heyjude1965's review against another edition
4.0
Seems memoirs are my thing; this is the second one I finished in a week. An interesting read about hard things. I'm thinking hard things make interesting lives. The author was one of 7 kids born of a dysfunctional "family"in NJ. The children are given up for adoption either at birth or later, but find each other eventually. Their mother chose life for them in a situation where death would have been easier. That took something, even in light of all her other failings. She chose life and sought a better childhood for her children than she could provide. That takes something. Not perfection, but that doesn't exist this side of Paradise.
annakmeyer's review against another edition
3.0
This wasn't exactly what I thought it would be based on the description but I'm glad I read it.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
5.0
A 2015 staff favorite recommended by Becky K.
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sbastards%3A%20a%20memoir%20king__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sbastards%3A%20a%20memoir%20king__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
pattieod's review against another edition
5.0
A compelling story, and well-told. Not a happy story, because adoption isn't win-win-win like we've all been sold, but it's a mixed bag from every perspective.
liralen's review against another edition
4.0
Thoughtful, painful. King's portraits are complex—her grandfather and Mimi, for example, aren't portrayed solely as people who took her in only because she needed somewhere to go; they're also people who did their best by her. King lets herself walk around in people's shoes, trying to figure out not just what her experience was but why they might have acted and reacted as they did.
King had siblings, a brother and multiple sisters, but she didn't grow up with them. Or—she grew up with her brother for a while. She grew up with one of her sisters for a while. The others disappeared into a void that was adoption, and it wasn't until King was effectively an adult that she had a chance to see them, to meet them, again.
This was the best-case scenario, she says after one such meeting, the best it could have gone. An instant connection, a day-long binge on genealogy, followed by a separation that tears a hole so deep in your skull that you'll want to have your friends' long-lost kids stick their fingers in it (173). Reuniting is, in many ways, all she's wanted since she was a childhood, but it, too, is a complex, messy process. King notes that, of herself and her sisters (all of whom were raised, in part or entirely, by non-biological parents), they all struggled to find their place in the world. Too many of their memories, maybe, have too much weight and too many questions.
King sometimes holds herself at a distance from her story, but perhaps that helps her peel back the layers just a little bit more. Well worth the read.
I received a free copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
King had siblings, a brother and multiple sisters, but she didn't grow up with them. Or—she grew up with her brother for a while. She grew up with one of her sisters for a while. The others disappeared into a void that was adoption, and it wasn't until King was effectively an adult that she had a chance to see them, to meet them, again.
This was the best-case scenario, she says after one such meeting, the best it could have gone. An instant connection, a day-long binge on genealogy, followed by a separation that tears a hole so deep in your skull that you'll want to have your friends' long-lost kids stick their fingers in it (173). Reuniting is, in many ways, all she's wanted since she was a childhood, but it, too, is a complex, messy process. King notes that, of herself and her sisters (all of whom were raised, in part or entirely, by non-biological parents), they all struggled to find their place in the world. Too many of their memories, maybe, have too much weight and too many questions.
King sometimes holds herself at a distance from her story, but perhaps that helps her peel back the layers just a little bit more. Well worth the read.
I received a free copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
lizmart88's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent memoir chronicling the story of a family separated by adoption and mental illness. The author/narrator is a wonderful writer and the book moves capably through the story of her life without self pity or dwelling on the inequities of her life. The only thing I wish is that I had heard a bit more about the two siblings she did grow up from their own perspective . I kept wondering how Becca and Jacob felt about their upbringing and how they processed it. Overall, an excellent read exploring what it means to be a family, the aftermath and reality of adoption, and how poverty intersects all of this. Highly recommend!
karak's review against another edition
5.0
This was SO GOOD. If you like non fiction about normal people who aren't famous or infamous, then this might be the book for you. It's just the story of a splintered family.
susannochka's review against another edition
4.0
I spent the first quarter of this memoir grumbling about the glut of third-rate, self-indulgent memoirs out there and how no one younger than me has any business writing a memoir, no matter what. Somewhere in the second quarter I shut up. And in the second half I became completely enthralled and engrossed, crying and occasionally laughing on the couch this morning, ignoring a long to-do list until I finished it and then embarked on several very lengthy conversations about the complexities of human existence, childhood survival, and family relationships. 4.5 stars.
wordnerdy's review against another edition
4.0
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2015/06/2015-book-155.html
King has been making the rounds of blogs I like to promote this memoir (cf this piece on The Toast), and though I don't read a lot of non-fiction, her writing and the description of this book were both pretty intriguing. King grew up in a poor and complicated family, where she was the second oldest of seven (the younger ones also all girls), and where her four youngest sisters were all given up for adoption, not knowing the older siblings existed. But King knew they would come looking eventually, and wanted to be ready for them. The writing here is just excellent--the story moves along really quickly, and I loved King's descriptions of the various reunions, even if a lot of questions go unanswered. But it's almost like everything else besides the siblings is extraneous--this works fine just as it is. Really tender and also, at times, really funny. A/A-.
King has been making the rounds of blogs I like to promote this memoir (cf this piece on The Toast), and though I don't read a lot of non-fiction, her writing and the description of this book were both pretty intriguing. King grew up in a poor and complicated family, where she was the second oldest of seven (the younger ones also all girls), and where her four youngest sisters were all given up for adoption, not knowing the older siblings existed. But King knew they would come looking eventually, and wanted to be ready for them. The writing here is just excellent--the story moves along really quickly, and I loved King's descriptions of the various reunions, even if a lot of questions go unanswered. But it's almost like everything else besides the siblings is extraneous--this works fine just as it is. Really tender and also, at times, really funny. A/A-.