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Bubblesreview (110 KP) rated All That Remains: A Life in Death in Books
Apr 7, 2019
Pros:
▪ Descriptive
▪ Very fascinating
▪ Surprisingly life-affirming
Cons:
▪ Could be a possible military/trauma PTSD trigger
What an incredible book. When I first picked this up I was sceptical about reading it right now, I thought this was going to be a dark, depressing read about death. It certainly is about death but surprisingly not in a dark or depressing way.
I've been suffering with a bereavement since November after my best friend was killed in a road accident, hit by a drunk driver. I have been struggling quite a bit with this and there doesn't seem to be any support for people struggling with bereavement, there is one local charity that provides free counselling but I'm currently on a 16+ week waiting list before they can even assess me to see if they can help me.
So you can see why I was hesitant to read this, however, after reading some reviews on it i took the risk and dived in. I'm glad I did.
I found this actually very refreshing and life-affirming, it's made me see life and death in a different way and I feel like it's helped me cope a little better whilst I wait for counselling.
The chapter about the authors personal experience with bereavements was nice to be reminded that everyone deals with grief in their own ways, even if it may seem odd to others.
I really enjoyed reading the scientific parts of this book aswell, as detailed as some of it was it was actually really interesting. It was also nice to learn about all the different options available now days for what happens to our bodies. Donating your body to a medical school is one option I wasn't even aware of.
The epilogue was a tear jerker, I admit I struggled to read through those last pages. It was very personal to Blacks family and very detailed about her wishes when her time comes.
I highly respect Black for making such a personal memoir published.
This was an emotional, uplifting, scientific memoir that I highly recommend.
▪ Descriptive
▪ Very fascinating
▪ Surprisingly life-affirming
Cons:
▪ Could be a possible military/trauma PTSD trigger
What an incredible book. When I first picked this up I was sceptical about reading it right now, I thought this was going to be a dark, depressing read about death. It certainly is about death but surprisingly not in a dark or depressing way.
I've been suffering with a bereavement since November after my best friend was killed in a road accident, hit by a drunk driver. I have been struggling quite a bit with this and there doesn't seem to be any support for people struggling with bereavement, there is one local charity that provides free counselling but I'm currently on a 16+ week waiting list before they can even assess me to see if they can help me.
So you can see why I was hesitant to read this, however, after reading some reviews on it i took the risk and dived in. I'm glad I did.
I found this actually very refreshing and life-affirming, it's made me see life and death in a different way and I feel like it's helped me cope a little better whilst I wait for counselling.
The chapter about the authors personal experience with bereavements was nice to be reminded that everyone deals with grief in their own ways, even if it may seem odd to others.
I really enjoyed reading the scientific parts of this book aswell, as detailed as some of it was it was actually really interesting. It was also nice to learn about all the different options available now days for what happens to our bodies. Donating your body to a medical school is one option I wasn't even aware of.
The epilogue was a tear jerker, I admit I struggled to read through those last pages. It was very personal to Blacks family and very detailed about her wishes when her time comes.
I highly respect Black for making such a personal memoir published.
This was an emotional, uplifting, scientific memoir that I highly recommend.
Gareth von Kallenbach (977 KP) rated Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Based on “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan,” a memoir by Kim Barker, “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” follows the journey of a copy writer turned war reporter (Tina Fey).
One day Barker is called into a meeting where, because she is unmarried and without children, she is asked to cover the war in Afghanistan. Seeming hesitant, but pulled by a desire to escape her mundane life, she decides to go for it.
When Barker arrives in Afghanistan the journalists that are stationed there basically just party most of the time, which speaks volumes about the ways people may try to avoid the emotional intensity of their surroundings.
Other than that, Barker hangs out with some very calm troops, gets ballsy and captures some crazy footage, and seems to get very wrapped up in the thrill of getting a lead story. It doesn’t seem that Barker ever has any actual interest in the politics of what she is covering. Realizing that it is a comedy, this may be totally fine. But the film is an odd mix. It portrays Barker’s character as somewhat numb to the tragic reality she is immersed in, while at the same time making a joke wherever it can.
I’m not quite sure what genre “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” fits into. It gets close to drama, and it gets close to comedy but it isn’t that funny and it isn’t that touching. It leaves the impression of a dull and desensitized view of war and the challenges reporters face abroad. Perhaps the film is staying true to the memoir, but it is definitely a different approach to describing such an experience.
