Friday, May 30, 2014

The Boys of My Youth

Book: The Boys of My Youth
Author: Jo Ann Beard

Review: 'The Boys of My Youth' is a memoir written through a collection of essays. The narrative is not linear and I enjoyed the shifting timeline and her overall writing style. The strongest chapters were Fourth Side of the Matter (recalling a horrific workplace incident) and a chapter written about her being followed in her car in the south (frightening). Without question, these sections were 5/5 stars. For the most part, I enjoyed the sections written about her childhood but her adult sections (excluding the ones noted above) that focused on her deteriorating marriage didn't grip me. I never felt like I really understood her as an adult person (this could also be a result of the disjointed narrative). There were also a few sections that I hated, like Coyote, which I ended up skimming because it was so boring. 

 Overall, I liked this. I would certainly recommend certain chapters to people.  

Grade: 3/5

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