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[spicytofuman]

yeonnam-dong's smiley laundromat by kim jiyun

read: 260611 - 260615

★★★☆☆ (3.5)

this was quite an easy read, and not in a negative way.

the neighborhood of yeonnam-dong come together at the new smiley laundromat as they work through their daily personal struggles and grow closer together as a community.

this book made me yearn for the community that it describes. something that i feel is greatly lacking and hard to build in today's society.

i also understand the need for a character like the son and his growth arc. however, he really pissed me off throughout the entire book. i do realize that people like him exist in real life, especially with how capitalistic the world is, but i just can't understand how someone can be so selfish.

[spicytofuman]

the true happiness company by veena dinavahi

read: 260609 - 260610

★★★★☆ (3.75)

the memoir was written in such a way that it didn't feel like a list or timeline of something that happened. i struggle to read memoirs that read as "this happened and then this happened to me" so i was able to get into the flow of this book a lot easier than others.

i think many people have preconceived notions on cult victims where they believe only dumb or naive people can fall victim to them. however, the people in this book are the opposite of what some may imagine as "typical cult victims". veena's parents are highly educated and working in stem, veena also being someone in high level classes and someone people believed would be "most likely to succeed" in life. this really highlights how it has nothing to do with someone's smarts or education, but everything to do with cults preying on peoples' desperation to manipulate them to do their bidding.

i hope that people will be able to have more sympathy and understanding for victims going forward.

[spicytofuman]

sing, unburied, sing by jesmyn ward

read: 260604 - 260608

★★★☆☆ (3.75)

beautifully written book that explores generational trauma and the effects of racism in the south through multiple generations in one family. though the chapters are told through different perspectives, there wasn't any confusion in the narrators, and the different perspectives are weaved together well.

while working through the different traumas that the characters have, they also have to survive the daily hardships they face. jojo with being the surrogate caretaker of his younger sister, leonie with her drug addiction and guilt of her relationship with her brother's murderer's cousin, pop's with his guilt on what took place during his time in prison, and mam with the loss of her son.

the writing was beautiful and was able to portray emotions and sensitive topics very well. though this was a good read and i would recommend it to others, i do wish the characters were flushed out a bit more.