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rootedreader's reviews
176 reviews
The Forgotten Girls: A Memoir of Friendship and Lost Promise in Rural America by Monica Potts
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to read.
Monica Potts sets out to investigate the causes of poverty, specifically the poverty of women from rural areas of America. Overall I enjoyed this book, one of my top genres to read is investigative journalism. Though listed as memoir, my experience reading this was somewhere in the middle. Connecting several systemic issues, she describes a situation that leaves many opportunities for someone to "fall into" and stay in poverty. The memoir side of the book was a bit difficult for me. Comparing her and her best friend's life choices it came across as judgmental-towards her friend as well as the town. The last chapter or two threw me for a loop as well as (*SPOILER*) she moved back to that same town she spent the whole book criticizing.
Monica Potts sets out to investigate the causes of poverty, specifically the poverty of women from rural areas of America. Overall I enjoyed this book, one of my top genres to read is investigative journalism. Though listed as memoir, my experience reading this was somewhere in the middle. Connecting several systemic issues, she describes a situation that leaves many opportunities for someone to "fall into" and stay in poverty. The memoir side of the book was a bit difficult for me. Comparing her and her best friend's life choices it came across as judgmental-towards her friend as well as the town. The last chapter or two threw me for a loop as well as (*SPOILER*) she moved back to that same town she spent the whole book criticizing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to review. It tells of Safiya's upbringing in Jamaica living in a strict Rastafarian household. She shares her story of breaking away from this and finding herself and her voice through writing. This was an enjoyable read. I love reading memoirs and this one in particular as she shares her experience as well as that of Jamaica's history of colonialism and its impact on the people. Beautifully written this one will stay with me for a while.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Colonisation, Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment
Finding Me by Viola Davis
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Listening to this was an experience! I loved that the author read this-I typically only listen to audiobooks if the author does so. She did an excellent job-telling her (and her families) story with a brutal yet soft honesty. It was challenging to hear what she and her family experienced but enjoyed hearing how she found her voice and those who helped her do so.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Violence
Minor: Addiction, Sexual assault, Death of parent
Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City by Jane Wong
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this to review. I love memoirs and this one from Jane Wong will stick with me for years to come. Her style writing seems like poetry, weaving seemingly unrelated topics together to tell story after story. Meet Me Tonight tells the story (stories) of Wong's experience as a child of immigrants, as an Asian American woman, as a human living in a world that sometimes asks too much and gives back so little. Great read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment
A Renaissance of Our Own: A Memoir & Manifesto on Reimagining by Rachel E. Cargle
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to review. Cargle shares in detail her personal testimony of how she went from living a life she began to question to one full of vibrancy and abundance. Laying out how she personally made decisions to create this life, she encourages the reader to do the same-not by following what she did but instead finding what's most important and living from that. I found this book easy to read, moving from one part of her life to the next, relating in some ways and not so much in others. This story of vulnerability, humility, and courage to choose your own path and then to share that with the world will stick with me for years to come.
Maame by Jessica George
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this to read. Set in London, Maame is a coming of age novel that follows a young woman learning to navigate the delicate balance of family loyalty and independence. We watch the main character grapple with love, loss, and identity learning to make her own choices and having to live with the consequences.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I received a copy of this through NetGalley.
An emotional read right from the beginning, Onyi Nwabineli discusses issues of grief, suicide, and racism without the platitudes often given to these topics. While a difficult read at times I appreciated the honesty she gave to how relentless and surprising grief can be. My favorite parts of the book were how she incorporated aspects of Nigerian culture-food, language, and family dynamics- and her individual relationships with each of her family members.
An emotional read right from the beginning, Onyi Nwabineli discusses issues of grief, suicide, and racism without the platitudes often given to these topics. While a difficult read at times I appreciated the honesty she gave to how relentless and surprising grief can be. My favorite parts of the book were how she incorporated aspects of Nigerian culture-food, language, and family dynamics- and her individual relationships with each of her family members.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Grief
Everybody Come Alive: A Memoir in Essays by Marcie Alvis Walker
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy to review. An excellent memoir telling the experience of a Black woman living in America. Essays from childhood through adulthood, Walker paints an emotional picture of her life and experiences in school, with family family, in and out of relationships, what it means to feel beautiful, and spirituality.