Jody Pratt

One guy’s uninformed opinions on life

Revisado: 03-17-24

His intentions are good. And he was right about one thing: someday he’ll realize how wrong he is. Taken from the standpoint of one very privileged white male, Manson will tell you that it’s all about attitude and everyone struggles. Ok, that’s some superficial and naive advice, but Manson lacks the life experience to know what a real sock in the jaw feels like. And no, that’s not struggling to find your first job, getting your heart broken, or not having the relationship you wish you had with your brother. His just do it!” message is typical of people who have never really had to rely on themselves and themselves alone. (And couch surfing doesn’t count if you’re doing it by choice.) His smug navel gazing is steeped in the very entitlement he claims to revile. Maybe he’ll learn and grow -especially if he becomes a parent. But for now this is just the glib BSing of a guy who wrote a book to tell you how you can be just as unexceptional as he is. Only his entire career is blogging about himself. And writing about himself. And promoting himself.

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Interesting life, major blind spots

Revisado: 02-22-23

I might have looked at this memoir differently with another title. Hearing Ms. Hinajosa compare her experience growing up in an upper middle class intellectual, academically-connected family to that of an unaccompanied minor because both of them were Mexican was really off putting. Ms. Hinajosa is a person who, as they say, began life on third base.

Perhaps it’s misplaced feelings of personal guilt from working with less fortunate people her entire life that leads her to find ways to identify as a victim, but it would be a much better narrative if she stopped painting herself as the underdog. Her statement that she’s always identified with Holocaust survivors because they used the same chemical to fumigate immigrants’ clothing that they used to gas Jews in the death camps was especially tone deaf. That’s like saying you identify with the people who drowned when the New Orleans levees broke because you once drank a glass of water.

Ms. Hinojosa also tips her hand on some snobby notions of class occasionally, such as when she suggests that the US should have embraced Middle Eastern immigrants after 9/11 because they were “the children of professionals.” Read: they were “good quality people.”

I learned a lot about the history of immigration in America and thought her reporting on the deplorable for-profit prison machine that entraps undocumented people was vitally important. But it would have been a better read with a little more insight into the intersectional differences she has from most immigrants.

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Offbeat and SO enjoyable!

Revisado: 01-12-23

We’ll written, extremely original, and delightful despite the dark subject matter. Reminded me of A Confederacy of Dunces with a female protagonist. Lived up to the hype and then some!

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Corny melodrama

Revisado: 01-12-23

Like most Reese’s book club picks, this story is plot driven and as cheesy as a Lifetime movie. Amateurish writing, cringey plot twists, cutout characters -would definitely not call it literature. It does bring up some important topics such as women’s independence and access to birth control -which I think is why it’s made some acclaimed lists -but it is soapy and light. You’ll know all you need to know (not a spoiler) that there is a talking parrot in this book that weighs in on conversations, pirate style. Squawk! Silly book!

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Masterfully written and a fun read

Revisado: 01-01-23

This was a wonderfully woven tale and beautifully written. Total page turner. And the performance was one of the best I’ve heard. She does a great job of differentiating the characters’ voices without over doing it. Well deserved five stars across the board!

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Fascinating, clear, and objective

Revisado: 12-24-21

I found this course fascinating. The author does a great job taking a broad and often arcane tradition and making it accessible. I also appreciated the historicity of the telling -this is archaeology and history, not religion, that she’s sharing. She does a great job of being evenhanded, never favoring one people’s perspective over another. Highly recommend!

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esto le resultó útil a 8 personas

Sweet, delightful, poignant

Revisado: 12-15-21

This book may not have the most original premise (think Quantum Leap-meets-Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse-meets-It’s a Wonderful Life-meets What Alice Forgot), but the storytelling is magnificent and transporting and the message is just lovely. A perfect book for stressed out times. I didn’t just enjoy it, I devoured it.

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Important topic, cheesy tale

Revisado: 12-15-21

Full disclaimer: I gave up on this book about half way through, so can’t call this a full review.

While the story of a family embracing a transgendered child is beautiful and fascinating, the characters in this story were too saccharine to like. The world of this novel is too binary (ha!), divided into clear goodies and baddies. The parents are paragons of perfection, their kids are all exceptional. Family friction resolves with appreciative understanding and insight. They’re more like an Instagram family than relatable characters. Meanwhile, detractors sling slurs and tote guns. Cardboard cutout administrators are bound up in rules and red tape. Which is a shame, because the one thing characters in a story like this should have is nuance and depth.

The narrator was great though. She managed a lot of characters and used a whole cast of voices. Well done!

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Discredited pseudoscience

Revisado: 07-21-21

After finding some sloppy references in the first few chapters of this book (my first suspicions were raised when they referenced the use of chastity belts -chastity belts are merely myth), I decided to see what the experts thought of this book. Turns out it was rejected by academic publishers because it did not pass the peer review process. Scientists in the field have ripped this book apart for being poorly researched, speculative, and flat out incorrect. Don’t waste your time or credits!

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Best narration ever!

Revisado: 06-17-21

It goes without saying that Hemingway’s story is incredible, beautiful, classic. But Campbell Scott’s narration was a dang superb piece of acting. He did a great job varying his character voices and made them both dramatic and believable. Extra kudos to his wonderful accent work with Spaniards, Russians, and French. He really brought the story to life. Bravo!

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