Please Note:  I received an advance audio copy of this novel from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

’m crawling around on the bathroom floor, picking up pieces of myself. These pieces are not a metaphor. They are actual pieces.

Twenty years after the publication of her iconic Shutterbabe, we re-meet Deborah Copaken at her darkly comedic nadir: battered, broke, divorcing, dissected, and dying—literally—on sexism’s battlefield as she deliriously scoops up what she believes to be her internal organs, which have fallen out of her body, into a glass Tupperware container before heading off to the hospital for emergency surgery . . . in an UberPool.

Part cri de coeur cautionary tale, part dystopian tragicomedy, Ladyparts is Copaken’s irreverent inventory of both the female body and the body politic of womanhood in America. With her journalist’s eye, her novelist’s heart, and her performer’s sense of timing, she provides a frontline account of one woman brought to her knees by the one-two-twelve punch of divorce, solo motherhood, lack of healthcare, unaffordable childcare, shady landlords, her father’s death, college tuitions, sexual harassment, corporate indifference, ageism, sexism, and just plain old bad luck. Plus seven serious illnesses, one on top of the other, which provide the book’s narrative skeleton: vagina, uterus, breast, heart, cervix, brain, and lungs. She keeps bouncing back from each bum body part and finding the black humor in every setback, but in her slippery struggle to survive a steep plunge off the middle-class ladder, she is suddenly awoken to what it means to have no safety net.

Turning her Harlem home into a commune to pay rent and have childcare, she trades her life as a bestselling novelist to apply for full-time corporate gigs that come with health insurance but often not scruples. She gets fired from a health magazine for being unhealthy; laid off from a PR firm for rushing home to deal with a child’s medical emergency; and sexually harassed out of her newspaper column, only to be grilled by the FBI when her harasser is offered a plum job in the White House.

Side-splittingly funny one minute, a freak horror show the next, and quintessentially American, Ladyparts is an era-defining memoir for our time.

Review:

I find reviewing memoirs to be a bit difficult.  How do you review someone's life?  But I will say that author Deborah Copaken has filled this book with humor, and brutal honesty.  She also raises important issues about corporate culture, healthcare in America, and in particular, women's health issues.  At times the author uses shocking imagery to demonstrate just how disgusting it is to have reproductive organs.  But then she also shows the immense power that we have to create life.  I listened to the audiobook version of this book, narrated by the author, herself.

What I Liked:

Narration:

Who better to narrate this memoir than the person who wrote it!  Deborah Copaken does a terrific job of using her voice to evoke the raw emotions of some truly traumatic events.  She was the perfect choice to narrate this book.

Honest Portrayals:

The author spends the first part of the memoir discussing how her marriage collapsed, which I didn't particularly enjoy.  But it's a set up for the meat of the book, which is how it is to be a single parent scrounging for health insurance in New York City.  Her whole mission in life is about making sure she has health insurance.  This may seem extreme to those of us who have good health coverage.  But for many people, it is a very real struggle.  This means taking jobs where she is over-qualified, or severely under-paid in order to get that all important health benefit.  And often, Copaken must compromise her values, as when she worked for a pharmaceutical company, using her writing skills to push medicines.  

She is also honest about dating and sex as a single person.  She makes no apologies for needing the human contact that sexual encounters provide.  And she finds a way to do that without the entanglements of a committed relationship.  But she didn't start out with those expectations.  She shows the process, which is often filled with wrong turns and heartbreak.  

Women's Health Issues:

The author has had some truly horrible health issues to deal with.  She's starts out having a hysterectomy, and then many things go wrong.  I can't begin to spell all the procedures she has had to endure, but, if you read the book, she describes them in graphic detail.  As many woman know all too well, Copaken's symptoms were often dismissed by her doctors, and her concerns were not addressed.  At times, their neglect brought her to the brink of death.  

While this may seem unappealing to read about, I found learning about her health issues to be instructive.  It also goes to show you that people really need to advocate for themselves (and bring a back up person to assist).   Copaken often does everything right, but still has issues with the quality of her care.  A bit depressing to be sure, but I also admired her determination to get what she needed from her doctors.

