courtneyfalling's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I read many of these essays for a creative nonfiction class in 2018, so I figured I should finally return and read the book cover to cover. I do really like Jo Ann Beard's writing style: she has a great sense of when to build tension and when to release it, with perfectly placed one-liners or symbolic comparisons. Favorite essays include "Preface," "The Fourth State of Matter," "Out There," and "The Boys of My Youth." Against what the title suggests, this collection ruminates a lot more on family and female friendship than boys alone. I wasn't always sold on how intensely self-focused the writing was, though, and there were some big misses in how she describes early popular feminism and one uncomfortable scene of cousins kissing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Drug use
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