OK, here we go! Day 1: Best Book You Read Last Year
Probably Know My Name by Chanel Miller. This book should be required reading. This is honestly some of the most moving and empowering pieces of writing I have ever read. Miller has a gift with words, and she uses her voice impactfully to tell her story while not sensationalizing or undermining her own experiences. She takes you through the motions of her life in the years following her assault and while it’s painful to read at times and it’s not uplifting, it remains unflinchingly honest to the end.
Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow is my other pick. (I’m really not a non-fiction person, I swear.) I started this book day it came out while I was on vacation in Morocco. I could not put it down. Every second that we weren’t doing something that required my attention, I was glued to this book. I read it in two days flat. Farrow is excellent at telling the story of his groundbreaking piece journalism while remaining considerate to his subjects making sure that they are honored and treated with respect throughout the narrative.
Shout outs:
Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin, a great modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in a modern day Canadian-Muslim community, and was very relatable for me in a lot of ways.
Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This is a brilliant piece of fictional storytelling in the narrative style of an oral history and I could not put it down.
Same. I waited for aaaaages for it to come out in America; it came out in Canada like a year earlier and I stupidly did not buy it when I was visiting (though it may have come out a week after I left? I can’t remember). I was so glad it was worth the wait though – I’d been reading rave reviews for a while and it more than lived up to the hype. I can’t wait to see what the author gives us next.
I like it so far. She was a little bit robotic in the beginning, but she gets more comfortable as it goes on. I’m only 13% of the way through and just hearing her telling her story is making me feel all the emotions.
I never cry and I cried reading this. Like, put down the book and take a moment, cry. I basically realized pretty quickly that I shouldn’t read this one on my subway/bus rides because parts of it are…a lot.
Ayesha has been on my list for such a long time! Ill put it on hold when I get to work in the morning. How graphic is the Know My Name book? One of my favorite books that is a never reread for me because it was a difficult read (for me) was Lucky by Alice Sebold. It really brings to home the point between being a victim and a survivor. I like to read nonfiction but I have to tread carefully because I carry things with me so long after the book is over.
Do it! Ayesha is so good, I think I may re-read it soon.
Know My Name is not terribly graphic in terms of the actual assault (because she had blacked out) and it wasn’t “violent” in terms of an assault (other than, you know, the fact that she was assaulted while blacked out), but she speaks in detail to everything that happened. I think she only speaks about the assault itself in detail in one chapter and I believe she gives a warning before, so you could possibly skip over it. For me it was the emotional aftermath that really stuck with me, and was hard to forget because she has such a strong and distinctive voice. Which is no surprise given her victim impact statement, which the world read long before we knew her name. I remember when I first read it three years ago it left an impression. So I guess I’m saying read it if you think you can, but maybe also have a fluffy book/drama on standby. You could also check out some of her interviews – I really liked her talk with Trevor Noah.
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SnarkyJellyfish
August 5, 2020 at 3:44 PM
OK, here we go!
Day 1: Best Book You Read Last Year
Probably Know My Name by Chanel Miller. This book should be required reading. This is honestly some of the most moving and empowering pieces of writing I have ever read. Miller has a gift with words, and she uses her voice impactfully to tell her story while not sensationalizing or undermining her own experiences. She takes you through the motions of her life in the years following her assault and while it’s painful to read at times and it’s not uplifting, it remains unflinchingly honest to the end.
Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow is my other pick. (I’m really not a non-fiction person, I swear.) I started this book day it came out while I was on vacation in Morocco. I could not put it down. Every second that we weren’t doing something that required my attention, I was glued to this book. I read it in two days flat. Farrow is excellent at telling the story of his groundbreaking piece journalism while remaining considerate to his subjects making sure that they are honored and treated with respect throughout the narrative.
Shout outs:
Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin, a great modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in a modern day Canadian-Muslim community, and was very relatable for me in a lot of ways.
Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This is a brilliant piece of fictional storytelling in the narrative style of an oral history and I could not put it down.
egads aka Dame Maggie
August 5, 2020 at 4:42 PM
I think Ayesha at Last is one of my favorite Pride and Prejudice retellings.
SnarkyJellyfish
August 5, 2020 at 4:56 PM
Same. I waited for aaaaages for it to come out in America; it came out in Canada like a year earlier and I stupidly did not buy it when I was visiting (though it may have come out a week after I left? I can’t remember). I was so glad it was worth the wait though – I’d been reading rave reviews for a while and it more than lived up to the hype. I can’t wait to see what the author gives us next.
Shek
August 5, 2020 at 4:45 PM
I’m listening to the audiobook of Know My Name right now.
SnarkyJellyfish
August 5, 2020 at 4:57 PM
How is it? I am debating listening since I read it already but would like to revisit it.
Shek
August 5, 2020 at 5:05 PM
I like it so far. She was a little bit robotic in the beginning, but she gets more comfortable as it goes on. I’m only 13% of the way through and just hearing her telling her story is making me feel all the emotions.
SnarkyJellyfish
August 5, 2020 at 5:10 PM
I never cry and I cried reading this. Like, put down the book and take a moment, cry. I basically realized pretty quickly that I shouldn’t read this one on my subway/bus rides because parts of it are…a lot.
isa: I'm not a serial killer I'm just really passionate about things
August 5, 2020 at 7:43 PM
Ayesha has been on my list for such a long time! Ill put it on hold when I get to work in the morning. How graphic is the Know My Name book? One of my favorite books that is a never reread for me because it was a difficult read (for me) was Lucky by Alice Sebold. It really brings to home the point between being a victim and a survivor. I like to read nonfiction but I have to tread carefully because I carry things with me so long after the book is over.
SnarkyJellyfish
August 5, 2020 at 8:29 PM
Do it! Ayesha is so good, I think I may re-read it soon.
Know My Name is not terribly graphic in terms of the actual assault (because she had blacked out) and it wasn’t “violent” in terms of an assault (other than, you know, the fact that she was assaulted while blacked out), but she speaks in detail to everything that happened. I think she only speaks about the assault itself in detail in one chapter and I believe she gives a warning before, so you could possibly skip over it. For me it was the emotional aftermath that really stuck with me, and was hard to forget because she has such a strong and distinctive voice. Which is no surprise given her victim impact statement, which the world read long before we knew her name. I remember when I first read it three years ago it left an impression. So I guess I’m saying read it if you think you can, but maybe also have a fluffy book/drama on standby. You could also check out some of her interviews – I really liked her talk with Trevor Noah.