blackbiracialandbookish's reviews
567 reviews

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Wilkerson weaves so many topics about family, betrayal, neglect, forgiveness, and choices here. The protagonist learns that her parents aren’t really her parents and struggles to piece together a whole past and simply be present.

I really enjoyed this short because it made you think about your parents and the lies and secrets they make keep from you. Are lies kept secret for protection or safety? When should they be told?

Wilkerson is great in making readers think so deeply about who is family and what we consider wrong or right in this story.

4.5 stars.

Strayed is able to write about a time in American history when so many women had to endure the days when our rights were infringed upon in such a way that even our parents and society couldn't even see how detrimental it affected us.

I had a slight connection to this one because it involves a teenage girl that must give her daughter up for adoption because her parents don’t want to deal with the societal shame. The protagonist is shipped off to a home for “bad girls.” As a former teenager mother, I understand that need to want to be connected with something (child) you carry for nine months.

Strayed's ability to make the reader feel the emotions, good and bad, of what happens from all waves of this choice is a great mechanism of writing here. It didn't just affect the protagonist, but everyone involved. One person made a choice for her, but it hadn't so many ramifications.