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christinam's reviews
95 reviews
My Life for Yours by Vanessa Carnevale
4.0
When a rare life-threatening heart condition causes Paige and Nick to lose their unborn child their world crumbles. Just as they start to put their lives back together, Paige becomes pregnant again. As her heart is still weak, the pregnancy puts her and her unborn child at risk. Now Nick and Paige are faced with a dilemma: who do they save?
The grief, loss, and pain were palpable throughout this novel. Carnevale effortlessly melds the medical, mental, and emotional aspects of Paige and Nick's circumstance into an alluring story. While the subject matter and themes are heavy, Carnevale writes in a way that is engaging without emotionally overwhelming the reader. The dual POV allows the reader to connect with Paige and Nick independently and gain a rich understanding of how conditions like Paige's affect the patient and their loved ones. The conversations Nick and Paige have with each, their friends and their families are raw, emotive, and feel so real. For a novel about loss and mourning, it is never defeatist. It remains hopeful and optimistic.
I know this book is about motherhood. But I'm disappointed that Paige was mostly just mom-to-be/mother. Nick is multidimensional as we get to see him as a son, husband, father-to-be, doctor, son-in-law, and the list goes on. The reader watches how these parts of him create a complex character. We do not get to see as many angles of Paige. Her actions seemed to be driven by wanting to be a mother and very little else, making her appear less complex in comparison. A more developed Paige would have made this novel even better. With that said, this was still a very enjoyable read.
A captivating novel full of faith and love My Life for Yours is guaranteed to tug at your heart.
The grief, loss, and pain were palpable throughout this novel. Carnevale effortlessly melds the medical, mental, and emotional aspects of Paige and Nick's circumstance into an alluring story. While the subject matter and themes are heavy, Carnevale writes in a way that is engaging without emotionally overwhelming the reader. The dual POV allows the reader to connect with Paige and Nick independently and gain a rich understanding of how conditions like Paige's affect the patient and their loved ones. The conversations Nick and Paige have with each, their friends and their families are raw, emotive, and feel so real. For a novel about loss and mourning, it is never defeatist. It remains hopeful and optimistic.
I know this book is about motherhood. But I'm disappointed that Paige was mostly just mom-to-be/mother. Nick is multidimensional as we get to see him as a son, husband, father-to-be, doctor, son-in-law, and the list goes on. The reader watches how these parts of him create a complex character. We do not get to see as many angles of Paige. Her actions seemed to be driven by wanting to be a mother and very little else, making her appear less complex in comparison. A more developed Paige would have made this novel even better. With that said, this was still a very enjoyable read.
A captivating novel full of faith and love My Life for Yours is guaranteed to tug at your heart.
How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa
4.0
Hᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ Pʀᴏɴᴏᴜɴᴄᴇ Kɴɪғᴇ x Sᴏᴜᴠᴀɴᴋʜᴀᴍ Tʜᴀᴍᴍᴀᴠᴏɴɢꜱᴀ
What does it take to not only survive but thrive in new and unfamiliar settings?
How do you help your child with homework when you can barely grasp the new language?
Sᴏᴜᴠᴀɴᴋʜᴀᴍ Tʜᴀᴍᴍᴀᴠᴏɴɢꜱᴀ reveals answers to these questions and more in Hᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ Pʀᴏɴᴏᴜɴᴄᴇ Kɴɪғᴇ.
I'm a huge fan of short stories and have a deep appreciation for books on immigrant experiences. This book was a fantastic combination of the two. While the immigrant experience is not a monolith, they often share similar themes. Tʜᴀᴍᴍᴀᴠᴏɴɢꜱᴀ effortlessly weaves these themes between the fourteen stories in this collection.
14 snapshots of various immigrant experiences. There is no glamorous moment of triumph, as they seamlessly integrate into the culture of their new home. Instead, we get 14 unique glimpses into the daily lives of average people just trying to build a better life for them and their families.
What does it take to not only survive but thrive in new and unfamiliar settings?
How do you help your child with homework when you can barely grasp the new language?
Sᴏᴜᴠᴀɴᴋʜᴀᴍ Tʜᴀᴍᴍᴀᴠᴏɴɢꜱᴀ reveals answers to these questions and more in Hᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ Pʀᴏɴᴏᴜɴᴄᴇ Kɴɪғᴇ.
I'm a huge fan of short stories and have a deep appreciation for books on immigrant experiences. This book was a fantastic combination of the two. While the immigrant experience is not a monolith, they often share similar themes. Tʜᴀᴍᴍᴀᴠᴏɴɢꜱᴀ effortlessly weaves these themes between the fourteen stories in this collection.
14 snapshots of various immigrant experiences. There is no glamorous moment of triumph, as they seamlessly integrate into the culture of their new home. Instead, we get 14 unique glimpses into the daily lives of average people just trying to build a better life for them and their families.
Calling My Name by Liara Tamani
3.0
"A light seems to vibrate on the think of my earlobes, whispering something personal to me. My insides climb a thousand scales to get closer, to listen to the light. Up, Up, I rise. I'm a gospel song with my highest purest note, in perfect harmony with what calls to me."
