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ehmatthews's review against another edition
4.0
While this is not a book I would have picked up on my own, I'm really glad my book club decided to read it. The beginning was a little hard for me to get into, mainly because I was having a difficult time reading in the dialect; however, as the story progressed I found myself unable to put it down. I was struck with both admiration for Stacyann's perseverance as well as horror for the way people in her life treated her. I found myself drawn to seek out videos of her performance art and was pleasantly surprised to see she starred in Across the Universe. I will be recommending this to my friends.
bookishgyal_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This memoir is truly one of the best I ever read. Staceyann Chin is an incredible storyteller and her voice is full of power/truth/honesty/wisdom. From a little girl until now, she has the voice of a lion and through the telling of her life story, this book has immense strength. I’m forever grateful for stumbling upon her poetry book because it lead me to discovering this memoir. I was hooked from beginning to end!
razishiri's review against another edition
4.0
I got this book a few months ago, when Staceyann Chin came to speak at my school. She was hands down the best speaker I saw all year. The memoir accounts her growing up in Jamaica through her college years and decision to emigrate to the U.S. A quick but absorbing read.
kieralesley's review against another edition
3.0
I love Staceyann Chin’s poetry. She was one of the first poets I ever really got and made me think poetry was worth reading and listening to. Brash, feminist and autobiographical. I’ve been meaning to read her memoir for years and knowing she read the audiobook finally brought it all together for me.
It’s an important perspective and Staceyann’s determined spirit shines throughout, but I think it was only my love for Staceyann’s performances that kept me going. I found this book really tough – the content was brutal and relentless – bleak, cruel, abusive and really detailed in its telling of all of it. Surely cathartic to write, but really tough to listen to hours of. I kept waiting for the woman I met through her performances to turn up, for her to get to America and find poetry. While she did, it was rushed past right at the end. This book wasn’t really interested in the uplift. It’s interested in baring the trauma.
Not all writing needs to be comforting or uplifting, especially autobiographical work, but I found this much more emotionally exhausting and, honestly, triggering than I was expecting. It’s hours of looking at the depths of a life and not a lot of light to balance it.
Valuable, but I didn’t much enjoy the experience of it.
It’s an important perspective and Staceyann’s determined spirit shines throughout, but I think it was only my love for Staceyann’s performances that kept me going. I found this book really tough – the content was brutal and relentless – bleak, cruel, abusive and really detailed in its telling of all of it. Surely cathartic to write, but really tough to listen to hours of. I kept waiting for the woman I met through her performances to turn up, for her to get to America and find poetry. While she did, it was rushed past right at the end. This book wasn’t really interested in the uplift. It’s interested in baring the trauma.
Not all writing needs to be comforting or uplifting, especially autobiographical work, but I found this much more emotionally exhausting and, honestly, triggering than I was expecting. It’s hours of looking at the depths of a life and not a lot of light to balance it.
Valuable, but I didn’t much enjoy the experience of it.
100onbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Memoirs are not really my thing (too cynical by half, if some people were asked) but this was quite something.
I got late for work today as I read it straight out of bed!
Her story is gripping, interesting, sad, amazing.
(Read this, if you can.)
I got late for work today as I read it straight out of bed!
Her story is gripping, interesting, sad, amazing.
(Read this, if you can.)
choirqueer's review against another edition
5.0
Staceyann Chin could write a book on just about any topic and I would want to read it, so I was excited when this one turned up on a recommended reading list from a friend. I read it over a week ago and I'm still shaking. Gorgeous.
cw: child abuse, child and adult sexual abuse (described in detail), race/class injustice, sexism, homoantagonism
cw: child abuse, child and adult sexual abuse (described in detail), race/class injustice, sexism, homoantagonism
emilybooks's review against another edition
4.0
I think I learned a lot about the life of the poor in Jamaica. Staceyann wrote a great description of the people & events that shaped her life. I feel like the end was rushed, maybe just in comparison to the earlier part of the book, maybe just because I didn't want it to end.
slaygirlypop's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
4.0
I really liked how throughout the entire course of her story, Staceyann never yielded to her environment. She didn’t let her circumstances bully her into submission and remained strong, passionate, and outspoken. Staceyann Chin is truly an amazing role model and a fearless woman.
laurenreads_'s review against another edition
5.0
Staceyann Chin is a famous poet and an activist, but her upbringing was rough. This is her memoir about her life as a poor lesbian in Jamaica. It's heart breaking and powerful.
Would I recommend this?
I absolutely would. It was such a powerful read. Just be warned there should be TW for sexual assault.
Would I recommend this?
I absolutely would. It was such a powerful read. Just be warned there should be TW for sexual assault.
alicedeschut's review against another edition
3.0
The other day, I discovered Staceyann Chin, a spoken-word poet and political activist. I was immediately drawn by her fearlessness, her strength and the way that she communicates her beliefs.
She speaks beautifully.
“The Other Side of Paradise" is a memoir of Staceyann’s early life. She grew up in 1970’s Jamaica, abandoned by her parents and then later abused by multiple people. On top of that, her journey into adulthood was hard because, as a lesbian, she also had to struggle with her sexuality and its acceptance in a Jamaican culture. The book ends when Staceyann decides to move to New York – a place where she thought being gay would be easier. Interestingly, she mentions in an interview that being black in America is almost as problematic as being a lesbian in Jamaica.
I truly enjoyed reading the book. Even-though the subject was heavy, the book wasn’t. To me, Staceyann writes with humor and her style is light. It was hard and sometimes heartbreaking to imagine that this was her actual life. It’s therefore comforting to know that she is happy now with her daughter Zuri.
Earlier this year, I read a beautiful book called The Color Purple. The two books are very different but, the protagonists felt similar in a way. They are both brave, strong and a little naive.
This is the link to my blog, if you're interested: https://alicedeschutter.com/
She speaks beautifully.
“The Other Side of Paradise" is a memoir of Staceyann’s early life. She grew up in 1970’s Jamaica, abandoned by her parents and then later abused by multiple people. On top of that, her journey into adulthood was hard because, as a lesbian, she also had to struggle with her sexuality and its acceptance in a Jamaican culture. The book ends when Staceyann decides to move to New York – a place where she thought being gay would be easier. Interestingly, she mentions in an interview that being black in America is almost as problematic as being a lesbian in Jamaica.
I truly enjoyed reading the book. Even-though the subject was heavy, the book wasn’t. To me, Staceyann writes with humor and her style is light. It was hard and sometimes heartbreaking to imagine that this was her actual life. It’s therefore comforting to know that she is happy now with her daughter Zuri.
Earlier this year, I read a beautiful book called The Color Purple. The two books are very different but, the protagonists felt similar in a way. They are both brave, strong and a little naive.
This is the link to my blog, if you're interested: https://alicedeschutter.com/