A review by alexblackreads
You Remind Me of You: A Poetry Memoir by Eireann Corrigan
5.0
I read this book as a teenager and really enjoyed it. I'm not sure how I found it or why I picked it up (neither poetry nor memoirs were really my thing when I was young), but I did and I loved it. Somewhere along the way I lost my copy so I haven't been able to reread this book in years, but I've kept thinking about it. I finally got a new copy yesterday and read it all in one sitting, and it was just as wonderful and emotionally powerful as I remember.
"I was my father's littlest girl, his hell on wheels, running away from him each morning, just ahead of his headlights, around and around the block."
The imagery in this book is so evocative. I included that quote because it was the first that stood out to me, the first that I wrote down, but I'm not even sure it was my favorite line. It was just one of many wonderful lines. And those wonderful lines made wonderful poems. Corrigan ties the literal and figurative together so well.
I almost don't want to talk about this because anything I say can't possibly measure up to what her writing does. It hits me so hard that I have to take breaks. It's not always healthy because it's real, and real life isn't always healthy. It's just a stunning look into mental health and the minds of teenagers, and her own struggles when she was young.
I'd highly recommend this if you're interested in a YA book that deals with some very heavy subjects. I've not read many that tackled eating disorders as well (although obviously trigger warnings because this book is incredibly graphic). Now that I have my own copy again, I'll be picking this book up frequently to return to specific poems and read snippets. I loved it, maybe even more than when I was young.
"I was my father's littlest girl, his hell on wheels, running away from him each morning, just ahead of his headlights, around and around the block."
The imagery in this book is so evocative. I included that quote because it was the first that stood out to me, the first that I wrote down, but I'm not even sure it was my favorite line. It was just one of many wonderful lines. And those wonderful lines made wonderful poems. Corrigan ties the literal and figurative together so well.
I almost don't want to talk about this because anything I say can't possibly measure up to what her writing does. It hits me so hard that I have to take breaks. It's not always healthy because it's real, and real life isn't always healthy. It's just a stunning look into mental health and the minds of teenagers, and her own struggles when she was young.
I'd highly recommend this if you're interested in a YA book that deals with some very heavy subjects. I've not read many that tackled eating disorders as well (although obviously trigger warnings because this book is incredibly graphic). Now that I have my own copy again, I'll be picking this book up frequently to return to specific poems and read snippets. I loved it, maybe even more than when I was young.