mariah_wika's reviews
71 reviews

On Living by Kerry Egan

emotional hopeful reflective

4.25

A lovely collection of stories told with honesty and welcome simplicity. Filled with relevant gems for future social work practice.

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

Damn. What a book. A New Yorker review I read says it best, "Peters confronts the unruliness of our desires, and our vitality as we struggle within their limits." The dialogue is sharp and believable. The characters complicated and honest. Full of potent vignettes. I devoured the audio book in three days.

How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community by Mia Birdsong

5.0

I loved this book, and part of the reason it gets 5 stars is because I read it in January, and it still emerges over and over again in my mind. Lovely writing. None of the ideas were entirely new to me, but they were described in such resonant ways that it reinforced my momentum and desire to work toward more interconnected community care.

Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

A great audio read. I can see it being a bit of a slow paperback read, but it's powerful to hear Suleika's voice. Her writing is stunning, philosophical, honest. She holds nuance beautifully.

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung

informative reflective

4.25

An important, vulnerable, illuminating perspective on transnational, transracial adoption. I learned so much, and Nicole Chung writes beautifully.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

2.75

I love a good romance novel, but this was so predictable it hurt. This was my first Emily Henry book, and her writing style isn't quite for me. 

Recollections of My Nonexistence: A Memoir by Rebecca Solnit

challenging dark reflective sad tense

3.5

Rebecca Solnit is a stunning writer, *and* this book was so hard to read that it made my stomach twist. Her experiences of gender violence and harassment landed too close to personal experience and the experiences of people I love. The book was so compelling that I had to finish it, but I found myself racing through it to get it done.

The Natural Mother of the Child: A Memoir of Nonbinary Parenthood by Krys Malcolm Belc

4.25

A powerful, evocative, honest memoir. Sometimes a tad disjointed, which I found hard to follow but others may be drawn to. Krys is a gifted writer, and I'm thankful he's shared his story with us. Gorgeous descriptive language.

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse

3.0

I was pretty disappointed by the sequel to Black Sun. The strength of the first book was magnificent character development and an intoxicating, comprehensible plot. The sequel is overcomplicated, and that juicy emphasis on complex, achingly relatable characters is lost.

The Book of Rosy: A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border by Rosayra Pablo Cruz, Julie Schwietert Collazo

dark emotional informative sad tense

4.25

I listened to this as an audiobook in Spanish, and it was just a gutting story of a mother separated from her children at the border. This era in our country's history is a brutal wound that still hangs open. I'm grateful to have listened to Rosy's story in her own words and so relieved she and her little ones are okay.