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mad_taylh's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
"In recovery, I found a community that resisted what I'd always been told about stories- that they had to be unique- suggesting instead that a story was most useful when it wasn't unique at all, when it understood itself as something that had been lived before and would be lived again. Our stories were valuable because of this redundancy, not despite it. Originality wasn't the ideal, and beauty wasn't the point."
wm94's review against another edition
5.0
My mother is a recovering alcoholic and this book has changed my life for the better. Well worth the read.
taygram's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
naoki's review against another edition
5.0
The Recovering is, quite simply, one of the best books I’ve ever read. Jamison is the kind of writer I don’t even waste my time wishing to become because I know she’s in the realm of the impossible.
My dad gave me her book of essays, Empathy Exams, awhile back. I was so impressed and excited by it, albeit a little discouraged realising the author was only a few years older than me, that when I heard Jamison had written a book about addiction, and the connection between creativity and addiction, I felt like screaming. This is my jam, man! And who better than the oh-so eloquent Jamison?
The Recovering is what memoir should be. Curious. Compelling. Courageous. Jamison weaves stories of literary figures and their struggles with addiction with her own journey of recovery, and asks how do myths around addiction and creativity serve us? And what does a life of recovery mean?
Once subscribed to the trainwreck=creativity myth, I found looking at recovery and the ways in which it’s actually conducive to creativity refreshing. I’m also very attracted to the way Jamison molds journalism, cultural studies, literary criticism and personal essay into one big bomb of amazingness. Crushing hard. I love this woman!
My dad gave me her book of essays, Empathy Exams, awhile back. I was so impressed and excited by it, albeit a little discouraged realising the author was only a few years older than me, that when I heard Jamison had written a book about addiction, and the connection between creativity and addiction, I felt like screaming. This is my jam, man! And who better than the oh-so eloquent Jamison?
The Recovering is what memoir should be. Curious. Compelling. Courageous. Jamison weaves stories of literary figures and their struggles with addiction with her own journey of recovery, and asks how do myths around addiction and creativity serve us? And what does a life of recovery mean?
Once subscribed to the trainwreck=creativity myth, I found looking at recovery and the ways in which it’s actually conducive to creativity refreshing. I’m also very attracted to the way Jamison molds journalism, cultural studies, literary criticism and personal essay into one big bomb of amazingness. Crushing hard. I love this woman!
amyhungerford's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like I say this everything I'm not blown away by a memoir.. BUT
I just hate reviewing memoirs. Its so stressful. I always fee like I'm saying "I'm not a fan of this woman's life." And that's just... not accurate. I'm just not a fan of this story.
This was one that I just couldn't connect with. Its fine, I just found it to be slow in the middle and overall repetitive.
I just hate reviewing memoirs. Its so stressful. I always fee like I'm saying "I'm not a fan of this woman's life." And that's just... not accurate. I'm just not a fan of this story.
This was one that I just couldn't connect with. Its fine, I just found it to be slow in the middle and overall repetitive.
micalynne's review against another edition
Library hold lapsed, was not interested enough to try and check it out again
rovwade's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0