Healthcare in America:

The heart of the book is about why it's such a bad idea to tie healthcare to employment.  As a freelance writer, Deborah Copaken has been quite successful and has made a reputation for herself as a strong advocate for women.  But as successful as she has been in her career, she has struggled over the years to find adequate health coverage.  When you have children who need checkups, shots, and so forth, and you also have significant health issues, this becomes the number one consideration in accepting a job.  What I find sad for Copaken is how much more could she had achieved if she didn't need to worry about healthcare coverage.  Think of what we are losing from our Creatives in American society because they are shackled by this burden.

What I was Mixed About:

As much as I liked this memoir, I do have a bone to pick with how she discussed her ex-husband.  Her ex-husband was diagnosed with high-functioning Autism (what we used to call Asperger's Syndrome).  And this colors all of her commentary about whey the marriage failed.  I didn't like that she blamed all of their problems on Autism.  She even had statistics to make the point that (apparently) most marriages between neuro-typical people and people with Autism end in divorce.  Perhaps that's true, but I also think each situation is unique.  She mostly focused on the fact that her emotional needs weren't being met by her husband.  But she never addresses if she was meeting his needs.  Obviously, these two weren't compatible over the long-term.  And she shows how she really made an effort to be understanding of his personality.  But it still troubled me that she blamed the end of their marriage on something her ex had no control over.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  August 3rd, 2021

Author:  Deborah Copaken

Narrator:  Deborah Copaken

Print Publisher:  Random House

Page Length:  480 Pages

Audio Book Publisher:  Penguin Random House Audio

Audio Length:  16 hours, 37 minutes

Genre:  Memoir

Source:  Penguin Random House Audio

Format:  Audiobook

Recommendation:  I found this memoir to be very powerful, and I highly recommend it.  

Please Note:  I received an advance audio copy of this book from Random House Audio in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making—from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy.
In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency—a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.

Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office.

Reflecting on the presidency, he offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune’s Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden.

A Promised Land is extraordinarily intimate and introspective—the story of one man’s bet with history, the faith of a community organizer tested on the world stage. Obama is candid about the balancing act of running for office as a Black American, bearing the expectations of a generation buoyed by messages of “hope and change,” and meeting the moral challenges of high-stakes decision-making. He is frank about the forces that opposed him at home and abroad, open about how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters, and unafraid to reveal self-doubt and disappointment. Yet he never wavers from his belief that inside the great, ongoing American experiment, progress is always possible.

This beautifully written and powerful book captures Barack Obama’s conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding and built together, day by day.

Review:

A Promised Land, by the Barack Obama arrives just in time to remind the world what government used to look like.  This memoir chronicles not just most of his first presidency, but also Obama's childhood, and his various political campaigns that culminates with his first campaign for President of the United States.  Although, at times, the book dives a little too much into the minutia of policy decisions, this is a riveting book.

What I Liked:

A Look at Life in the White House:

I really like learning how life is like for the First Family.  We see how many people they are surrounded by at all times, from Secret Service agents to chefs, to assistants and cleaning staff.  There are so many people who look after this family.  But, despite all the lack of privacy, Obama is able to enjoy daily dinners with his family (something he never was able to do as a busy lawyer and legislator).  Michelle, the First Lady, is able to maintain friendships, and has the aid of her mother, who moves into the White House to help with the girls.  And Obama's daughters, Malia and Sasha, make friends, go to sleepovers, and play sports like other kids.

Challenges of Life in the Limelight: 

There are also many difficulties to being in such a high profile position.  Obama and his wife has to endure racist attacks that no other President would have to deal with.   I was particularly interested in what Obama had to say about Donald Trump's "Investigation" into Obama's birth certificate.  

I was also struck by how reluctant Michelle was about Barack's political ambitions.  Actually, this is not surprising.  By choosing such high profile jobs, Barack essentially relegates the entire job of parenting their children to her.  For an accomplished woman who has spent years on her education,  this must have been a bitter pill to swallow.  Plus, she was understandably concerned for the safety and well-being of their children.  You rarely see these concerns aired in public.  This causes the reader to understand how amazingly surreal being President of The United States would be.

