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tanyamariereads's reviews
130 reviews
Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
5.0
"There comes a time when we realize that our parents cannot protect us, as much as we want, or need them to. There comes a time when we realize that we must save ourselves."
Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Diaz is by far one of my favorite memoirs. Her story begins in Puerto Rico where she was born and raised for much of her childhood. Her family then moves to Miami and that's when her home life begins to truly deteriorate. With her mother's substance abuse and mental illness, and her father's reluctance to intervene when life gets too rough, Jaquira finds herself needing to become an adult far too early in childhood. Jaquira Diaz doesn't hold back with sharing her experiences from her life. She discusses her relationships with toxic family members, her queerness, her depression, and her constant feeling of wanting to run away. Jaquira's memoir gives a voice to the many individuals who felt or still feels like the world doesn't care about their well being.
The formatting of the story made me feel like I was chatting with a friend that put great trust in me to let down all of their boundaries. I admired Jaquira's vulnerability in sharing her story, especially reading it as a queer Latinx woman. I have so much appreciation for this book because I've also experienced many of the feelings that Jaquira shares in this memoir. I'm familiar with feeling like I don't belong or trying to come to terms with my queerness or not really understanding how to handle my own mental health. Diaz self-exposes all of that and does so not in the hopes of having readers feeling sorry for her, but to connect with others with similar experiences to provide hope. It’s a story I wish I had to read while growing up and I’m so glad it’s available for others out there who need it.
Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Diaz is by far one of my favorite memoirs. Her story begins in Puerto Rico where she was born and raised for much of her childhood. Her family then moves to Miami and that's when her home life begins to truly deteriorate. With her mother's substance abuse and mental illness, and her father's reluctance to intervene when life gets too rough, Jaquira finds herself needing to become an adult far too early in childhood. Jaquira Diaz doesn't hold back with sharing her experiences from her life. She discusses her relationships with toxic family members, her queerness, her depression, and her constant feeling of wanting to run away. Jaquira's memoir gives a voice to the many individuals who felt or still feels like the world doesn't care about their well being.
The formatting of the story made me feel like I was chatting with a friend that put great trust in me to let down all of their boundaries. I admired Jaquira's vulnerability in sharing her story, especially reading it as a queer Latinx woman. I have so much appreciation for this book because I've also experienced many of the feelings that Jaquira shares in this memoir. I'm familiar with feeling like I don't belong or trying to come to terms with my queerness or not really understanding how to handle my own mental health. Diaz self-exposes all of that and does so not in the hopes of having readers feeling sorry for her, but to connect with others with similar experiences to provide hope. It’s a story I wish I had to read while growing up and I’m so glad it’s available for others out there who need it.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
5.0
Octavia E. Butler's series was published in the early 1990s and it's amazing how she was able to write about a fictional future which hauntingly reflects the realities of today. From climate change to socioeconomic disparities to a distrustful government, all of these topics were issues for main character Lauren's world. Living in southern California in the 2020s, Lauren along with her family and her neighborhood are doing their best to maintain what little normalcy they have in their lives while being cognizant of the crumbling society outside of the community’s walls. On top of all the external hardships, Lauren also suffers from hyper-empathy, which is a sensitivity to feel the emotions of others and she has no control over which ones feels. Although the state of her world seems to be going on a downward spiral, Lauren is determined to help mold a brighter future not only to survive, but to also flourish in a new faith that she founded known as Earthseed.
I love how the story unraveled in a way so the reader could understand the realities of the fictional world without getting lost, but also keeping up a good pace to keep the story moving. Compared to other science fiction books that I've read, some stories can get too in the weeds with details of a fictional world and can lose its readers. Butler mastered the balance of introducing readers to a future society and connecting Lauren to the tale. It was also interesting to see religion incorporated into a sci-fi story. Lauren’s development of Earthseed is the foundation and structure of the novel, although it may come questionably across for the first portion of the novel. I didn’t feel bogged down by religion as a reader. Again, Butler found the perfect balance of keeping that theme as the book’s focus and incorporating the harsh realities of Lauren’s world.
The thing that astounds me the most is how little I've heard about this wonderful book series. It's been decades since the Parable of the Sower has been published, but it still packs a powerful punch. Octavia E. Butler certainly paved the path for many contemporary sci-fi and dystopian writers. I fully plan on reading Parable of the Talents, the second and final book in this series. I also plan to explore the other books that she's written. Despite this being an older book, it's absolutely relevant to the hardships everyone is facing around the globe today. Whether you're into sci-fi or not, I highly recommend reading this book.
I love how the story unraveled in a way so the reader could understand the realities of the fictional world without getting lost, but also keeping up a good pace to keep the story moving. Compared to other science fiction books that I've read, some stories can get too in the weeds with details of a fictional world and can lose its readers. Butler mastered the balance of introducing readers to a future society and connecting Lauren to the tale. It was also interesting to see religion incorporated into a sci-fi story. Lauren’s development of Earthseed is the foundation and structure of the novel, although it may come questionably across for the first portion of the novel. I didn’t feel bogged down by religion as a reader. Again, Butler found the perfect balance of keeping that theme as the book’s focus and incorporating the harsh realities of Lauren’s world.
The thing that astounds me the most is how little I've heard about this wonderful book series. It's been decades since the Parable of the Sower has been published, but it still packs a powerful punch. Octavia E. Butler certainly paved the path for many contemporary sci-fi and dystopian writers. I fully plan on reading Parable of the Talents, the second and final book in this series. I also plan to explore the other books that she's written. Despite this being an older book, it's absolutely relevant to the hardships everyone is facing around the globe today. Whether you're into sci-fi or not, I highly recommend reading this book.
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
5.0
This is another book that I wish I had to read while growing up. Or even just a few years ago shortly after coming out, which it was around then, but Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera wasn't on my radar until this year. Juliet's story starts with her coming out to her family right before she leaves for Portland, Oregon to intern for her favorite feminist writer. While her family members soak in her news, Juliet find herself in a completely different world from her familiar Bronx neighborhood when she lands on the west coast. During her internship, Juliet finds herself not only trying to figure out how to smooth things over with her mother who's shocked by the news of her coming out, but also her identity on what defines her as Juliet. She discovers a lot about herself as a POC queer woman, as well as learning more about the broader queer communities and the world of feminism during the span of her summer internship.
I laughed and cried during much of this book.I absolutely LOVE Juliet and felt super protective of her. I saw so much of my younger self in her, especially when it came to her relationship with her mom. There were times where I felt a lot was being explained through telling and not showing, but it made sense since this was being told from Juliet's perspective. There's so much that I loved about this YA novel and I'm so happy to see that it's out in the world for young queer readers to read.
I laughed and cried during much of this book.I absolutely LOVE Juliet and felt super protective of her. I saw so much of my younger self in her, especially when it came to her relationship with her mom. There were times where I felt a lot was being explained through telling and not showing, but it made sense since this was being told from Juliet's perspective. There's so much that I loved about this YA novel and I'm so happy to see that it's out in the world for young queer readers to read.