Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Forgotten Girls: An American Story by Monica Potts

10 reviews

hellbender's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

2.5

Like the author, I grew up in the Ozarks in the 90s and was excited to find a book authored by an Ozarker about the hardships of rural communities. But this book is only 1/3 that, and is 2/3s the story of her best friend and sisters. That wasn’t quite what I wanted out of the book, and I found that component of it long, drawn out, and boring. The way the statistics were peppered in also broke the flow, making the whole book feel rather disjointed to me. The ending also left me wanting solutions. It outlines the problems facing rural communities, but no real tangible ideas to improve the communities. So while I liked the subject matter at a high level, I think it could’ve been well addressed in 2/3rds the number of pages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Car accident

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Miscarriage

andrea_lachance's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

My extremely biased review of this book

I grew up and currently live in Arkansas. I checked out this book from the county library and Monica Potts signed the copy. The Forgotten Girls is a perfect encapsulation of the frustrations of growing up in a southern town.

I was texting my friend as I read; we’re both from Arkansas and went to college here. I marveled with her about how atrocious the schooling was in Clinton. If we’d been born a decade later and 100 miles south, we would’ve been taught that women have an extra layer of fat on their bodies and that’s why they tolerate hot dishwater better than men.

This book really resonated with me, even if the ending felt a bit rushed. I hope Darci is slowly building a boring, stable life for herself.

I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Abandonment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

aimebo's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

rchatterjee188's review

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Grief, and Car accident

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Hate crime, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Abortion, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

ehmannky's review

reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

A look at the systemic forces (Christianity, rugged American individualism mindsets, conservatism, sexism, poverty) that combine together to leave rural and predominantly white communities with a mix of even more intense poverty, social stratification and despair using the auhtors’ life and her childhood best friends’ life as a case study. She doesn’t use it to excuse her hometown or rural America (if anything I found her to be critical to the point that I found it odd that she did willingly return to her hometown)—she’s pretty upfront about the fact that many of these issues are self-inflicted and that her community and many like them are willing to co-sign themselves to poverty in order to keep a sense of superiority. She contrasts her life (she left her hometown for decades) with that of her childhood best friend (who stayed in Clinton and spiraled). It’s an interesting contrast to say the least. I suppose what kept it being a 5 star for me is that it was SO bleak that although Potts would mention that as an adult she grew to appreciate parts of her hometown she doesn’t ever actual say what exactly those things are. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Car accident

estam1's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexual assault

greyt_things's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Child death

bookmaddie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

I read this on audio (exciting for me!!), and even though it took me awhile, I really enjoyed it. Very intense, sad and thoughtful memoir.
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I decided to dip my toes back into audiobooks, and I think I’m ~lightly~ hooked! They’re such a nice companion to cooking, cleaning, and going on walks, and perfect for when I need a bit of a break from tunes (I’m not much of a podcast girl). I started with this book on a whim, and while it took me a month to get through, I found it to be a very valuable, heartrending read.

Potts chronicles her childhood in rural Arkansas, focusing on her friendship with a girl named Darcy and how, and why, their lives went in completely different directions. Potts journalistic roots shine through as she deftly weaves facts and studies about the living in rural areas with her own story, and that of Darcy. By examining how her and Darcy’s paths diverged, Potts questions how and why living in rural areas results in worse health, educational, and employment outcomes for these communities.

Yet hidden just below a somewhat journalistic tone, Potts’ story is full of emotion. Her friendship with Darcy, both as children and then reconnecting in adulthood, is an endless push-and-pull, yet full of loyalty and hope. Potts’ recollections of her childhood, and returning to her hometown, were brought to life through her heartfelt narration. I’m so glad I came to this story on audio!

This is a very balanced memoir with a lot of hope and insight to build better communities in rural areas. I may not have picked up this book in print, but I’m so glad I gave it a listen. It’s a deeply felt love letter to Potts’ home, and all those who prefer open skies to crowded roads. Definitely not one to overlook!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

debussy's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I am a white woman not far off from the author’s age and grew up in the Arkansas Ozarks. So much of this book felt like reading about my own life—the relentless isolation, conservatism, and xenophobia of the area as well as the driving need to leave it while developing a strange, complicated relationship with it afterward are so on point. The way the area is a deeply messed up patriarchy steeped with religion makes women scapegoats—there to be blamed or used by the men who have little in their lives except the ability to control others. This is a sad, compelling, and unfortunately accurate portrait of a place I still love. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Miscarriage and Physical abuse

sjanke2's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Car accident

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Death of parent