ouch

as someone who is mixed race, and extremely white passing, raised by the white parent this book hit me on levels i didn’t know i was ready to acknowledge let alone begin healing. the book is a mix of memoir and historical retellings about how assimilation hurts Black and brown bodies and how there is no “right” way to move to a country, of course it is far more nuanced than just those two simple statements. it is the story of hard work and perseverance when the world around you seems against you. this book will make you angry at the current immigration laws put into place and the ignorance that white supremacy creates and keeps upholding. this book will bring tears to your eyes. this book will help you unlearn the toxicity the white supremacy attempts to make us uphold. i cannot recommend this book enough.

i don’t even know where to begin with a review on this book…was it shocking? yes was it grotesque? honestly in some parts yes was i able to predict the major twist? YES! i have read a lot of unhinged books this year and i don’t know, something about this book just seems like it was going for a gross factor. it wanted to shock you it wanted to turn you off and in doing so it made me dislike it a little. i don’t know if the books i have read prior to this have just desensitized me, or if i just genuinely didn’t find this plot original enough? i was waiting to be shocked and disgusted like many other reviews said i would be, and sure in some plot points i was. but overall i feel a little letdown by this read I wanted a little more than what it gave me.

this book was a WILD ride that i didn’t expect loving as much as i did. it’s silly, it’s campy, it’s everything you want in horror. the social commentary made within these pages are so painfully accurate and will probably stick around in my brain for awhile!