Oh man, this was really good and made me extremely grateful for the positives things in my life. This is a memoir about 3 kids who lost both of their parents within weeks of each other. The author, Dave Eggers, was then appointed legal guardian to his 8-year old brother when Eggers himself was only 21. It’s their journey to becoming self-sufficient adults and navigating a strange world where Dave has to grow up a bit faster than his peers for the sake of his little brother. Eggers shares his struggles with being a young adult and having to be a good role model for his brother, but also wanting to enjoy an irresponsible lifestyle while he’s still young. It definitely made me put myself in Eggers’ shoes and realize how difficult it must have been to all of a sudden be someone’s legal guardian and take on that parental role.
I also enjoyed this book because Eggers talks a lot about grief and the ways in which it manifests itself into a person’s life. I myself have experienced two significant losses in my life, my father and my mother have both passed away, so I could relate to EVERYTHING Eggers experienced, from anger, to complete apathy, to the destructive behavior because sometimes you just don’t give a shit about anything. Grief is a profound emotion and Eggers describes it in every detail just perfectly.
A Heartbreaking Word of Staggering Genius
Kindle $11.99
Pros
- - Very relatable if you've experience a significant loss
- - Helps with grief
- - Lighthearted
Cons
- - Style of writing takes a few chapters to get used to