Osama Bin Laden:

The most interesting portion of the book has to do with the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.  Obama makes this a priority of his presidency, and the stakes couldn't have been higher.  Reflecting on other military missions that went horribly wrong (remember Black Hawk Down?), Obama is all too aware of how this could make or break his presidency.  The amount of planning, and the decision process, are fascinating.

What I Was Mixed About:

At nearly eight hundred pages, the book sometimes plods on with too many details about various summits and passages of legislation.  I suppose that a reader's reaction to each episode will depend on what their interests are.  If climate change is your priority, you will have ample insight into how the 2016 Paris Agreement was negotiated.  If you are most interesting in the Affordable Care Act, you will get a blow by blow on how it was passed.  I just wish some of this could have been streamlined.  I think more people would read this if the book was shorter.

Rating: 

Release Date:  November 17th, 2020

Author:  Barack Obama

Genre:  Memoir

Audio Narrator:  Barack Obama

Audio Publisher:  Random House Audio

Audio Length:  29 hours, 11 minutes

 Print Publisher:  Crown Books

Page Length:  768 Pages

Format:  Audiobook

Source:  Penguin Random House Audio

Recommendation:  Although overly long, this is a riveting look at an historic presidency.  

Please Note:  I received an advance audio copy of this book from the publisher, Penguin Audio, in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

By the time Dominique Crenn decided to become a chef, at the age of twenty-one, she knew it was a near impossible dream in France where almost all restaurant kitchens were run by men. So she moved to San Francisco to train under Jeremiah Tower. Almost thirty years later, Crenn was awarded three Michelin Stars in 2018 for her restaurant Atelier Crenn, and became the first female chef in the United States to receive this honor.

In this book, the author writes of her childhood in Versailles. Adopted as a toddler, growing up she often felt like an outsider, and was haunted by a past she knew nothing about. But after years of working to fill this blank space, Crenn has embraced the power her history gives her to be whoever she wants to be. She also addresses restaurant culture, sexism, immigration, and climate change, this is a book of a chef's personal journey of discovery.

Review:

Perhaps because I always wished to be one, I'm quite drawn to memoirs by chefs.  And Dominique Crenn's story is compelling.  Growing up in France, she came from a loving home, but always felt to be a bit of an outsider.  This may have been due to being adopted.  But being an outsider allowed Crenn to look at life from a different angle.  A risk-taker who has inspired countless people with her work ethic, determination, and the poetic artistry of her cooking, she was never constrained by traditional thinking.  I loved this book, but if you need to visualize what her cooking is, you should also watch the episode of Netflix show, Chef's Table, that features Crenn.  Taken together, you will see a portrait of a dynamic force of nature. 

What I Liked:

Narrator:

Hope Newhouse does a wonderful job of using her youthful voice to show how new and refreshing Crenn's culinary viewpoint is.  She also seems to be fluent in French, as she demonstrates whenever a French phrase is used.  She helped show how wonderous Crenn's journey really was.

Insight into a Chef's Purpose:

While most of us diners go to a restaurant and anticipate a pleasant meal, Dominique Crenn uses a meal to tell a story through food.  This may seem pretentious, but her use of food is so well thought out, that one can't help but be moved by her outlook.  She sees beauty in ingredients, and finds joy in creating new ways to produce meals that touch the heart, as well as the stomach. 

Not a Tell-All:

I appreciated that this book was not a tell-all of who Crenn dated or horror stories of mistreatment by male chefs.  Certainly, she touches on these topics, but these are not the main points of the book.  The point of the memoir was to honor her father, who died of cancer.  Although she follows her instincts to pursue adventure away from France, she has deep guilt for being away from her family.  This is a tension I can identify with.  To their credit, her parents always encourage her travels.  But you can tell Crenn feels the tug of home, especially as her mother gets older.

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Rating:

Release Date:  June 9th, 2020

Author:  Dominique Crenn with Emma Brockes

Audio Narrator:  Hope Newhouse

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Audio Length:  5 Hours, 15 Minutes

Print Publisher:  Penguin Press

Print Page Length:  256 Pages

Source:  Penguin Audio

Format:  Audiobook

Recommendation:  This book will make you want to visit Crenn's restaurant as soon as the Pandemic is over!  A wonderful, inspiring memoir.