Musical Chairs
Jen Knox
Indie Memoir/YA
[rating: 5/5]
Available in…
• Mobi/Kindle
… from…
• Amazon
• MobiPocket
Also in paperback
Some time ago, Jen Knox and I swapped memoirs. She sent me a copy of Musical Chairs, which explores her family’s history of mental health diagnoses, her years of strip-dancing, alcoholism, and estrangement, and her struggle for reconciliation. (That’s from the cover.)
I also sent her a copy of Love through the Eyes of an Idiot. In full disclosure, just as I had started reading her book, Jen sent me an email about mine:
I finally posted my review of your delightful book. Oh how it made me remember how lucky I am to have found Chris after all the relationships (if you can call them that) that came before him. He thanks you. I thank you, for writing a great read.
Truthfully, I’m gratified that Jen enjoyed my book. And I did really want to like hers as well— I always want to like a book from a fellow author, and it upsets me when I don’t. But I will tell you exactly what problems I had with Musical Chairs:
-
I ran across numerous line-editing issues, including misspelled words, bad punctuation (like ending a sentence with a comma, in at least two places), and sentences that made no sense in context. The best typo I found on page 152, where Jen wrote about working at the bookstore: “As I cleared dust from a self in the psychology section…” So, was that an ego or an id? (Ba dum bum.)
-
Some details were missing from spots in the story where I would naturally expect them, popping up as surprises elsewhere. For example, all the time Jen was staying with Miss Sarah and her daughter (in the chapter entitled “Miss Sarah”), I thought Sarah was a white, single mother. It was only much later in the book that I was told that Sarah (or at least her daughter) had darker skin, that she was married to a Latino who had treated Jen rudely, and that she had some pretty bizarre racial ideas.
-
Jen begins with a panic attack, and she concludes as the panic attacks disappear… I think. I have nothing against waxing eloquent, as she did in the epilogue; I’m just not sure how she concluded the story. (But otherwise the epilogue did leave me feeling uplifted and satisfied.)
All of my complaints were counterbalanced, however, by the fact that I literally couldn’t put the damn book down! That’s why I’ve been absent this week. I blew through the entire thing in a little over a day, immersing myself in her story every moment I could. Really, no joke, no exaggeration: I read until I got tired; then I napped, woke up, and continued where I left off; lather, rinse, repeat.
Truthfully, before I started the book, I half expected a melodramatic pity party for a life beset by personal tragedy and self-destruction. On the contrary, Jen drew me into her story, the story of a girl I could hardly believe existed.
At one point, I reclined in a hot bath with Jen’s book in one hand and a cup of Earl Grey in the other. I looked at the cup, a commemorative mug, dated November 20, 1994, for the centennial anniversary of the facility at which my Beloved interned. I suddenly realized that at that very time, Jen had run away from home, 15 years old, and was living with her 19-year-old boyfriend. My Beloved was about to launch her career, and during the same autumn, Jen was about to launch herself into boyfriends and sex and statutory rape and the real thing, erotic dances for money, fights and alcohol and the battle for control and delusions and psychosis and abandonment— But through it all, Jen seemed so… normal to me. I genuinely sympathized with her, felt for her in her quest, desired to reach out to her and provide what I saw she was missing in her life. And I smiled when she finally began to find it.
This is the reason I read independent memoirs, to meet people I might never otherwise know, through them to live experiences I could never otherwise fathom, and to win victories I would never otherwise have even pursued. And Musical Chairs generously filled that need.
