Sunday, July 9, 2017

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

A special thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well colour me surprised!  I actually enjoyed The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo way more than I thought I would.  There were things that made me laugh, and things that moved me too.  I could have done without the lists, and most certainly done without the chapter on her stuffed animals, but other than that, I felt she was incredibly honest, and real.

Schumer shares with readers some truly painful experiences.  The way she lost her virginity was sad, horrific, and painful.  She was also in an abusive relationship that resulted in a few terrifying ordeals that left me feeling incredibly sad for her, but optimistic in that maybe by sharing her story, she gave someone else the courage to leave an abusive relationship.  My heart went out to her when she spoke of her father's MS, but she did take things a bit too far (poop story) and this was not necessary.  I could empathize when she wrote about her mother, and their volatile relationship—she has had to establish some pretty tough and firm boundaries.  Many mothers and daughters walk a fine line, and I really struggle to understand why women are so cruel to other women, oftentimes this starts out with criticisms from one's own mother.

I love that she is unabashedly a feminist.  She is also kind, smart, and doesn't make apologies for any of her failures or shortcomings.  Schumer works hard, and is of course funny.

"I know my worth.  I embrace my power.  I say if I'm beautiful.  I say if I'm strong.  You will not determine my story.  I will.  I'll speak and share and fuck and love, and I will never apologize for it.  I am amazing for you, not because of you.  I am not who I sleep with.  I am not my weight.  I am not my mother.  I am myself.  And I am all of you."

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