A review by readswithnatalieb
Acne: A Memoir by Laura Chinn

5.0

 

Wow, this might just be a top memoir for me. I don’t know how she did it, but Chinn somehow made me laugh with her through her trauma of life and man, she’s lived quite the life. She has this ability to laugh at her trauma and invite readers in without making events too heavy although, everything was pretty dang heavy. With each story I would think to myself, “no, there’s no way something like this happened.” But then it turned into, “okay how the heck did all of these events happen is such a short period of time?!” 

 

I can’t say it enough, but I don’t know how Chinn managed the tragic events she’s experienced in her life. Between deaths in her family to her identity to her parents divorce to moving around as much as she did, she went through a lot and it has required a lot of healing. Chinn admits she needed to heal from the inside out, but before she could begin healing, she needed to recount why she got to the place she was at. 

 

Her content is relatable even if it’s not. She had a way of making me feel as if I knew her pain and was able to connect with her in some shape or form. Chinn’s writing will make you feel like you’re catching up with a long lost friend you haven’t seen in ages. 

 

The last line of the book is my favorite by far, because I think shifting your mindset can enhance a lot for someones mental state: "I can be completely imperfect and still have a wonderful life." 

 

Thank you Hachette Books for the gifted copy. 

 

Content warnings: cancer, suicidal thoughts, ableism, use of the R word, alcoholism, bullying, death, drug abuse, hate crime