That being said, it’s not a bad film or a bad story. It’s interesting. It has funny moments, and it makes you want to know what will happen in the end. A few scenes even get close to developing the characters in a way that might make the audience care about them. But overall, there is really no emotional substance to the film and it leaves no big impression.
Worth a watch on Netflix, I give “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” 2.5 out of 5 stars.
One day Barker is called into a meeting where, because she is unmarried and without children, she is asked to cover the war in Afghanistan. Seeming hesitant, but pulled by a desire to escape her mundane life, she decides to go for it.
When Barker arrives in Afghanistan the journalists that are stationed there basically just party most of the time, which speaks volumes about the ways people may try to avoid the emotional intensity of their surroundings.
Other than that, Barker hangs out with some very calm troops, gets ballsy and captures some crazy footage, and seems to get very wrapped up in the thrill of getting a lead story. It doesn’t seem that Barker ever has any actual interest in the politics of what she is covering. Realizing that it is a comedy, this may be totally fine. But the film is an odd mix. It portrays Barker’s character as somewhat numb to the tragic reality she is immersed in, while at the same time making a joke wherever it can.
I’m not quite sure what genre “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” fits into. It gets close to drama, and it gets close to comedy but it isn’t that funny and it isn’t that touching. It leaves the impression of a dull and desensitized view of war and the challenges reporters face abroad. Perhaps the film is staying true to the memoir, but it is definitely a different approach to describing such an experience.
That being said, it’s not a bad film or a bad story. It’s interesting. It has funny moments, and it makes you want to know what will happen in the end. A few scenes even get close to developing the characters in a way that might make the audience care about them. But overall, there is really no emotional substance to the film and it leaves no big impression.
Worth a watch on Netflix, I give “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Fast Girl: A Life Spent Running from Madness
Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The former middle distance Olympic runner and high-end escort speaks out...
A Better Me: The Official Autobiography
Book
'This is the book I wished I'd had to turn to.' Gary BarlowGary Barlow is one of the most successful...
OO
Out of the Ordinary: A Life of Gender and Spiritual Transitions
Michael Dillon, Cameron Partridge, Jacob Lau and Susan Stryker
Book
Now available for the first time-more than 50 years after it was written-is the memoir of Michael...
BookInspector (124 KP) rated All This Has Nothing to Do with Me in Books
Sep 24, 2020
Well this one was weird… This book has a stunning cover, it is a tiny book, and I knew that this is going to be a quick read, and I bought it for only 10p when a couple of my nearby Poundlands were closing down. I thought it has a fun chick lit story for me, but I was very wrong… I kept reading it because I don’t like to DNF books, but till the last page, I have no idea what was it about.
The main character in this book is MS, and sometimes referred to as Monica, so it gives me a very strong feeling that this is some sort of memoir maybe? The one thing I could grasp was that MS is kind of psychologically unstable, she writes letters to the dead author, her relationship with XX is an absolute mess, but she kind of tries to explain her behaviour, by going back to the past and talking about her mother and stepdad. Yes, she had a difficult childhood, and if the story and format (it is a mash of letters, SMS, pictures, normal text etc.) would’ve been differently presented, it could’ve been an awesome memoir.
The writing style of this book was very unique and original, and it should’ve been really hard to write this book because it is filled with a huge amount of pictures. No, not some nice pictures, but pictures of random things e.g. a lighter taken from XX; sweaters worn on dates; 4pages of scooter pictures which might belong to XX, and many more. I think it took years to collect this amount of pictures, so props to the author for the patience and detail.
So, let me just jump to the conclusions here. This book won France’s Prix de Flore 2013 award, so it has to have something that I am not seeing, right? One thing I know, it wasn’t for me, but if you like award-winning books, which are different and really original, give this book a go, and you might enjoy it.
The main character in this book is MS, and sometimes referred to as Monica, so it gives me a very strong feeling that this is some sort of memoir maybe? The one thing I could grasp was that MS is kind of psychologically unstable, she writes letters to the dead author, her relationship with XX is an absolute mess, but she kind of tries to explain her behaviour, by going back to the past and talking about her mother and stepdad. Yes, she had a difficult childhood, and if the story and format (it is a mash of letters, SMS, pictures, normal text etc.) would’ve been differently presented, it could’ve been an awesome memoir.
