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A review by shelfishchar
Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir by Dolly Alderton
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
this book, wow.
i haven't read many memoirs but i think this one will always be one of my favorites. i didn't think i'd relate to much while reading this: what do i, a brown curly-haired mixed girl from los angeles, have in common with a blonde white woman from london? a lot in very specific ways, it turns out. reading this made me feel validated in a lot of my experiences, knowing how universal my feelings are (i, of course, only thought this after getting over the fact that i don't think i've had very many original thoughts in my lifetime).
growing up tall and bigger than most of my friends, like dolly, trying to force myself into being an object of affection of men became an obsession of mine so early in life. it wasn't until i was in my early twenties (typing that sends me into a spiral, still. but not the way the phrase "i'm in my mid ((??!!!?!?!)) twenties" does) that i was able to sit myself down and finally convince myself that my worth doesn't come from other people, especially men. i was able to open my own eyes to the fact that love i'd craved for, stability i'd stayed up all night crying and wishing for, didn't come in the form of a romantic or sensual love, that i had Love much greater than that in friends who picked up the phone at three in the morning and friends who drove miles from san bernardino to los angeles to hangout with me for one night, to take me to target and go to a christmas emo night with. love came in the form of my younger sister who begrudgingly went to a jonas brothers concert with me just so i wouldn't go alone.
this book a celebration of friendship and self-love and i'm glad i got to it when i did.
there's pieces of myself in this book that resonated so heavily with me it feels a little uncomfortable, so i'll reserve those pieces for just me for a little while longer. anyway, dolly alderton thank you for your vulnerability and willingness to expose all your cracks with the result that you've filled a couple of ours.
i haven't read many memoirs but i think this one will always be one of my favorites. i didn't think i'd relate to much while reading this: what do i, a brown curly-haired mixed girl from los angeles, have in common with a blonde white woman from london? a lot in very specific ways, it turns out. reading this made me feel validated in a lot of my experiences, knowing how universal my feelings are (i, of course, only thought this after getting over the fact that i don't think i've had very many original thoughts in my lifetime).
growing up tall and bigger than most of my friends, like dolly, trying to force myself into being an object of affection of men became an obsession of mine so early in life. it wasn't until i was in my early twenties (typing that sends me into a spiral, still. but not the way the phrase "i'm in my mid ((??!!!?!?!)) twenties" does) that i was able to sit myself down and finally convince myself that my worth doesn't come from other people, especially men. i was able to open my own eyes to the fact that love i'd craved for, stability i'd stayed up all night crying and wishing for, didn't come in the form of a romantic or sensual love, that i had Love much greater than that in friends who picked up the phone at three in the morning and friends who drove miles from san bernardino to los angeles to hangout with me for one night, to take me to target and go to a christmas emo night with. love came in the form of my younger sister who begrudgingly went to a jonas brothers concert with me just so i wouldn't go alone.
this book a celebration of friendship and self-love and i'm glad i got to it when i did.
there's pieces of myself in this book that resonated so heavily with me it feels a little uncomfortable, so i'll reserve those pieces for just me for a little while longer. anyway, dolly alderton thank you for your vulnerability and willingness to expose all your cracks with the result that you've filled a couple of ours.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer and Death
there is a death of a family friend, beautifully written in celebration of their life. but it is incredibly sad.