Five enthusiastic stars. There's not much I enjoy more than a good StoryCorps collection, and this one was especially satisfying. From a garbageman toFive enthusiastic stars. There's not much I enjoy more than a good StoryCorps collection, and this one was especially satisfying. From a garbageman to a neurosurgeon and everything in between, fascinating and poignant snapshots of people from all walks of life and the meaning they find in their work. Loved it. ...more
Five ENTHUSIASTIC stars. This was a 10/10 for me; it will be hard to beat as best memoir this year. I knew from the introduction, when I lost count ofFive ENTHUSIASTIC stars. This was a 10/10 for me; it will be hard to beat as best memoir this year. I knew from the introduction, when I lost count of the number of times I whispered "wow" out loud, that I was going to love it--and it absolutely delivered on that arresting, promising opening.
The writing is exquisite. I normally listen to audiobooks and podcasts at 1.5-2x speed, but slowed this one down so I could really soak in the words and savor them. The way the author courageously tells ugly stories and defangs shame's power is so moving. It is almost unbearably heavy at times, yet so redemptive and so hopeful. I went into it knowing that the author has a beautiful relationship with her dad now, so it was helpful to know that as horrible as some of the early stories were, healing was going to come in the end, somehow. But for most of the book I didn't see how! Knowing the ending didn't at all relieve the tension or spoil the satisfaction when we got there.
I laughed out loud, I kept saying "wow" out loud, and I cried at the end. If I've talked to you about books in the last month, I've mentioned this--I was recommending it before I'd gotten through chapter 1, and that recommendation absolutely stands now that I've finished. So much beauty from so much brokenness.
I must insist that you get the audio version. It wouldn't be the same without hearing the author read words and phrases in Afrikaans, Xhosa, and Zulu! ...more
This was a perfect audiobook to entertain my husband, me, and our teens (16 and 13) for a long road trip. I will say I found the science hard to folloThis was a perfect audiobook to entertain my husband, me, and our teens (16 and 13) for a long road trip. I will say I found the science hard to follow and increasingly ridiculous/implausible--but we were all hooked. Fascinating and suspenseful. The characters were endearing, the back-and-forth timeline worked well, and the ending was extremely satisfying. The narrator was excellent and I definitely think this needs to be listened to, not merely read. ...more
My 6yo really enjoyed these, and I do find Cilla and her family endearing. But as the series continued, I'm not sure exactly who the target audience iMy 6yo really enjoyed these, and I do find Cilla and her family endearing. But as the series continued, I'm not sure exactly who the target audience is. It feels like these stories hit an extremely narrow age range. Some of the content went over my first-grader's head, and the reading level is too high for her to tackle these on her own. But Cilla is in fifth grade in this book, and her voice reads to me as younger/more immature than that. I suspect that actual fifth-graders might find Cilla too childish.
I appreciate the diversity in these stories (a beloved school librarian who wears a head covering; a mixed-race main family; best friends who are black and Latina) and the honesty about complicated family relationships and hard situations. But the "mean girls" dynamic that was introduced early on seemed to resolve far too tidily and easily; it didn't seem realistic to me at all. Nor did the seventh grade older sister's interaction with her fifth grade sister's classmates, including the excessive amount of "jumping up and down" with shared excitement. Just not remotely plausible.
There are also a couple of subtle but noticeable hints at one of Cilla's friends having a crush on a same-sex classmate. It never develops beyond about two or three brief indications, but as with the previous book, I simply note this in case it is a draw to those who are looking for LGBTQ normalization/representation or a caution to those who are trying to avoid it. ...more
Loading...