Calling My Name by Liara Tamani follows Taja from middle school until she's about to leave for college. We watch Taja navigate through religion, family, boys and how to manage everyone's expectations of who they think she should be with who she wants to be.
While I did enjoy this book there were a few sections I found a little disjointed. As in, one chapter would end and the next one would start father down the story line than expected. Other than that it was a beautiful coming of age story.
Calling My Name by Liara Tamani follows Taja from middle school until she's about to leave for college. We watch Taja navigate through religion, family, boys and how to manage everyone's expectations of who they think she should be with who she wants to be.
While I did enjoy this book there were a few sections I found a little disjointed. As in, one chapter would end and the next one would start father down the story line than expected. Other than that it was a beautiful coming of age story.
I'm Telling the Truth, but I'm Lying: Essays by Bassey Ikpi
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I listened to this one a few months ago and it was an experience like no other. Bassey’s talent as a writer and narrator is undeniable. Listening to her describe her life challenges through the lens of mental illness was heartbreaking. She is raw, honest, and unflinching as she details broken relationships, harmful coping strategies, receiving a diagnosis and the rotating door of medication adjustments and dosage changes while seeking symptom management.
Black women telling their stories with mental illness is what we need more of. "The Strong Black Woman" narrative is harmful because others think we're invincible, so we feel like we must be. As such, the tell-tale signs of various mental illnesses are missed or explained away causing us to be misunderstood. When we need help sometimes we are unable to ask for it and sometimes unwilling to accept it when it is offered. Empathically understanding the pervasive nature of mental illness and its profound effects on one’s inner experience and relationship to the world, is paramount in removing stigma and creating a more compassionate and inclusive society.
I can’t recommend this book enough. Whether it’s the audiobook, the physical copy or a combination of the two. Before I had even finished listening to this one, I knew I had to add this one to my personal collection.
Black women telling their stories with mental illness is what we need more of. "The Strong Black Woman" narrative is harmful because others think we're invincible, so we feel like we must be. As such, the tell-tale signs of various mental illnesses are missed or explained away causing us to be misunderstood. When we need help sometimes we are unable to ask for it and sometimes unwilling to accept it when it is offered. Empathically understanding the pervasive nature of mental illness and its profound effects on one’s inner experience and relationship to the world, is paramount in removing stigma and creating a more compassionate and inclusive society.
I can’t recommend this book enough. Whether it’s the audiobook, the physical copy or a combination of the two. Before I had even finished listening to this one, I knew I had to add this one to my personal collection.
Officer Clemmons by François S. Clemmons
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Francois S. Clemmons bears his heart in his memoir titled after his character on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Offer Clemons details Francois' life though his upbringing in Youngstown Ohio to his schooling at Oberlin and Carnegie Mellon, how me ended up on the show and what it was like to be a Black gay man in America.
The hardest part of this story for me, was how much of him and his life he had to hide. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to have a job in the public eye and have to live such a secretive and segmented life. It's been over 50 years since the debut of Mr. Rogers' Neighbourhood and almost 20 years since the show ended. Yet for one reason or another people are still forced hide and compartmentalize their lives.
The hardest part of this story for me, was how much of him and his life he had to hide. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to have a job in the public eye and have to live such a secretive and segmented life. It's been over 50 years since the debut of Mr. Rogers' Neighbourhood and almost 20 years since the show ended. Yet for one reason or another people are still forced hide and compartmentalize their lives.
High Price: A Neuroscientist's Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know about Drugs and Society by Carl L. Hart
Hart dispels myths about drugs and the people who use them in a way that challenges the simplistic understanding of pharmacological determinism. That is, our naive belief that the effects of a drug are inherent in the drug itself. Whereas the effects, both beneficial and harmful, are influenced by factors at the intersection of the biological, psychological, social, and cultural.
Hart also stresses the importance of having guidance and support from those who recognize the additional complexities race can add to the already challenging environment of academia.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
High Price by Dr. Carl Hart is a critical examination of the war on drugs as told through a neuropsychopharmacologist's journey from a teenager who "maintained a complicated relationship with the street" to a tenured professor at Columbia University.
Hart dispels myths about drugs and the people who use them in a way that challenges the simplistic understanding of pharmacological determinism. That is, our naive belief that the effects of a drug are inherent in the drug itself. Whereas the effects, both beneficial and harmful, are influenced by factors at the intersection of the biological, psychological, social, and cultural.
This book highlights the disparity of the drug war and the way that prohibition disproportionately affects marginalized people and communities and is used as a means of propagating oppression. The laws surrounding drugs are not based on a rational and scientific evaluation of the harms of drugs but instead have continued to fulfil a political agenda. Hart argues for a more rational approach to drug policy informed by rigorous scientific research that accurately models the naturalistic conditions under which drugs are used.
Hart also stresses the importance of having guidance and support from those who recognize the additional complexities race can add to the already challenging environment of academia.
I could keep going about how much Dr. Hart has packed into this memoir but I'll stop here. I really enjoyed this book. This is not light reading and it's the only memoir I've read so far that has an extensive references section. His new book Drug Use for Grown-Ups is expected early next year and I can't wait to read it!