megclemens's reviews
278 reviews

Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes by Chantha Nguon

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This memoir by Chantha Nguon who became a child refugee during the Pol pot genocide, might be the best memoir I’ve ever read. The storytelling is really centered around food as anchor for cultural memory and identity. While this memoir is heavy at times it also demonstrates joy as an act resistance whether found in food or community. Chantha also sprinkles in family recipes throughout.

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire

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How to Be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment by Skye Cleary

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

Animal Bodies: On Death, Desire, and Other Difficulties by Suzanne Roberts

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

The Prose is lyrical in it’s precision and you feel can the authors formidable vulnerability and honesty in every essay. The emotions and experiences that we tend to shy away from, conceal, misunderstand, make up the themes of these essays.

Some highlights for me:

the grief scale and how grief is a part of the human experience we all share, while also being completely unique to each person and situation.
exploration of sexuality in a world that both overtly sexualizes women and also punishes them for being sexual.
the mention of hatchbacks and the childhood nostalgia of ‘the way back’
how trauma can pile up simply through just existing. the traumas we have yet to process don’t just go away during wildfire season or a global pandemic, etc.

I think everyone could learn a bit more about themselves through reading these essays.

God Is a Black Woman by Christena Cleveland

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Wow, this book is a beautiful mix of the authors personal experiences and meticulously researched evidence about the presence of the feminine in religion, or lack thereof. I, personally, identify as agnostic. I believe in a greater power/s, I just don't identify with any modern religions. With that said, I found this book the closest I've come to seeing theological thought that aligns more specifically with my values, morals and spirituality.

God Is a Black Woman is a profound text and I think that this book should be read by everyone, religious and non religious folk alike. What I appreciated so deeply is that this book portrays a honest look at religion and how we arrived at the place where god became synonymous with a white man, known for violence. The co-opting of religion to subjugate on the basis of gender and race are core functions of the hetero white patriarchy and until we disentangle white supremacy from the dominate forms of spirituality the insidious nature of white patriarchy will prevail. Anyway, I REALLY recommend this book and think everyone will learn whole lot - about society and themselves.

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

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