A Kind of Refugee by Larissa Babij

Rating:

5 Stars

Themes:

Non-Fiction, Memoir, War

Thoughts:

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a really great book. Larissa writes in such a brutally honest way that makes us face the reality that she is facing living in an active war zone that many here in the West have become to be war weary of and have lost compassion and empathy that is deserved (I’ve actually seen people complaining that money is being send over to Ukraine). The illustrations are sparse and simplistic in a way that shows beauty but bare back enough that it's not overly detailed to distract from the importance of the books messages. I hope more people read this and gain a better understanding to speak from a more educated and humanitarian point of view.

Favourite Quote:

"But Ukrainians have been damaged for generations. You will not find a family without personal stories of violent arrest, deportation, unnatural death, or forced resettlement. People are more reluctant to talk about family members who committed these acts against their fellow citizens. I can attest that being uprooted from your homeland under duress of war, refashioning yourself in a new land amongst new people in a new culture and language leaves scars that last for generations. Soviet Ukrainians were severed from their land through collectivisation, deportation, and forced resettlement - violent policies their own government devised to subordinate human life to an abstract ideal - without even leaving their country."

With thanks to Ibidem Press and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

Comments

Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

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Porn is Not Sex Ed! by Jessica Melendez

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Young Adult Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. In the age of lessening sex education this book could be a great tool to help bridge the gap. I appreciate the talk to an adult bits that can encourage children to start to have conversations that are important but they often think are cringy. The note to trusted adults bit at the end is great too and there’s quite a few useful activities to help the messages really sink in. Some of the points here such as fetishisation and body image are really important ones that I never learned that young (which could be the reason I had such poor body image as a teen) and for the most part the book talks to kids on their level although some areas may feel a little immaturely worded for older teens. With thanks to Hachette UK and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

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