The potential for this to be super thought-provoking was there, but the execution was definitely not the best. Narration was decent. I can see this being expanded in an indie film.

Very much a cautionary tale that everyone who lives in the United States should read because this is quite literally happening to us. This made me understand why people get super paranoid about their personal information and date being sold to China, and the parallels of how far their government is going to silence their own people from fighting back and sharing the truth about what is going on in their country is absolutely mind-boggling to see as we are currently entering another 4 years of the president that I refuse to claim.

A uniquely beautiful and easily digestible collection of stories that visually shows the many forms that grief can take and how anyone who has suffered can find a semblance of light in the darkness. I found that I shared experiences and emotions with many of the stories, and if they weren’t directly personal to me, I could think of certain people in my life that the story would relate to. 

This book is unique to the point that I can't pinpoint any other book to compare it to. I think it does an amazing job of discussing the concept of grief and how it can take many forms that people tend to not be aware of (ex: grieving of a loved one, grieving a lost body part/organ, grieving of your former way of life). It also showcases the many different kinds of behaviors, actions, and coping methods of those experiencing depression and anxiety in such a beautiful and honest way for a work of fiction.

Disclaimer: I have educated myself on controversies regarding this author and this specific work in general. I had purchased this book long before I educated myself on the political climate regarding Isreal-Palestine, and do agree that the language used in this book is Zionist in nature. I have also sought out information on the plagiarism claims made against this book, and can definitely see that overt similarities to the game 'Train' and believe that it should receive its due acknowledgement (Linking article below)

 A novel, a Holocaust game, and accusations of uncredited work – J. 

I've previously read 'The Venue' by this author, and while this is a very different style of book than that one, I still really enjoyed it. This does a great job at making you think about how uncomfortable it actually is that there's such a thing as a 'murderabilia' market when it comes to serial killers that goes beyond tangible items, specifically the journalism and general media worlds trying to capitalize on the pain that comes with these types of crimes. I think the biggest lesson I took away from this book is the self-defense tactic of breaking someone's pinky as it's the weakest part of the hand that's usually still  accessible. 

As someone who's come from the journalism world, this made me miss my past experiences a teeny tiny bit. I thought the slow-burn buildup (which I personally am a fan of) was done in an entertaining way, and I thought that this did a fantastic job as showcasing the concept of grief in multiple facets. I do wish the ending was a little bit stronger and more dramatic (maybe something to tie in what happens at the beginning of the book), but otherwise I really like this one overall.

Tbh I wasn’t expecting a whole lot of depth with this considering it’s a side adventure from a kid’s movie, but my God this absolutely exceeded my expectations. This is a great tool to discuss and combat toxic masculinity and issues that many men face but are told to keep silent about due to idiotic gender roles. 

Definitely times where I thought I knew exactly where the story was going, but was given the run around (in a good way) throughout the whole book. Slightly formulaic, but still entertaining. The big reveal is equal parts unsurprising and shocking (because of our villain’s motives). 

This is an absolutely stunning work that I think a lot of people (regardless of if you are a part of the queer community) can find a bit of themselves in. Listening to this on audio gave me a similar experience to watching an open mic night, a meditation session, or even (dare I say it) a religious speaking engagement. I need this in physical form asap!

Slightly dated on the socio-political aspect but otherwise this has a lot of really good (and realistic) methods for anyone (no matter how perfect they think they are) to get their shit together. The fact that Knight got me interested in checking out her other books shows that her writing style for the self-help genre is relatable and not preach-y, and I always enjoy when the author shares their own experiences as examples.