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careycarpenter's review against another edition
2.0
I vaguely remember hearing about Chelsea Manning and thought this might be an interesting memoir. I was wrong. It’s not very-well written but you do learn the story of who this person is. The premise of wanting to show the world what’s really going on during the Iraq war is a good concept, however when you openly release classified documents while you’re in the military, you really shouldn’t be surprised at the reaction you get. Of course, our former President didn’t have to spend years in solitary confinement awaiting his trial (unfortunately) so her point is made that it’s all unfair and unequal treatment.
gentle_garbage_baby's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
By reading this book, you get a sense of Chelsea's struggles throughout her life, and how boxed-in she has felt by different aspects of it, whether that be from a political/military standpoint and her ideals, or how she's dealt with her identity and how people around her responded to that. She's been through a whole lot of abhorrent stuff in her life, and she articulates it amazingly in this book. An excellent read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Suicide attempt, Dysphoria, and War
Moderate: Outing
Minor: Deadnaming and Alcohol
lysimache's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
ryngagen's review against another edition
3.0
A fascinating and raw look into Chelsea Manning's childhood, military career, and imprisonment. I appreciated Chelsea Manning's discussions on information access, data privacy, and government transparency. I also learned so much about the unique challenges transgender people face in the military and in prison, and her writing about her early transition journey was beautiful.
However, I really struggled with the pacing and writing style of this book. Some really interesting parts of the story were covered very vaguely and quickly, and I often found that I lacked enough context to appreciate the complexities of the decisions Chelsea made. I definitely understand that much of this may be due to legal issues or redaction of information, and I would still recommend this book for those interested in the subject.
Can't wait to follow Chelsea's future activism!
However, I really struggled with the pacing and writing style of this book. Some really interesting parts of the story were covered very vaguely and quickly, and I often found that I lacked enough context to appreciate the complexities of the decisions Chelsea made. I definitely understand that much of this may be due to legal issues or redaction of information, and I would still recommend this book for those interested in the subject.
Can't wait to follow Chelsea's future activism!
possibly_maybe's review against another edition
2.0
2.5
Chelsea is a fascinating person with an important story. The writing in her memoir, however, was just lacking that *something*. If I didn't already have an interest in her, I feel like I wouldn't have gotten very much at all from this book.
Chelsea is a fascinating person with an important story. The writing in her memoir, however, was just lacking that *something*. If I didn't already have an interest in her, I feel like I wouldn't have gotten very much at all from this book.