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Tag Archives: memoir

12 Mar 2019

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

Posted in Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Reviews, Young Adult

Book Title:

Shout

Book Author:

Laurie Halse Anderson

Page Count:

304

Publishing Date:

March 12th, 2019

Publisher:

Viking Books

Date Read:

March 7th, 2019

Format:

Hardcover

Source:

Purchased

Synopsis

A searing poetic memoir and call to action from the bestselling and award-winning author of Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson!

Bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson is known for the unflinching way she writes about, and advocates for, survivors of sexual assault. Now, inspired by her fans and enraged by how little in our culture has changed since her groundbreaking novel Speak was first published twenty years ago, she has written a poetry memoir that is as vulnerable as it is rallying, as timely as it is timeless. In free verse, Anderson shares reflections, rants, and calls to action woven between deeply personal stories from her life that she's never written about before. Searing and soul-searching, this important memoir is a denouncement of our society's failures and a love letter to all the people with the courage to say #metoo and #timesup, whether aloud, online, or only in their own hearts. Shout speaks truth to power in a loud, clear voice-- and once you hear it, it is impossible to ignore.

My Review

Wait wait wait, back up – Speak was published 20 years ago? Seriously? It’s hard to believe I was only nine when that book was published. Geez. Anyway. I don’t really read memoirs that often (or nonfiction), but this book … Continue reading →

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Tagged as 5 stars, laurie halse anderson, memoir, nonfiction, poetry, viking books, young adult

12 Comments

17 May 2018

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol

Posted in Graphic Novels, Memoir, Middle Grade, Reviews

Book Title:

Be Prepared

Book Author:

Vera Brosgol

Book Illustrator:

Vera Brosgol

Publishing Date:

April 24th, 2018

Publisher:

First Second

Date Read:

April 4th, 2018

Source:

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review - Thank you!

Synopsis

A gripping and hilarious middle-grade summer camp memoir from the author of Anya's Ghost.

All Vera wants to do is fit in—but that’s not easy for a Russian girl in the suburbs. Her friends live in fancy houses and their parents can afford to send them to the best summer camps. Vera’s single mother can’t afford that sort of luxury, but there's one summer camp in her price range—Russian summer camp.

Vera is sure she's found the one place she can fit in, but camp is far from what she imagined. And nothing could prepare her for all the "cool girl" drama, endless Russian history lessons, and outhouses straight out of nightmares!

Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier, Cece Bell, and Victoria Jamieson, Vera Brosgol's Be Prepared is a funny and relatable middle-grade graphic novel about navigating your own culture, struggling to belong, and the value of true friendship.

My Review

Remember a few months back when I reviewed Vera Brosgol’s Anya’s Ghost? I had so many awesome things to tell you guys about that book, including how freaking awesome it was and how I couldn’t get enough of it. Well, … Continue reading →

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Tagged as 5 stars, first second, graphic novels, memoir, middle grade, Vera Brosgol

This is Really Happening by Erin Chack

Posted in Memoir, Non-fiction, Reviews

Book Title:

This is Really Happening

Book Author:

Erin Chack

Page Count:

240

Publishing Date:

April 25th, 2017

Publisher:

Razorbill

Date Read:

April 13th, 2017

Source:

ARC from publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

BuzzFeed senior writer Erin Chack provides a collection of personal essays for the Snapchat generation.

Erin recounts everything from meeting her soulmate at age 14 to her first chemotherapy session at age 19 to what really goes on behind the scenes at a major Internet media company.

She authentically captures the agony and the ecstasy of the millennial experience, whether it's her first kiss ("Sean's tongue! In my mouth! Slippery and wet like a slug in the rain.") or her struggles with anxiety ("When people throw caution to the wind, I am stuck imagining the poor soul who has to break his back sweeping caution into a dustpan").

Yet Erin also offers a fresh perspective on universal themes of resilience and love as she writes about surviving cancer, including learning of her mother's own cancer diagnosis within the same year, and her attempts to hide the diagnosis from friends to avoid "un-normaling" everything.

My Review

This is Really Happening is a heartbreaking, witty, and fun collection of essays from Buzzfeed writer Erin Chack – stories that will both make you sad and brighten your day, both make you cry and make you laugh. There are … Continue reading →