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timna_wyckoff's review against another edition
5.0
I've read so many memoirs recently; this was the best one. The book had a very nice arc and I appreciated that the author shared both challenges and painful memories, but also wonderful stories about things she values and cherishes.
lesbrary's review against another edition
4.0
http://lesbrary.com/2013/03/08/danika-reviews-prairie-silence-by-melanie-hoffert
nursenell's review against another edition
3.0
I guess I am not in a non fiction mood, I tried to get into this but just couldn't. I found it well written, just couldn't finish it right now with so many other books in my TBR list.
crtsjffrsn's review against another edition
4.0
While Melanie Hoffert was quick to leave her North Dakota home when she got the chance, she has always felt a longing for everything that said home represents. There's a dissonance between the comforting aspects of home and family and the silence that it imposes on those who may not fit the expectations of their community. But Melanie is determined to explore this disconnect and try to reconcile these aspects of her life and self, planning to spend a harvest at home helping on the farm. Her journey is one of self-discovery, learning things about her friends and family she hadn't noticed before, and understanding what it means to call the prairie home, even if it's not where you will live out your days.
This book resonated for me on so very many levels. For starters, Melanie's family farm is about 30 miles from where I grew up. The places (and even some of the people) she mentions in this book are extremely familiar to me. The sense of community, the descriptions of life growing up where she did--are all things from which I can draw some very direct parallels. I'm also someone who left North Dakota when I finished college, taking the first chance I could get to be somewhere else. I did end up going back for a few years, but have since moved on again. And many of the same reasons and beliefs and worries that Melanie shares in her book are things I've felt.
But beyond all that, what the author has done here is construct an incredible narrative that I think will resonate with anyone who has ever left home and spent time trying to reconcile what it means to leave home behind. I also think even those who stayed where they grew up can find moments in this book that speak to them, as the author examines how we all find our place in our community and the reasons people choose to stay. And, of course, anyone who has ever felt like they're a bit of an outsider in their family or who has ever felt like they couldn't be completely open with those who are closest to them will identify with Melanie's journey and join her in the revelations that she makes as she finishes her harvest retreat and decides to return to the city.
This book was the winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Memoir & Creative Nonfiction in 2014, and it's clear why. Not only is the story raw and moving, but the writing is compelling, engaging, and descriptive. This is definitely an author I plan to watch for in the future...
This book resonated for me on so very many levels. For starters, Melanie's family farm is about 30 miles from where I grew up. The places (and even some of the people) she mentions in this book are extremely familiar to me. The sense of community, the descriptions of life growing up where she did--are all things from which I can draw some very direct parallels. I'm also someone who left North Dakota when I finished college, taking the first chance I could get to be somewhere else. I did end up going back for a few years, but have since moved on again. And many of the same reasons and beliefs and worries that Melanie shares in her book are things I've felt.
But beyond all that, what the author has done here is construct an incredible narrative that I think will resonate with anyone who has ever left home and spent time trying to reconcile what it means to leave home behind. I also think even those who stayed where they grew up can find moments in this book that speak to them, as the author examines how we all find our place in our community and the reasons people choose to stay. And, of course, anyone who has ever felt like they're a bit of an outsider in their family or who has ever felt like they couldn't be completely open with those who are closest to them will identify with Melanie's journey and join her in the revelations that she makes as she finishes her harvest retreat and decides to return to the city.
This book was the winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Memoir & Creative Nonfiction in 2014, and it's clear why. Not only is the story raw and moving, but the writing is compelling, engaging, and descriptive. This is definitely an author I plan to watch for in the future...
liralen's review against another edition
4.0
Going home to North Dakota is not what Hoffert expects. Her homecoming is temporary -- although she flirts with the idea of permanence, as her story goes on it is ever more clear that she won't find quite what she seeks.
But that's interesting, too, because, Hoffert seeks both good and bad in North Dakota. She's homesick for the wide-open spaces and the matter-of-fact way of life in North Dakota. (She's somewhat embarrassed to note how little she knows about farm life, despite having grown up as a child of farmers.) She's also looking for proof that North Dakota, and North Dakotans, cannot and will not accept her because she is a lesbian.
In the end, as Hoffert gradually realises that her flirtation isn't meant to go further, but also that her secrets -- her silences -- are not as secret as she had thought, the book becomes as much a meditation on growing up and (not) coming out as it is an exploration of homecoming. It wanders a lot, more than I would have liked in places, but the writing is lovely...and I have to respect that she's able to take it all in, realise that her expectations have not been met, and work to figure out what the reality is instead.
