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A review by suddenlyjamie
Full Grown People: Greatest Hits, Volume One by Michele Coppola, Rebecca Stetson Werner, Sonya Huber, William Bradley, Jon Magidsohn, Antonia Malchik, Sara Werthan Buttenwieser, Shaun Stallings Anzaldua, Meredith Fein Lichtenberg, Catherine Newman, Jennifer Maher, Randy Osborne, Karrie Higgins, Susan Rebecca White, Sara Bir, Sarah Pape, Jennifer James, Jessica Handler, Jill Talbot, Katy Read, Kristin Kovacic, Zahie El Kouri, Marcia Aldrich, Amber Stevens, Kim Kankiewicz, Carol Paik, Jennifer Niesslein, Jody Mace, Suzanne Van Atten, Robin Schoenthaler, Dina Strasser
5.0
I am rarely inspired to write actual reviews, but my love for this anthology and the blog that inspired it moves me to pen a few quick words of praise and gratitude.
Jennifer Niesslein's Full Grown People is an ever-growing collection of beautifully written essays about navigating, as she puts it, "that other awkward age."
I enjoyed many of these essays when they were first published on the blog, but it was a delicious pleasure to experience them again, curled up on the sofa with a real book in my hands. The Internet is convenient and quick, but there will always be something more intimate about a real book. The collection careens wildly across a vast terrain of topics, lifestyles, tragedies, and discoveries. Each voice is unique, but somehow together they create a beautiful harmony that leaves me feeling both more vulnerable and stronger than before.
Although I have been blogging for nigh on a decade now, and writing a biweekly column for the past two years, I have never considered myself either a master or an aficionado of the essay form. I can say, however, that these are quality pieces of work - honest, piercing, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Through their words, these writers give us a glimpse into their world and in doing so reveal the infinite variations that make each life unique and the constant themes that weave all our lives together. At the end, I am reminded that no one is ever alone.
I am grateful to Niesslein for putting this group of writers and collection of stories together. I know I will return to it again and again for solace, inspiration, and perspective.
Jennifer Niesslein's Full Grown People is an ever-growing collection of beautifully written essays about navigating, as she puts it, "that other awkward age."
I enjoyed many of these essays when they were first published on the blog, but it was a delicious pleasure to experience them again, curled up on the sofa with a real book in my hands. The Internet is convenient and quick, but there will always be something more intimate about a real book. The collection careens wildly across a vast terrain of topics, lifestyles, tragedies, and discoveries. Each voice is unique, but somehow together they create a beautiful harmony that leaves me feeling both more vulnerable and stronger than before.
Although I have been blogging for nigh on a decade now, and writing a biweekly column for the past two years, I have never considered myself either a master or an aficionado of the essay form. I can say, however, that these are quality pieces of work - honest, piercing, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Through their words, these writers give us a glimpse into their world and in doing so reveal the infinite variations that make each life unique and the constant themes that weave all our lives together. At the end, I am reminded that no one is ever alone.
I am grateful to Niesslein for putting this group of writers and collection of stories together. I know I will return to it again and again for solace, inspiration, and perspective.