debby_joyblue reviewed How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones
Review of 'How We Fight For Our Lives' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
For a memoir to rate so highly from me is unusual. Maybe the fact that it's short helped. [Most people's lives aren't so interesting to others that they merit more than 200–300 pages.]
Pro: relationships with his mother and grandmother; candid portrayal of his feelings of self-worth, how he treated himself, and how he allowed others to treat him and change him/how he interacted with them; moments of humor; commentary on systemic racism's role in his family's lives; an experience shared with an unrelated woman he met while traveling.
Content warning: There were scenes including explicit sex, violence, and sexual violence. [This made me pause in deciding whether to continue/how to rate. Ultimately, I didn't factor it into my rating. That is, the book would not have been a five-star book if those scenes were omitted.]