A review by wardenred
Tastes Like War: A Memoir by Grace M. Cho

Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
I was pulled in by the very beginning of the book, but then as I progressed through it, it got harder and harder to read. I kept noticing small inconsistencies here and there, and I really didn’t like the tone the author took when talking about her mother’s mental illness. I understand that taking care of a schizophrenic relative is a hard toll on the family and that the perspective of the caretakers’ is important in its own way. But there were comments and descriptions that at least bordered on ableist, and it didn’t sit well with me.

So I took a break from reading and did what I probably should have done sooner: went online to see what other people were saying. Pretty much the first thing I found were the goodreads reviews from the author’s brother and his wife where they claim the book’s more fiction than truth and point out various parts that are embellished, misinterpreted, or outright invented. They also say that the rest of the family wasn’t consulted about the memoir, or asked for input or even consent.

All of that left me with a sour test in my mouth. I don’t think I want to continue reading.
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