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Ordinary hazards : a memoir
2019
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Publishers Weekly Review
Grimes (One Last Word) presents a gripping memoir in verse constructed from imperfect recollections of the hardship and abuse she endured as a child. Having lost chunks of her memory as a result of traumatic experiences, Grimes relies on her art to fill in the blanks. In recurring entries titled "The Mystery of Memory," and "Notebook," Grimes contextualizes her scattered remembrances to provide a sense of time and place for readers ("Where is the chronology of a life/ chaotic from the start?"). Grimes eloquently conveys the instability of a childhood lived in the unpredictable wake of a mentally ill mother and abusive stepfather alongside hopeful anecdotes about the safe haven provided by her beloved older sister, her growing faith, and the often absent yet doting father she lost too soon. Underlining the idea that "a memoir's focus is on truth, not fact," Grimes courageously invites readers to join her on a journey through the shadows of her past, bridging "the gaps/ with suspension cables/ forged of steely gratitude/ for having survived my past/at all." Ages 12--up. (Oct.)■
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up--From a young age, Grimes released her heartbreaking childhood into spiral notebooks, and the act of writing gave her hope. Her tumultuous early years were punctuated by her mother's swings between mental illness, alcohol, and sober detachment. This memoir, written in verse and read by the author, takes the listener through locked closets, street fights, many schools, and many homes: some filled with fear, others with kindness. Ballasts for the young writer, her older sister Carol, and musician father, came and went physically but were ever present in her consciousness. There are no background sounds or music, just the author's own voice and poetic cadence which lend gritty authenticity to her story. VERDICT This will appeal to Grimes's many fans, as well as high school writers searching for their own voice and those relying on hope and strength to navigate a rough and complicated road.--Jane Newschwander, Fluvanna County Public Sch., VA
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