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virgilius's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Child abuse
Moderate: Racial slurs and Miscarriage
lottiegasp's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
This is a beautiful memoir of Chung's experience as a Korean child adopted by white parents. She describes her childhood in which she was the only Asian person she knew in a family who couldn't conceive of the racism she experiences. It gives some good insights into how adoptive parents can take steps to let their child know about their history and culture and be supported in their unique experiences. Chung also speaks about her reunion with her birth family, which was with some family members complicated but with others moving and turned into a beautiful relationship.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Child abuse
ajluedke91's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
An incredibly beautifully written memoir about the complexities of transracial adoption, the danger of being “race blind”, and the many ways to build a family.
“As my thoughts reached out to them, all at once I could envision hundreds of gossamer-thin threads of history and love, curiosity and memory, built up slowly across the time and space between us - a web of connections too delicate to be seen or touched, too strong to be completely severed (p. 79)”.
“…withholding hard truths and my honest opinions would also sell short the love I have for them, and they for me. The fierce wish I still harbor for them to understand me for who I am, stand with me in love and full acceptance, persists because they chose me and they raised me: we are one another’s responsibility (p. 208)”.
“As my thoughts reached out to them, all at once I could envision hundreds of gossamer-thin threads of history and love, curiosity and memory, built up slowly across the time and space between us - a web of connections too delicate to be seen or touched, too strong to be completely severed (p. 79)”.
“…withholding hard truths and my honest opinions would also sell short the love I have for them, and they for me. The fierce wish I still harbor for them to understand me for who I am, stand with me in love and full acceptance, persists because they chose me and they raised me: we are one another’s responsibility (p. 208)”.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Racial slurs
leweylibrary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
I read her.second memoir before this one lol but I did like this one better. The religious bits were a lot less frequent, but there were a LOT more about pregnancy and kids which I wasn't a huge fan of. Nevertheless, I know how big of a role those things played in her adoption story, so I get it. It was a really compelling and complicated story, and I'm impressed that she wrote about it so eloquently.
I can identity in some ways because of my being a test tube baby and my parents' separation when I was in early middle school. I got a lot of the same questions about wanting to know my "real" dad, but pushing my mind several steps further to consider not only having no biological relations around you AND being a visibly different race from your family...that's intense.
I feel like I still have a lot of questions having read her second book first, like what thoughts and emotions she was having about her biological family whom she did meet and talked to while her adopted parents were having their health issues and eventually dying. It was really lovely seeing her relationship with her sister take form, especially since my relationship with my own sister is a little like it, even if we aren't related by blood.
I can identity in some ways because of my being a test tube baby and my parents' separation when I was in early middle school. I got a lot of the same questions about wanting to know my "real" dad, but pushing my mind several steps further to consider not only having no biological relations around you AND being a visibly different race from your family...that's intense.
I feel like I still have a lot of questions having read her second book first, like what thoughts and emotions she was having about her biological family whom she did meet and talked to while her adopted parents were having their health issues and eventually dying. It was really lovely seeing her relationship with her sister take form, especially since my relationship with my own sister is a little like it, even if we aren't related by blood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Racial slurs, Racism, Pregnancy, and Medical content
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Child abuse
Minor: Miscarriage and Cancer
alylentz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
This is my second book by Nicole Chung this year, and she continues to write so honestly about her life with grace, sensitivity, and nuance. Blown away again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
whatchareadingheather's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Nicole's story is equally beautiful and gut wrenching. I think this book can appeal to a lot of different types of people regardless of being an adoptee as she truthfully discusses topics of identity crisis, racism, motherhood, and tuning into your heritage after not having been fully immersed in it. This is a fantastic companion to 'Crying In H Mart' and should be required reading for anyone looking to do transracial adoptions or adopt a child in general.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Body shaming
readingwithcoffee's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Racism, and Child abuse
emzireads's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy and Racism
Minor: Child abuse and Miscarriage
kristin_bee's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
(audiobook—probably colored my enjoyment of this book)
This is not my favorite kind of memoir. I prefer memoirs that read more like a story rather than vignettes with narration in between. This is the memoir of a Korean-American adoptee to an all-white family. Nicole decides to search for her birth family while she is pregnant with her first daughter. For me, the story picked up at this point and I loved reading about her relationship with her full biological sister, Cindy (she has a half-sister too). The stories and moments with Cindy and their father were my favorite and I would’ve happily read more. Overall, thoughtful and thought provoking.
This is not my favorite kind of memoir. I prefer memoirs that read more like a story rather than vignettes with narration in between. This is the memoir of a Korean-American adoptee to an all-white family. Nicole decides to search for her birth family while she is pregnant with her first daughter. For me, the story picked up at this point and I loved reading about her relationship with her full biological sister, Cindy (she has a half-sister too). The stories and moments with Cindy and their father were my favorite and I would’ve happily read more. Overall, thoughtful and thought provoking.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse
ashleycmms's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Bullying, and Grief