hannahcstocks's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Rape, Grief, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Cancer, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Physical abuse, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Stalking, Sexism, and Misogyny
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
louiepotterbook's review
5.0
Graphic: Stalking, Gaslighting, Racism, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death, and Rape
hankatcol's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Racism, and Rape
Moderate: Abandonment
lorenag5's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Grief, Racism, Rape, Cancer, Mental illness, Misogyny, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Sexual assault
silver_lining_in_a_book's review against another edition
4.0
“We don’t give up on our people. We don’t stop loving them.” She looked into my face, her eyes watering at the bottoms. “Not even when we’re burning alive.”
There is something about memoirs that are written so beautifully they almost read like magical realism that just does it for me. Ashley C. Ford's voice is one of the most lyrical and emotional I have come across this year - I couldn't stop reading it.
This book is so incredibly crafted, you can feel all the love and hard work Ashley has poured into it. I especially loved following this up with Ford's interview with Clint Smith, author of How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, which touched on so many aspects of the book that I was curious about while reading; it cemented this book as a real masterpiece in my mind.
Considering how short this book is, I do not want to go into a summary of the novel, but I will mention what my favourite aspect - besides the prose - was. This is, of course, a trend for me at this point, but exploring different family dynamics and familial love was the highlight of this book. It's something that never fails to grasp my attention, but the way Ford approached it made me feel like I was experiencing everything she described for myself, particularly when it came to her relationship with her mother and grandmother.
The reason that I cannot give this book the full 5 stars is that I found the beginning to be difficult to get into and I almost put the book down. I am so glad I powered through it, but it was a little bit of a challenge. I also this that certain very important events in Ford's life were glossed over due to the conciseness of this book. I think it would have been very impactful to explore these (no spoilers!) in more detail.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Grief, Rape, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Grief, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Minor: Infidelity, Fatphobia, Drug use, Body shaming, and Alcoholism
helenaeoftroy's review
4.0
Moderate: Rape, Emotional abuse, Violence, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
albernikolauras's review
4.0
Ashley C. Ford is a tremendous writer, and this memoir is written almost in flashes of memories and reflections. It's a true glimpse into her life, through the highs and lows and the waves of emotions she experienced between. The book is bookended by interactions with her father, who is a presence in the story despite not being present throughout her childhood. I highly recommend.
Moderate: Child abuse, Stalking, Rape, Racism, and Physical abuse
bashsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I also greatly enjoyed the interview at the end between Ford and Clint Smith; it is always enlightening to hear great writers discuss their craft. (I may listen to that portion again after reading Smith's book, since he discusses his own word in-depth, too.)
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Rape
Moderate: Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Miscarriage
Minor: Cancer, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, and Stalking
Incarceration also comes up a lot, since the author's father is in prison for most of the book.rachelmarie220's review
4.5
Moderate: Rape, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse
Minor: Eating disorder, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Pedophilia, Death, and Blood
sarahmae531's review
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Rape
Moderate: Child death, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Racism, Cancer, and Miscarriage