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adiajamille's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Grief, and Death of parent
doll2021's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Nikki Grimes provides a raw unfiltered look at her life through this memoir. Presenting her truth of her childhood you go on a journey through living through abuse and having to also manage living with a parent with mental health issues who also is in an abusive relationship. Grimes highlights that this memoir is the truth and not necessarily fact because she has had to fill in the gaps of memories she lost due to trauma. While not long, this book does pack a punch. One of the most poignant points of the story are the relationships Grimes presents, from her relationship to her mother deteriorating over time to her relationship with her father growing. Extremely emotional and at times hard to listen to, this memoir highlights the impact of growing up in abusive environments and Grimes’s resilience. The audiobook is narrated by Grimes herself, so you can hear her tell her story and appreciate the cadence of her poetry. I do wish the memoir was a little longer and able to flesh out more parts of the story, such as her relationship with her sister and also how/if she reconnected with her foster-siblings. Additionally, there is not a lot of closure for her relationship with her mother, but that reflects the complicated nature of growing up with and growing apart from someone in your life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment