like my body will be better.”
- “But no matter how much I empathize with her inner child, I have to honor my own.”
- “We are not things to be fixed. We were never broken.”
- “Sometimes, healing is just letting yourself be.”
This is a quick and honest memoir that I think you’d enjoy! Note: I don’t typically give a star rating to memoirs because they are so personal. But know that I felt honored to read & witness Eden’s story!
This memoir detailed Eden’s life, initially from the perspective of her young childhood self. She had a complicated relationship with her mother who would berate her for the smallest perceived slights or mistakes, reminiscent of Jennette McCurdy’s account in her memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” The way Eden’s mother treated her broke my heart, but her storytelling was honest and compelling.
It was lovely to see how Eden progressed from living with her mom to getting out and away and slowly discovering more about her identity, self-worth, and sexuality, including coming out as a lesbian at 27 years old. There are some important perspectives on sexual assault, internalized homophobia, and binge eating disorder, so please be aware of those triggers/content warnings.
I loved to see her growth and takeaways at the end of the book, including finding a healthy relationship, going to therapy, and finding her passion as a body positive and LGBTQIA+ inclusive personal trainer. There are also a lot of fun music references to Jewel, Avril Lavigne, and P!nk :) oh and references to tumblr! I think Eden & I must be close in age (early 30’s).
Some notable quotes:
- “Hating my body hasn’t helped at all. If anything, the more I think about how wrong my body is, the more I want to binge until I can’t feel anything anymore. Maybe learning to like my body will be better.”
- “But no matter how much I empathize with her inner child, I have to honor my own.”
- “We are not things to be fixed. We were never broken.”
- “Sometimes, healing is just letting yourself be.”
This is a quick and honest memoir that I think you’d enjoy! Note: I don’t typically give a star rating to memoirs because they are so personal. But know that I felt honored to read & witness Eden’s story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Sexual assault