The writing style of this book was very unique and original, and it should’ve been really hard to write this book because it is filled with a huge amount of pictures. No, not some nice pictures, but pictures of random things e.g. a lighter taken from XX; sweaters worn on dates; 4pages of scooter pictures which might belong to XX, and many more. I think it took years to collect this amount of pictures, so props to the author for the patience and detail.
So, let me just jump to the conclusions here. This book won France’s Prix de Flore 2013 award, so it has to have something that I am not seeing, right? One thing I know, it wasn’t for me, but if you like award-winning books, which are different and really original, give this book a go, and you might enjoy it.
The Desert and the Sea: 977 Days Captive on the Somali Pirate Coast
Book
Michael Scott Moore, a journalist and the author of Sweetness and Blood, incorporates personal...
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated The Tattooist of Auschwitz in Books
Mar 2, 2018 (Updated Mar 2, 2018)
Wish it hadn't been written like a screenplay
The Tattooist of Auschwitz reads like a fictional story set during the Holocaust, but what makes it remarkable is the fact that it is anything but formulated.
Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, was given the task of tattooing identification numbers on others at the notorious concentration camp. There he meets Gita, another Slovakian, and he sets himself on a mission to escape with her to freedom by trading food and jewels, revealing his incredible street smarts. If he had been caught, he would have been killed - many owed him their survival.
There are elements where you do think it has been written for the screen, as the scenes fail to connect to one another fluidly. As a result, I did believe it to be a fictional story because the writing failed to completely flourish and the author struggles with the prose. In this respect, it is rather disappointing, however, the memoir is wonderful and it leaves you with huge respect for the Sokolovs.
Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, was given the task of tattooing identification numbers on others at the notorious concentration camp. There he meets Gita, another Slovakian, and he sets himself on a mission to escape with her to freedom by trading food and jewels, revealing his incredible street smarts. If he had been caught, he would have been killed - many owed him their survival.
There are elements where you do think it has been written for the screen, as the scenes fail to connect to one another fluidly. As a result, I did believe it to be a fictional story because the writing failed to completely flourish and the author struggles with the prose. In this respect, it is rather disappointing, however, the memoir is wonderful and it leaves you with huge respect for the Sokolovs.
Kristin (149 KP) rated Finding My Way Home: A Memoir about Life, Love, and Family in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received a copy from author in exchange for an honest review.
This is a very interesting memoir following the attacks of 9/11. However, it's NOT about a survivor of the attacks, or a family member who lost someone, which I think is refreshing. Rather, the protagonist is a woman who, like the rest of the country, was affected by the events of that day, and this spurs her to reflect on her life and do some deep thinking about where she stands in relation to everything around her. So she decides to go on an extended road trip around the country, and she learns quite a lot about herself along the way, while meeting some interesting people and catching up with old friends, which may or may not be such a good thing.
I would recommend this to anyone who's ever done some "soul searching" or who likes to live vicariously through others who have done so. It makes you contemplate your own life choices and relationships, and it's a very nice story, as well.
4 stars
This is a very interesting memoir following the attacks of 9/11. However, it's NOT about a survivor of the attacks, or a family member who lost someone, which I think is refreshing. Rather, the protagonist is a woman who, like the rest of the country, was affected by the events of that day, and this spurs her to reflect on her life and do some deep thinking about where she stands in relation to everything around her. So she decides to go on an extended road trip around the country, and she learns quite a lot about herself along the way, while meeting some interesting people and catching up with old friends, which may or may not be such a good thing.
I would recommend this to anyone who's ever done some "soul searching" or who likes to live vicariously through others who have done so. It makes you contemplate your own life choices and relationships, and it's a very nice story, as well.
4 stars
Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated Bitter Almonds in Books
Jul 2, 2019
Great wee book
I only wanted to read half of this book as the second half is recipes. After the first thirteen pages I put it down and sighed. I like to give a book at least a chapter so I persisted and I am glad I did. The book is written by Simeti about the life of Maria, a Sicilian woman who owns a bakery. The first chapter is all about the art of baking (old school) and I was worried that the whole novel would read along the same lines - after all it is memoir that I want to read. Things turn around after chapter one when Maria discusses her childhood in a nunnery, her feelings of neglect, her hunger but also of what she learned and how she was able to apply this to her later in life career. I found Maria's attitude to religion and family refreshing and enjoyed the conversational tone in which she delivers her own recollections.
This is a book worth persisting with.
This is a book worth persisting with.