Personal Memoirs

Candidly deals with… you name it

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh

January 28, 2021 by BlackRaven 2 Comments

I admit, I was a bit of a snob when it came to Allie Brosh and their book Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened. Um…. That cover? It really looked like there was nothing I would relate to. It would be abstract humor that I could not enjoy. However, I was pleasantly surprised. As most people will agree, Brosh created something that is funny and good. I appreciated every part of it, yet still there were […]

Trying to find a past that is not yours

The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir by Thi Bui

December 9, 2019 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir by Thi Bui is an emotional story. It is hard to digest all that is presented. On the surface is a story of being an immigrant, but also a child who remembers little of the journey that made her and her family immigrants. It is a graphic novel that is about becoming an adult who finally learns about her past, the past of her family (as individuals (her parents) and as a family unit). And finally, she learns […]

The graphic of the graphic novel

Stitches: A Memoir by David Small

August 12, 2019 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Stiches was part of my looking at the library shelves and coming home with three books. I lied when I had said I narrowed down the books from five, it was narrowed it down from seven. I had my eye on Watchmen and V is for Vendetta as well but when I saw a book by David Small (an illustrator I knew from children’s books) I figured, let’s go with that instead. Plus, the odd shape and the crazy zombies on the front just “spoke” […]

When Far Away is as close as your backyard

If They Come for Us by Fatimah Asghar

July 24, 2019 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

#cbr11bingo #FarAndAway I am not a woman of the Islamic faith. I did not grow up an orphan. I did not look different from people around me due to my skin color. I do know what it is like to be a woman in our society (and a plus sized one) but I cannot imagine the ethnic cleansing/genocide of over 14 million people during the India/Pakistan Partition and 75,000 to 100.000 of them were women. Yes, I grew up poor. Yes, I know what the […]

When does this woman have time for her comedy?

November 5, 2018 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands is my AlabamaPink cbr10bingo book. I figured it would be the most fun after reading the other titles descriptions. I also would never pick this book up on my own as I am not a fan of Ms. Handler. Chelsea Handler focuses on a few of her favorite, or at least interesting (to her), sexual encounters. If you are looking for porn, thankfully, this is not it. Considering her reputation, this is tame. Sure, she swears and talks […]

Tracy on A Quiet Book About Surviving AloneFrom looking at Goodreads, it looks like at least a couple of her other works have been translated.
Singsonggirl on A Quiet Book About Surviving AloneYAAAS! Haushofer is one of my favourite authors ever, it's so cool to see her popping up here! While this novel is good, her real...
BlackRaven on I cried six times while reading this memoir slash podcast slash pop culture book.Thanks for the review! I had wanted to read this, but it sounds like it might not be "my thing". Though I've enjoyed the show...
BlackRaven on Not sure if this was a hit or miss, so guess it’s appropriate for my third cannonballThanks! I'd love to do 12 again this year.... but we'll see.
Malin on Not sure if this was a hit or miss, so guess it’s appropriate for my third cannonballCongratulations on your triple Cannonball! You are a reviewing machine.

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