This has been on my to-be-read list since we got it. I didn’t know Maria Bamford, don’t remember her Target Christmas ads — altho I learned in this book that she was on Arrested Development so I did know her a little after all. Maria’s stand-up act is, according to the book, based a lot on her family and her struggles with mental illness. And that’s what this book is, too. She talks about when her intrusive thoughts began as a pre-teen and the OCD habits she started to combat them. Then her teenage eating disorder. Which lead to her first 12 step program (she joined several). She’s very candid about her mistakes — with people, money, work, medications. If you’re close to someone who’s been in a 12 step and/or therapy for years you’ll recognize the required total honesty. It really is a helpful read for anyone struggling with mental illness and anyone who loves someone with mental illness.

Lots of good places. Unfortunately the book is out-dated and some of these places have permanently closed.

good to read to read to read to read to read to read to read to read to read to read to read to read

I started this book on Libby, but I struggled to follow along with the narrator. I picked up an actual book and started over. This book was very touching and I felt the emotions of the all the characters. It was so hard to choose a side even when characters did wrong.

Great read

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Very good! And led to some good conversation with my daughter by reading with her

Excellent and courageous

This is a good introduction to the history of Indigenous peoples in the Americas as told by them. The interactions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups is the main focus. The big events, like Andrew Jackson’s defiance of the Supreme Court and the Trail of Tears, I knew from high school American history. Others I have read about in a collection of biographies of women during the western expansion, Gold Rush, etc. It’s a short book, not meant to be comprehensive. And it has its own biases. The only real mention of African-Americans and Indigenous peoples is a positive paragraph under “Reclaiming Our Music” listing famous musicians with both heritages. There’s nothing about owning black slaves that was part of George Washington’s requirements for Indigenous peoples to prove they were civilized enough to be treated like white settlers. It’s still a well-written history of things glossed over or completely disappearing from history books and classes, and therefore worth reading.

I've started this book several times and just couldn't get into it, or books came from my reserves. I finally finished it and it was good. I guess I just had to be in the mood.