I read this book in 3 days, I really liked it. I liked the different points of view and the formatting of the “Aviva” chapter. Pretty accurate portrayal of the double standards of men vs women in politics and especially during a scandal. The amount of slut shaming women receive vs men over the same things and often other women doing the shaming. Only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars is that I’m not sure how I feel about the ending…I wanted to know what happened next. 

 I had never heard of Chelsea but I think her memoir was overall, enjoyable to listen to. I didn’t have an issue with the “redacted” stuff, I think it was a powerful decision to highlight what people who experience DV have to go through…she could not tell her own story in her own words the way she wanted because of the concern of protecting legal ramifications against the said abuser. Now that’s crazy. 

 Great memoir. So interesting to get the view into Korean culture and the effects of generational traumas. Her ability to recognize the traumas of her parents and not judge them but be totally honest, I admire that. 

 

 Hard to rate this one. It took me 2 years to read because of its “textbook” nature regarding genetics, science, etc. The author did a good job making it laymen but it still was pretty dull most of the time. But interesting to learn the history and evolution of treatment. 

 Lovely, thought provoking collection.
“Sunrise occurs everywhere, in lizard time, human time, or a fern uncurling time. When dark -
We instinctually reach for light food, we digest it, make love, art, or trouble” 

 Fast read, action packed. Flawed characters that have some growth arcs. The “who done it” was fairly easy to pick up on. Ending a bit “tidy” for all the mayhem and destruction that happened in this book. 

 I love a good researched book. The author obviously spent a lot of time on preparing for this book and weaved together so many historical facts and blurred the lines between fact and fiction. I admire the creativity. I found myself looking up so much stuff to find out what was “real” and what was not. I have never heard of Jan Gay. Enjoyed the photos included that supported the narrative. Reminds me a bit of the book My Government Means to Kill Me.