Terrifying. But brilliant.

Wow. Just, wow. This book is such a great look at perspective-taking and understanding the varying levels of privilege. It is heartwarming and heartbreaking, it is funny and serious, it is nuanced and brilliant. It is written in the very candid voice of a freshman straddling two worlds, and it does so spectacularly.

This was such a lovely listen. It brought me back to my childhood Christmases in so many ways. And it mentioned Glogg! Twice!

The 1800s gender roles were too much for me. I found myself wanting to chuck my phone against the wall, as I was listening to it on audio, more times than I could count. The moralistic tone was like nails on a chalkboard to me, and I was sorely disappointed that marriage was presented as so coveted (though I can't say I was surprised, given the timeframe). The book was slightly redeemed by Jo's chosen career, but I cannot say I would read it again any time soon.

This is the best mental health memoir I've ever read, and I've read a lot of them. It is sharp and witty, it is accurate and does not hold back, and it is, most of all, more than JUST a mental health memoir. It shows the perspective of an Iranian-American woman, which gives it a cultural competency piece missing from most contemporary memoirs. It talks about the research and the symptomology of bipolar disorder in a conversational, easy-to-digest fashion, mixing Moezzi's experience with the illness with her experience as an Iranian-American politically-engaged individual. It is brilliant and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I avoided this book for waaaaay too long. I got it in my head as a 10- or 11-year-old that this book involved military rabbits (probably from the name General Woundwart), and I refused to even try it (I was a very judgy kid-reader). I finally got talked into it nearly 20 years later and it is a phenomenal story. 10/10 would recommend. The characters are remarkably dynamic and the added challenge of trying to keep within relative realism for rabbit actions is amazing.

So good! Such a great memoir tackling the immigration issue and it also tackles mental health and just life in general.