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ammcnamara's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Beautiful essays that together comprise a memoir of twenty years. I was especially loved by the essay about Ordinary People and losing those we love. I also enjoyed reading about my adopted hometown
nuhafariha's review
4.0
Like the spinning dancer that graces the cover of Sejal Shah's "This is One Way to Dance", this collection of essays blur the lines between lyrical and factual, between longing for home and being self sufficient, between proudly declaring a heritage and being caught in vulnerable moments of self doubt and questioning. Shah delves into the complexities of her childhood, of a racialized upbringing in a white neighborhood, of wanting to connect to a home that isn't quite home, of the inexplicable bonds created by poetry and writing that can carry across generations. As a whole, the reading is light, fast paced and often compulsive, like the mesmerizing spins of a Bharatanatyam dancer.
Quotes:
"I wrote about 9/11. I wrote about what it feels like to lose a language you grew up with and to be able to express this loss only in another language."
"Why must I give context for my characters? Who is my audience? Why should I explain myself to you? How do you make it through a program without giving another's point of view and references more weight than your own?"
"In the books I read growing up, there were always words I couldn't quite imagine. I remember, with a specificity that surprises me, the foreignness of certain colors: kelly green, strawberry blonde."
"My name means water. You are the absence of rock: something that can hold, something that is whole without it."
"Love. You, turning toward me in the bed, light slanting in from the streetlamps, through the lattice window, from the coming sunrise, from the day."
"Which Indian restaurant would you recommend in the area? I tell him I don't eat Indian food out. I tell him that I only eat Indian food (and we just call it food) at my parents' house. I tell him I find this question unprofessional."
"There are stories we tell ourselves, stories we tell each other; weddings are stories we tell ourselves; we are stories we tell each other."
Quotes:
"I wrote about 9/11. I wrote about what it feels like to lose a language you grew up with and to be able to express this loss only in another language."
"Why must I give context for my characters? Who is my audience? Why should I explain myself to you? How do you make it through a program without giving another's point of view and references more weight than your own?"
"In the books I read growing up, there were always words I couldn't quite imagine. I remember, with a specificity that surprises me, the foreignness of certain colors: kelly green, strawberry blonde."
"My name means water. You are the absence of rock: something that can hold, something that is whole without it."
"Love. You, turning toward me in the bed, light slanting in from the streetlamps, through the lattice window, from the coming sunrise, from the day."
"Which Indian restaurant would you recommend in the area? I tell him I don't eat Indian food out. I tell him that I only eat Indian food (and we just call it food) at my parents' house. I tell him I find this question unprofessional."
"There are stories we tell ourselves, stories we tell each other; weddings are stories we tell ourselves; we are stories we tell each other."
pjdas1012's review
3.0
"How is culture performed and created in language?"
A series of essays where the author reflects on her experiences and identity as an Indian, an American, a writer, and a woman. Some sentences were said beautifully, and she gave voice to thoughts I didn't know I had, as many great writers do. A heavy focus on her love life may be what drew me away from this book, but it is still worth a read.
A series of essays where the author reflects on her experiences and identity as an Indian, an American, a writer, and a woman. Some sentences were said beautifully, and she gave voice to thoughts I didn't know I had, as many great writers do. A heavy focus on her love life may be what drew me away from this book, but it is still worth a read.
servemethesky's review
4.0
This is a beautiful, poetically written essay collection reflecting on identity, race, and culture in America. It's easy to fly through these essays, but there's a lot to digest in them. I especially appreciated her reflections on a friend's suicide and on grief/loss in general. At times, I grew frustrated with her references to Rochester as a sad, dying city with its best days behind it. It seems she has resigned herself to Rochester by now, but still thinks it inferior to other cities without seeing all the potential and energy it holds now.
All in all, a thoughtful and moving collection.
All in all, a thoughtful and moving collection.
haniah's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.5
it is my own mistake. i always put way too much pressure on books written by south asian authors because I think they know my soul and will be able to articulate it. obviously, we are not a monolith and so everyone's perspective is vastly different. I think that was the case with this book. Shah group up in a different time than me. She is probably closer to my mother's age, and so her experiences with race and culture are much different than mine. At this point, I am kind of tired of having the same conversation about microaggressions over and over again. I want to read something new about the diasporic experience.
But again, that's a lot of pressure to put on a book and it's my bad. But I also have other specific critics about these essays. They were lowkey just boring. It was also repetitive. The issue with writing essays over the span of 20 years is that there is little continuity throughout. I have to read the same life events over and over again and like it is brand new information. I feel like I am being harsh, because there were a couple of essays and lines I enjoyed. However, as a collection of essays, it was not my cup of tea.
This is a side note: but in that one essay, Shah is talking about her wedding and being justifiably upset that the wedding traditions were largely South Indian for her in-laws and not North Indian like herself, mostly because her father-in-law planned it. But the entire time, I was like, hello!! He is going to read this book! Why are you airing out your grievances like this! I did not like the vibe of that at all. okay no I am done
But again, that's a lot of pressure to put on a book and it's my bad. But I also have other specific critics about these essays. They were lowkey just boring. It was also repetitive. The issue with writing essays over the span of 20 years is that there is little continuity throughout. I have to read the same life events over and over again and like it is brand new information. I feel like I am being harsh, because there were a couple of essays and lines I enjoyed. However, as a collection of essays, it was not my cup of tea.
This is a side note: but in that one essay, Shah is talking about her wedding and being justifiably upset that the wedding traditions were largely South Indian for her in-laws and not North Indian like herself, mostly because her father-in-law planned it. But the entire time, I was like, hello!! He is going to read this book! Why are you airing out your grievances like this! I did not like the vibe of that at all. okay no I am done
katherinevarga's review against another edition
reflective
5.0
A rich, thoughtful, compelling collection of short creative non fiction. These essays span several years, capturing several aspects of the writer's adulthood: traveling, cooking, grieving, exploring, facing racism, being single, getting married. Full of excellent sentences like "You are instant family, and then the instant passes." Thank you to "Thank You" for making me tear up while waiting for my Starbucks order.