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evergreensandbookishthings 's review for:
Spare
by Prince Harry
Adding my thoughts to the pile! Spare seems to be a Rorschach test of one’s opinion on the royals. My investment in them is low, especially as an American. I watched the Oprah interview, but not the documentary on Netflix. I think it’s possible to be sympathetic to their plight, while also feeling like ‘enough already.’ Harry has every right to speak his truth, though, and I love a memoir on audiobook.
What struck me most, as someone who lost a parent as a young child (and can remember the same scenario of one parent telling me the other had died), you cannot know what that will do to a person. It obviously shapes every aspect of the rest of your life. Not that my life mirrors Harry’s, but I found his account completely understandable, engrossing, and so so sad. The magical thinking of children is heartbreaking in the face of trauma. There was so much that I identified with, in the way that he spent much of his life telling himself his mother went into hiding, or the mindset that if you move on, somehow that diminishes your loved one’s space in your heart.
I feel like I am constantly referencing the book “What Happened to You?” - but it is excellent and explains so much about trauma and the brain. Clearly, the press and paparazzi are ingrained trauma for him. And it is not at all surprising the way that he is trying to protect his family, especially given the heightened racist vitriol that is harmful to EVERYONE.
I also bought this book to directly support Harry and Megan. Those who are STILL trying to drag him down, nitpicking at his account by combing through dates and times trying to catch him in a gotcha moment, are vile. People like Piers Morgan or author Emily Giffin make me so ragey with their judgment of peoples lives as a pastime. Everyone’s brains process information differently and sometimes we might get the details wrong, especially when confronted with PTSD. So anyone who judges can sit the hell down and do some reading, and deep reflection.
I would absolutely recommend this book, especially on audio from @librofm and support independent bookstores!
What struck me most, as someone who lost a parent as a young child (and can remember the same scenario of one parent telling me the other had died), you cannot know what that will do to a person. It obviously shapes every aspect of the rest of your life. Not that my life mirrors Harry’s, but I found his account completely understandable, engrossing, and so so sad. The magical thinking of children is heartbreaking in the face of trauma. There was so much that I identified with, in the way that he spent much of his life telling himself his mother went into hiding, or the mindset that if you move on, somehow that diminishes your loved one’s space in your heart.
I feel like I am constantly referencing the book “What Happened to You?” - but it is excellent and explains so much about trauma and the brain. Clearly, the press and paparazzi are ingrained trauma for him. And it is not at all surprising the way that he is trying to protect his family, especially given the heightened racist vitriol that is harmful to EVERYONE.
I also bought this book to directly support Harry and Megan. Those who are STILL trying to drag him down, nitpicking at his account by combing through dates and times trying to catch him in a gotcha moment, are vile. People like Piers Morgan or author Emily Giffin make me so ragey with their judgment of peoples lives as a pastime. Everyone’s brains process information differently and sometimes we might get the details wrong, especially when confronted with PTSD. So anyone who judges can sit the hell down and do some reading, and deep reflection.
I would absolutely recommend this book, especially on audio from @librofm and support independent bookstores!