koquinn's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely gave me some more insight into the mental aspect of hoarding. The whole aspect is very disturbing.
wenwe's review against another edition
3.0
Read an Advance Uncorrected Proof of this. Fascinating look into hoarding mentality and psychological impacts on selves and people around. This version (can't speak to whether this was "corrected") was disjointed. Non-storyline left some things unexplained things hanging out there for the author/main... what about the brother? But perhaps that is a whole 'nother story.
lyrrael's review
3.0
I have never before had a book give me such a skin-crawly, FILTHY feeling before. Yeek.
amyma's review against another edition
4.0
Quite an interesting book about the daughter of a hoarder. Pretty gross how some of the hoarders live, makes me shudder.
servemethesky's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. I really, really, really, enjoyed this book. Far more than I expected to, actually. Initially, I picked this up thinking it was just another individual trying to cash in on the new hoarders trend. Instead, I found a compelling and thoughtful reflection on life with a mother who is a hoarder.
Jessie Sholl is funny, smart, and an excellent writer. At times, I felt some of the writing was tangential to the story at hand (the excessive pages spent describing the pains of Repetitive Strain Injury), but it is clear that this was necessary for Sholl to fully understand and uncover her feelings for her mother.
This book is remarkable because it blends Sholl's search for meaning and peace in her relationship with her mother and her mother's hoarding with a highly readable, engaging, and informative piece of nonfiction. It definitely does a great job illuminating that hoarders are people too, and that the problem is very real.
Really, a great book. I couldn't put it down.
Jessie Sholl is funny, smart, and an excellent writer. At times, I felt some of the writing was tangential to the story at hand (the excessive pages spent describing the pains of Repetitive Strain Injury), but it is clear that this was necessary for Sholl to fully understand and uncover her feelings for her mother.
This book is remarkable because it blends Sholl's search for meaning and peace in her relationship with her mother and her mother's hoarding with a highly readable, engaging, and informative piece of nonfiction. It definitely does a great job illuminating that hoarders are people too, and that the problem is very real.
Really, a great book. I couldn't put it down.
kvitlin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Gaslighting, and Cancer
Moderate: Child abuse
thejoyofbooking's review against another edition
4.0
This was a tough book to read. Jessie's story is heartbreaking, infuriating, and tragic. Luckily, she tells it with a toughness and honesty that makes it hard to put down. It's an eye-opening look at mental illness from the point of view of someone who faced it firsthand from before she was old enough to protect herself against it, and from the point of view of an adult stepping in to care for a parent.
Jessie's voice is heartfelt and caring, even when sharing unsavory stories. I applaud her bravery in telling her story. Saying I enjoyed Dirty Secret isn't exactly the right phrase - like I said, it's a tough book to read. But I felt that the story was valuable and important, and that from one person's tale I learned a lot about the world. If you know a hoarder, or if you'd like to know what goes on behind the scenes of a reality show, in the lives of the family members of a hoarder, this is a great place to start.
Jessie's voice is heartfelt and caring, even when sharing unsavory stories. I applaud her bravery in telling her story. Saying I enjoyed Dirty Secret isn't exactly the right phrase - like I said, it's a tough book to read. But I felt that the story was valuable and important, and that from one person's tale I learned a lot about the world. If you know a hoarder, or if you'd like to know what goes on behind the scenes of a reality show, in the lives of the family members of a hoarder, this is a great place to start.
stitchandwitch's review against another edition
4.0
I gave this four instead of five because parts of it had really confusing flashbacks. By the time she came back to the present I forgot where she'd started. But really, good book. Amazing book. All too familiar.