At a time when the physical distance we keep may be eroding at the nexus of our friendships, this book is here to help strengthen us. Through the retelling of their own friendship, as well as examining the science and history of these cherished bonds, the authors inspire us to reach out and hold on tight to the ones who make us shine our brightest. Great as an audiobook (from Libro.fm!) or in print, consider reading this with your BFFs for a virtual book club.
Using the framework of 12 classic works of literature to tell the story of his childhood, Phuc Tran has written a quintessential memoir of American assimilation. This is the nerdy, punk-rock immigrant story I never knew I needed. A perfect read for anyone who has longed to just fit it. Highly recommended
Reading these biographical essays made me feel seen. It's been awhile since a book did that for me and I will cherish this book for a very long time. Every chapter you're met with prose that hits you straight in the gut and heart. I knew nothing about the author and went into this book blind. I suggest you do the same.
I admit it, I had to re-start this book because it is too fantastic. I kept thinking there's no way all of this happened to one person. By the end I was whelmed with her story, travels, entry into spy-craft, leaving the trade, and her central message. This book offers so much for both those obsessed with international politics and those more interested in individual action. It's a book about choice, perception, and reality.
This memoir is about the author's inappropriate relationship with a teacher she first meets in middle school and the years following it. The prose hits like a razor to the skin, cutting deeper and deeper as you read. I was blown away by how honest and raw the author is throughout the book. These are the kind of writers I want to fill my shelves with. Do yourself a favor and read it and then pass it along.
E. J. Koh is a poet and translator and in her debut memoir we see proof of a master of language at work. At 15 years old, E. J.'s parents "temporarily" move back to Korea, leaving her and her brother by themselves in California. This coming-of-age memoir skillfully tells the story of a family's complicated history and love for each other.
It's difficult to review a memoir like this when the raw act of sharing certain childhood experiences is impactful on its own. However, I will say that this is a book full of lyrical, sensory-based memories; one that will make your heart ache for kids like Meredith and Matthew (and even the kid their mom used to be), but also soar when they succeed; a story that will fill you with gratitude for the family you choose, and for the bees that sustain and educate us along the way.
For every young creative who is just trying to find their place in the world. Reading this feels like you’re reading the diary of your best friend.
In the Dream House will set you back on your feet from the moment you open the cover. Explosively imaginative, the essays inside each use a different literary trope (Mystical Pregnancy; Star-Crossed Lovers; Meet the Parents) to explore the many facets of trauma and self, seesawing between lively irony and inevitability. Machado's relentless sieving of memory and narrative for truth manages to be deeply beautiful, playful, and sharp all at once. I can't recommend it highly enough!
In picking the carcass of her own experience, Carmen Maria Machado has written a new kind of memoir. Short vignettes, told through kaleidoscopic lenses, are pieced together by the reader—not that it feels anything like work. It feels more like therapy.
