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alexxcp's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, Suicide, Abortion, and Death of parent
silodear's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't really appreciate the author's irreverent tone, but there were some aspects of this book that I enjoyed. Schmidt writes with real honesty about his experiences growing up with an addicted and abusive father who is dying of AIDS in the height of the epidemic. He didn't sugarcoat his experiences and he's raw in showing the reader how he grapples with his complicated feelings. I can appreciate this book, even though it was hard for me to read.
noramjenkins's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting spontaneous grab off the YA shelf. Not sure it is a YA appropriate book but I suppose kids are more grown up now.
corncobwebs's review against another edition
It seems like Jason Schmidt turned out to be an exceptional human being, but it would be completely understandable if he ended up being a really dour person. His parents split when he was young, and (unconventionally) he ended up with his dad, who was verbally and physically abusive. His mom was completely out of the picture, so when his dad contracted AIDS when Schmidt was in high school, he had to deal with it completely on his own. This meant that, at 15, he was in charge of caring for the person who kicked him, threw him against the wall, and constantly told him how worthless he was. On top of all that, other people in his life kept dying -- some from AIDS, at least one from drug addiction, one from suicide. He was raging, for sure, but he managed to stay away from drugs and keep going to school. Even though this is a really heavy book, there's still some humor, and the writing was great -- Schmidt is clearly very self-aware and intelligent, so he tells his story with clarity and wit.
I love messed-up childhood memoirs, and also memoirs about people with diseases -- this book had both! I think part of my enjoyment is voyeuristic, but another part (hopefully the bigger part) likes reading books like this because they broaden my worldview. I had a pretty conventional childhood, so it's eye-opening to read about children/teens who live in abusive situations. It's important knowledge to internalize, especially in my line of work -- I come across people all the time who are mean/rude/unruly, and maybe instead of being all judge-y, I should consider that maybe they had a really crappy childhood. Not to say that having a crappy childhood automatically means you turn out to be a jerk -- that's not true at all. I just think it's important to be understanding when someone doesn't act the way you want them to. Books like this remind me that I need to do that.
I love messed-up childhood memoirs, and also memoirs about people with diseases -- this book had both! I think part of my enjoyment is voyeuristic, but another part (hopefully the bigger part) likes reading books like this because they broaden my worldview. I had a pretty conventional childhood, so it's eye-opening to read about children/teens who live in abusive situations. It's important knowledge to internalize, especially in my line of work -- I come across people all the time who are mean/rude/unruly, and maybe instead of being all judge-y, I should consider that maybe they had a really crappy childhood. Not to say that having a crappy childhood automatically means you turn out to be a jerk -- that's not true at all. I just think it's important to be understanding when someone doesn't act the way you want them to. Books like this remind me that I need to do that.
jaymeshaw's review against another edition
4.0
Upon finishing this book I thought to myself "Wow, this guy should have totally died like 7 or 8 times!".
A super interesting read and even more incredible that it's a true story.
A super interesting read and even more incredible that it's a true story.
foreveryoungadult's review against another edition
Graded By: Jennie
Cover Story: Stark and Dark
BFF Charm: Let Me Love You
Swoonworthy Scale: 0
Talky Talk: The Way We Were
Anti-Bonus Factor: Trigger Warnings
Relationship Status: Group Hug
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Stark and Dark
BFF Charm: Let Me Love You
Swoonworthy Scale: 0
Talky Talk: The Way We Were
Anti-Bonus Factor: Trigger Warnings
Relationship Status: Group Hug
Read the full book report here.
tyheronthorn's review against another edition
4.0
A List of Things that Didn't Kill Me is an eye-opening memoir about growing up with an abusive parent, and it's also a story of getting through a rough life, of determination to keep going. Schmidt's story can be brutal at times, but it doesn't read as a series of tragedies. It's admirable how he gets through it and tells his story after the fact, portraying his relationship with his dad and his life as very complex and many-sided.
I like Schmidt's writing style in his prose, but the chapter structure often threw me off, because it jumped around chronologically a bit; he wrote thematically and grouped events rather than times. He doesn't tone down events for the readers, even though this is categorized as YA, which is good, and I hope it helps kids in situations similar to his feel less alone.
I like Schmidt's writing style in his prose, but the chapter structure often threw me off, because it jumped around chronologically a bit; he wrote thematically and grouped events rather than times. He doesn't tone down events for the readers, even though this is categorized as YA, which is good, and I hope it helps kids in situations similar to his feel less alone.
plumfieldpages's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Gun violence and Abortion