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jayisreading's review
4.5
I was familiar with Chow's work from her time with NPR's Code Switch, and her wonderful storytelling really shone in this memoir in a way that honored her family, history, and culture. I also appreciated the insight of growing up in Connecticut in an Asian immigrant household, which had its own challenges. (On this note, I am all for more Asian American New Englanders writing about their lived experiences, haha.)
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Suicide
noveltay's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent
siriface's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, and Racism
moonbebe722's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Racism, and Police brutality
bookishcori's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism
caseythereader's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Death, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism
readingwithcats's review
4.5
Graphic: Medical content and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism
caseys_chapters's review against another edition
4.25
Seeing Ghosts is centered around the author’s experience losing her mother to cancer at a young age. She also explores several generations of her family’s history in China, The United States, and Cuba and the complicated family dynamics that shaped her.
In many ways this is a ghost story. She describes the lingering emotions tied to grief, generational trauma, and learning about loved ones after their death. It was such an affecting way to frame her experience.
It took a few chapters to get into the flow because the narrative bounces around in time through short vignettes. But once I was in the groove, I was captivated by Kat Chow’s storytelling!
I loved that the book also included family photos. The writing is vivid, but the photos were a beautiful and intimate addition that made me feel even closer to her story.
Graphic: Cancer and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism
ekmook's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Racism, Sexism, Grief, and Death of parent
biblio_jordyn's review against another edition
5.0
“This is what it means to lose someone, understanding how, after all these years, memories shift and shape us. How we cannot exorcise someone as much as we try; we must learn the ways in which we preserve parts of them in ourselves.”
This book was a heartbreaking and raw memoir about grief and loss. The loss of a parent. The loss of culture. The loss of language and connection through it. The loss of family. And by the end, it’s a story about somehow piecing things back together even if it takes years and years.
It’s a story of immigration.
It’s a story of family.
This book tackles race and the divide within races and the discrimination they face.
It speaks on depression and the generational differences.
The idea of success, survival, and poverty. Particularly, how poverty effects peoples ability to go to the doctor and peoples relationship with them and distrust.
It speaks on the idea of the “right” way of immigration, which is constantly a battle in the US.
I loved this memoir. It was heavy, but purposeful and I definitely would recommend it for those who can handle the triggers.
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Mental illness, Racism, Grief, and Death of parent