But that's interesting, too, because, Hoffert seeks both good and bad in North Dakota. She's homesick for the wide-open spaces and the matter-of-fact way of life in North Dakota. (She's somewhat embarrassed to note how little she knows about farm life, despite having grown up as a child of farmers.) She's also looking for proof that North Dakota, and North Dakotans, cannot and will not accept her because she is a lesbian.
In the end, as Hoffert gradually realises that her flirtation isn't meant to go further, but also that her secrets -- her silences -- are not as secret as she had thought, the book becomes as much a meditation on growing up and (not) coming out as it is an exploration of homecoming. It wanders a lot, more than I would have liked in places, but the writing is lovely...and I have to respect that she's able to take it all in, realise that her expectations have not been met, and work to figure out what the reality is instead.
ddeery's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this book!
Author Melanie Hoffert grew up in a small town in North Dakota. She realized at an early age that she was gay, but kept this fact hidden from her family and community for many years. Like so many rural kids, once she grew up she left her community for the big city, in this case the Twin Cities in Minnesota.
Again, like many rural kids, once she'd created a life in the city she began to look back to her hometown with some longing. She decides to return home for a harvest season to take a look at her life from a new, and an old, perspective.
I enjoy homecoming memoirs, especially of a rural nature, and I really enjoy memoirs about people trying to find their place in the world. What made me love this book though is that Hoffert came to a conclusion near and dear to my heart, which is that you can only come to understand who you are when you also come to understand where you came from. Add in the fact that Hoffert describes this journey with beautifully lyrical language and you end up with a book that I nearly read in one sitting. Her descriptions of her hometown, the people and the places, rang incredibly true to me because I grew up with some of those same people and places in small-town Wisconsin.
Author Melanie Hoffert grew up in a small town in North Dakota. She realized at an early age that she was gay, but kept this fact hidden from her family and community for many years. Like so many rural kids, once she grew up she left her community for the big city, in this case the Twin Cities in Minnesota.
Again, like many rural kids, once she'd created a life in the city she began to look back to her hometown with some longing. She decides to return home for a harvest season to take a look at her life from a new, and an old, perspective.
I enjoy homecoming memoirs, especially of a rural nature, and I really enjoy memoirs about people trying to find their place in the world. What made me love this book though is that Hoffert came to a conclusion near and dear to my heart, which is that you can only come to understand who you are when you also come to understand where you came from. Add in the fact that Hoffert describes this journey with beautifully lyrical language and you end up with a book that I nearly read in one sitting. Her descriptions of her hometown, the people and the places, rang incredibly true to me because I grew up with some of those same people and places in small-town Wisconsin.
mscott's review against another edition
4.0
Great book that is so much more than a story of someone leaving the city for a more rural life. Good story and certainly deserving of its 2014 MN Book Award!
meghanstinar's review against another edition
3.0
I always like a book that you can find certain parts very relatable, in this case growing up North Dakota, but from a different perspective such as Hoffert's struggles with faith, small town life, and her sexuality.
jeansbookbag's review
4.0
What a lovely memoir about life, love, and faith from an expatriated small town girl. I have a very good friend who has lived a similar life: a lesbian from a tiny town in conservative North Dakota. She also has been surprisingly (to her) accepted by the people in her hometown, the ones she was so afraid to tell, to speak her truth. And though I know my friend’s story, I felt like this book really gave me even more insight into the struggle her life was for so many years; hiding her true self from the people who mattered most until she was in her 20s. I love when books give me a window into experiences that are different than mine, because it makes me (at least I hope it does) a kinder, more empathetic person.
And while the underlying issue to Hoffert’s crisis of faith is totally different than mine, that aspect of the book really resonated with me. All of her questions about God and what does being holy really mean, are questions I’ve asked as I’ve struggled with my own issues with the church and faith the last couple of years. And I really loved the conclusion she came to on those issues. She wrote what I feel so eloquently, much more eloquently than I ever could say. Overall a lovely memoir for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider in the place that they call home.
And while the underlying issue to Hoffert’s crisis of faith is totally different than mine, that aspect of the book really resonated with me. All of her questions about God and what does being holy really mean, are questions I’ve asked as I’ve struggled with my own issues with the church and faith the last couple of years. And I really loved the conclusion she came to on those issues. She wrote what I feel so eloquently, much more eloquently than I ever could say. Overall a lovely memoir for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider in the place that they call home.