-TimK
|
Musical Chairs |
Available in… |
Ниже перечислены тревожные сигналы, при которых нельзя ждать и пытаться справиться своими силами — звоните нам немедленно:
Углубиться в тему – нарколог капельница на дом
I am sure this paragraph has touched all the internet visitors, its really really pleasant article on building up new webpage.
bookmaker med skrill danmark
Check out my web blog … Hvordan Virker Travspil
Школа-студия Юлии Бурдинцевой в Москве предлагает профессиональное обучение парикмахерскому искусству по доступным ценам. Здесь можно освоить специальность с нуля или повысить квалификацию: от базовых курсов для начинающих до программ колористики, мужских стрижек и стилистики. Практические занятия проходят на реальных моделях, что позволяет студентам https://j-center.ru/ быстро набраться опыта и уверенности. Преподаватели-практики делятся актуальными техниками и секретами профессии, а удобное расположение и гибкий график делают обучение комфортным для всех желающих освоить востребованную специальность.
blackjack online 2 player п»їKasyno Online Polska darmowe gry uplay
Вывод из запоя на дому подходит пациентам, которым необходимо получить помощь в привычной обстановке. Вызов врача можно заказать в любое время суток: выездная бригада приезжает по указанному адресу, проводит осмотр, оценивает давление, пульс, степень интоксикации, риск психозов, галлюцинаций, судорожных реакций, инфаркта, инсульта и других осложнений.
Подробнее тут – https://vyvod-is-zapoya-sochi22.ru/
Настройка роутера через 192.168.0.1 требует правильного подключения и знания стандартных логинов. Через панель администратора можно обновить данные для входа в Wi-Fi, включить шифрование и отслеживать активные соединения. Подробная инструкция доступна на https://my-obzor.com/ru/kak-voyti-v-nastroyki-routera-192-168-0-1/ с пошаговыми скриншотами. Систематический аудит настроек обеспечивает безопасность беспроводной сети от посторонних.
ии для создания обложек товара ии для дизайна карточек товара
читать blsp ay
new zealandn no deposit bonus pokies, real pokies canada
and casinos for gambling for usa, or low deposit how to have a casino night at home
(https://raja-Com-in.stackstaging.com/) canada
winnende beste wedden sites (Dustin) trucs mod
apk
Кодирование от алкоголизма в стационаре Балашихи. Мы предлагаем различные методы кодирования, подходящие для каждого пациента.
Разобраться лучше – помощь вывод из запоя балашиха
casino online paysafecard Najszybciej wyplacajace kasyna w Polsce luty Е›wiД™ta nietypowe
Hi there, I found your site by way of Google even as searching for a similar subject, your website came up, it seems good.
I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Hello there, just was alert to your blog through Google, and found that
it is truly informative. I am gonna be careful for
brussels. I’ll be grateful if you happen to continue this
in future. Many people will be benefited from your writing.
Cheers!
To ensure you skip expensive fees, look into https://retaildiscountprograms.online/#.
выездная наркологическая служба оперативно приедет по указанному адресу, имея при себе все необходимое оборудование и медикаменты, в том числе для оказания неотложной помощи.
Подробнее можно узнать тут – вывод из запоя недорого
The service by safety standards for overseas shipments is famous for being very helpful.
Стационарное лечение запоя в Балашихе — эффективное решение для длительного запоя. Мы предлагаем индивидуальный подход и комплексную терапию для каждого пациента.
Изучить вопрос глубже – вывод из запоя балашиха
Hey! Would you mind if I share your blog with my twitter group?
There’s a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your content.
Please let me know. Cheers
Нарколог на дом в Балашихе с быстрым приездом специалиста, осмотром пациента и медицинской поддержкой в наркологической клинике «Похмельная служба».
Исследовать вопрос подробнее – narkolog-na-dom-balashiha13-4.ru/
Кодирование от алкоголизма на дому в стационаре Балашихи. Наши специалисты приедут к вам домой и проведут процедуру кодирования.
Подробнее – вывод из запоя на дому цена
С пациентом работают профильные специалисты, которые оценивают состояние и подбирают безопасный план помощи.
Подробнее можно узнать тут – вызвать нарколога на дом новороссийск
kasyno internetowe w polsce п»їKasyno Online Polska free casino spins
české casino paysafecard
Also visit my web-site … 50 free Spinů za registraci,
krkoskaplzen.tode.cz,