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A review by bookcheshirecat
Spare by Prince Harry
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
3.0
“The Heir and the Spare—there was no judgment about it, but also no ambiguity. I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy. I was summoned to provide backup, distraction, diversion and, if necessary, a spare part. Kidney, perhaps. Blood transfusion. Speck of bone marrow. This was all made explicitly clear to me from the start of life’s journey and regularly reinforced thereafter.”
➽ I don't follow the royal family at all, but I was intrigued by Prince Harry's memoir! It was interesting to learn more about his childhood, the grief over losing his mother and the role the media has played his entire life. These parts appealed the most to me, as the vicious nature of the paparazzi and the twisting of the truth by the media sound horrifying. I can't imagine being treated like an object for media attention instead of a person. Harry talks a lot about the practices of the magazines that have also turned against him and his wife, viciously ripping them apart for not fitting into the mould.
➽ In the end, the memoir wasn't anything too impactful. The writing was basic and though I appreciated that Harry narrated his own memoir, his narration style was pretty flat. I also wasn't a big fan of the big focus on Harry's military service. In general, I'm not interested in military propaganda, so seeing Harry talk about his pride about killing others didn't feel right - especially with the Islamophobic undertones!
➽ I don't follow the royal family at all, but I was intrigued by Prince Harry's memoir! It was interesting to learn more about his childhood, the grief over losing his mother and the role the media has played his entire life. These parts appealed the most to me, as the vicious nature of the paparazzi and the twisting of the truth by the media sound horrifying. I can't imagine being treated like an object for media attention instead of a person. Harry talks a lot about the practices of the magazines that have also turned against him and his wife, viciously ripping them apart for not fitting into the mould.
➽ In the end, the memoir wasn't anything too impactful. The writing was basic and though I appreciated that Harry narrated his own memoir, his narration style was pretty flat. I also wasn't a big fan of the big focus on Harry's military service. In general, I'm not interested in military propaganda, so seeing Harry talk about his pride about killing others didn't feel right - especially with the Islamophobic undertones!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Racism, War, Death, Sexism, Stalking, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Gore, Islamophobia, and Torture