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jordanh's review against another edition
5.0
I have never cried so quickly into a book that I was reading for the first time, or possibly just ever. I was weeping by 30 pages in. I normally bring a book with me to work every day and read it on my lunch break but I couldn't even do that with this book because then I would be going back into work after my break still trying to stop crying.
I don't know, maybe I'm biased. I've actually never even been on a reserve because by the time I was old enough, all the family members my mom was close to either didn't live on the reserve anymore, or the ones who did she wasn't close to. But all the many many stories I have heard throughout my whole life about my mom growing up, holidays, visits on the reserve, made this book feel familiar to me. There were so many moments while reading this that resonated with me despite me not experiencing them, but just knowing that this was something my mom or my grandma experienced.
And oh my god I am so glad I read this when I did. I thought of my Cree grandma the entire time I was reading this. I bought this book late last year and then only a month or so later my grandma ended up in the hospital for 2 months which was an incredibly difficult and stressful time. I always knew losing her would be awful, but it took almost losing her to realize just how awful it would be, and that experience along with reading this book made me so so so grateful to know that I didn't and I still have time with her.
Anyways I've never read a book that felt quite so close to my heart while also not even relating to so many of the experiences of the author. I'm not Cree enough to say that I'm Cree but I feel closer to that side of my family than any that reading this felt so incredibly personal to me. I loved this
I don't know, maybe I'm biased. I've actually never even been on a reserve because by the time I was old enough, all the family members my mom was close to either didn't live on the reserve anymore, or the ones who did she wasn't close to. But all the many many stories I have heard throughout my whole life about my mom growing up, holidays, visits on the reserve, made this book feel familiar to me. There were so many moments while reading this that resonated with me despite me not experiencing them, but just knowing that this was something my mom or my grandma experienced.
And oh my god I am so glad I read this when I did. I thought of my Cree grandma the entire time I was reading this. I bought this book late last year and then only a month or so later my grandma ended up in the hospital for 2 months which was an incredibly difficult and stressful time. I always knew losing her would be awful, but it took almost losing her to realize just how awful it would be, and that experience along with reading this book made me so so so grateful to know that I didn't and I still have time with her.
Anyways I've never read a book that felt quite so close to my heart while also not even relating to so many of the experiences of the author. I'm not Cree enough to say that I'm Cree but I feel closer to that side of my family than any that reading this felt so incredibly personal to me. I loved this
leese777's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
avvamapia's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism
livelaughlesbian99's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
brogan7's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
A friend of mine recommended this book, and it feels very personal. Even describing what it was about is quite personal, like you might focus on different aspects of the story.
It's about Helen Knott losing her mother to cancer and shortly afterwards, her grandmother to dementia. It's about grieving and learning and letting go of what once was, not just her foremothers but how she related to the world, what she took on, etc.
I like that she talks about uncertainty and how to meet it, though I feel that she is still quite attached to certainty, even as she supposedly embraces being uncertain.
It's about Helen Knott losing her mother to cancer and shortly afterwards, her grandmother to dementia. It's about grieving and learning and letting go of what once was, not just her foremothers but how she related to the world, what she took on, etc.
I like that she talks about uncertainty and how to meet it, though I feel that she is still quite attached to certainty, even as she supposedly embraces being uncertain.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse, Racism, and Sexual violence
josephinaaa's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0