Alej's Picks - ☼ Memoir ☼
Was he even my best friend? What a feeling to have after such gut wrenching loss. Hua Hsu gorgeously, with some young adult cynicism, walks us through this ode to friendship and self exploration. Layered and considered from every angle. The aftermath of his loss of his friend felt so heavy, and yet well carried.
This item is out of stock with our warehouse. Some recently published books may be in stock @ Room. Email to check.
Really grateful for Jennette McCurdy speaking so frankly about the progression of her ED and it's impacts on her career, her relationships, and her process of discovering the dysfunction of her relationship to her mom. McCurdy is vulnerable in the details she chooses to share. I was relieved that nothing was sugar coated. She showed up authentically to tell her story. A very important and good memoir.
This item is out of stock with our warehouse. Some recently published books may be in stock @ Room. Email to check.
You might know Michelle Zauner from her band Japanese Breakfast. But truth be told, this book may be an even bigger accomplishment than taking an indie band to the big stage. Zauner recounts her relationship with her mother all the way through her mother's devastating passing to cancer. Gorgeous descriptions of food that make a hungry stomach growl written alongside gripping moments of grief. Zauner has written something for the bi-racial child of immigrants, for those who have lost their mother, for those who may never understand their living parent, for those who have spent countless hours in hospitals, and for those who feel as if they've lost their roots and culture when a parent passes. I felt personally connected to this, as I have one immigrant parent and one White-American parent. Zauner described many of the things I feel about losing my truth and balancing my identity before the world. An absolute read for all who grieve. Unfortunately, that is all of us.
One of the best memoirs of our time. Myriam Gurba is sharp, hilarious, deep-as-the-sea, and soft-at-the-core mean. Her ability to translate her experience and thoughts to the page is remarkable. Impressive. How can someone right this easily? This fluidly? You might find yourself surprised that some of the things Gurba thinks are things you've long thought, but never dared to say. Gurba is the kind of witty that makes you cringe and smile at the same time. As a Mexican-American I felt very seen by Myriam Gurba's memoir. I was grateful to witness her lived experience. Easily now my favorite book of all time. CW for descriptions of sexual violence and assault.
Austin Channing Brown is a voice to follow. She welcomes the reader graciously into her reality and through her experiences as a Black woman navigating a White world. She checks reality and Whiteness in a necessary way. I could sing all day about how amazing Austin Channing Brown is and how grateful I am for her voice.
A reflection on seeing death, knowing death, and how the world moves forward as if nothing happened at all. Why do we keep their shoes if they're not coming back to use them? Didion reflects on the loss of her husband.