genevieve_eggleston's review against another edition
Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Fatphobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Addiction, Body shaming, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Pedophilia, Violence, Blood, Death, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Abandonment, Animal death, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism, Excrement, Gore, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape
emory's review against another edition
3.75
The openness with her experience is beautiful and moving on its own, and it carries the occasionally lackluster writing forward. I will stress 'occasionally', though, not throughout!
My only real criticism of this book is that I wish we as readers could've heard more from the Jennette that wrote this memoir. The narrative written entirely as Jennette would have felt it at that age was evocative and engaging, but I feel as if more discussion of her overall thoughts and retrospection on her mother's abuse and her experience in childhood acting as a whole could've served the book well, and the narrative style of writing, while quick to follow and suspenseful in it's own way, occasionally took me out of remembering that I was reading an account of reality. However, I can see that perhaps her purpose with this work was an emotional account of the way her childhood was stolen from her rather than a dissection of everything that has meant to her, and at that, she excelled.
Overall, it's a gripping and heartbreaking account of the way this woman suffered as a young girl in front of thousands and also all on her own. The writing can be simple from time to time but is deeply felt, which is much more effective in it's storytelling than an abundance of loose metaphors or prose-y beating around the bush ever could be.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Drug use, Vomit, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Body shaming, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Misogyny, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, and Fatphobia
Minor: Kidnapping, Stalking, Physical abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, and Blood