Heart Berries: A Memoir Hardcover – February 6, 2018

Life changing, eye opening, and ground breaking.A must read!Don’t miss out on this beautifully honest memoir. Masterfully written you will not put this book down.One love. (A)

This is a very short (less than 150 pages) memoir, and could conceivably be read in one sitting if one was so inclined, and in some ways it was hard to not just sit down and devour it. Terese Marie Mailhot is a beautiful writer, her prose is lyrical and shot through with lines of breathtaking insight and clarity. Even as she recounted some very heavy things, like her mental health breakdown in the wake of a bad breakup and coming to terms with the generational trauma she experienced as a Native American/First Nations woman, the way she wrote about it was honest and compelling and thoughtful. The thing that kept this from being truly great, for me, was its structure. I can deal with but don’t always love non-linear storytelling, but find it particularly challenging in memoir. It was difficult to orient myself in when things were happening, where she was along the trajectory of her life at any given moment. It’s a valid stylistic choice, of course, but didn’t quite work for me as a reader. It was still very good and I would recommend it, but only if you’re reading for something with a lot of darkness.

Just finished this book and read it in less than a day. Not exactly sure what to make of it- I had high expectations and they were met in some ways but not in others. I also just finished Girls Burn brighter which was one of the darkest books but highlighted ridiculous strength in women so that could have affected my perception of this book.The good: the writing is very powerful and unique in its style. Very well written and I appreciate the essay format and voice. I appreciated how direct the writing was because it allowed me to understand the author more. Tough subjects discussed and are the focus of the book. There was some positivity and light in the story, but overall it was very dark. Considering the heavy topics addressed (suicide, mental disorders, rape, violence) it was presented well and in such a way that I wanted to keep reading.The bad: I thought the story would be more focused on her culture and growing up in a seabird island colony and not so much on all the darkness she experienced. The relationship she had with Casey was horrible and I kept telling her like I would a friend, what are you doing? Why do you keep going back to him? You are stronger than this! Yet, he was the center of a lot of the horror she went through. It is amazing the strength she had to write this and go through what she did but her dysfunctional romantic relationship reminded me a lot of many battered women I have worked with and unfortunately made her seem weak.Overall: a thought-provoking, unique, and very well-written memoir. I had really high expectations and unfortunately, the book overall fell short. 5/10

Book 11 of 2022 — Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie MailhotAs a white woman living in America, I know I am privileged. There are many times I am faced with circumstances via the news or reading that I can never understand. However, Mailhot’s memoir spoke directly to my bones. My favorite line (of which there were many) was, “Despair is not a conduit for love”. Mailhot details her life in pieces, snapshots of the good and the bad that create who we are.Pros: While this was a tough read due mainly to the fact that you can literally feel Mailhot’s pain radiate from the pages, that makes it no less important. There were times in my reading that I felt like she was speaking directly to me. While our circumstances have been similar for a large part of our lives, she has faced many things I will never understand. However, at some point she stood up and said, “I am enough.” It took me nearly 37 years to reach that point. To look at my history and see that I have grown to be more than even I could have imagined. We are not only the sum of our parts.Cons: A difficult read. Trigger earnings for mental health, suicidal ideation, abandonment, sexual abuse, domestic violence, self-mutilation, and mentions of abortion.I applaud Mailhot’s honesty and character in revealing those things we would most like to keep hidden. I am glad this book was recommended to me and found myself unable to put it down.My sixth 5⭐️ of 2022. I would give it more if I could.5⭐️/5

A very disturbing angry novel.Riveting,, well written.Felt depressed after reading.Impressed with the struggle of this young women,, given her intelligence,, fortitude to keep moving forward,, despite incredible odds.A book of the human spirit

Its a dense read. But great one. Raw real and true. Great for those in the mental health feild and for all.

Me lo compré porque era el libro del mes de marzo-abril del club de lectura Our Shared Shelf y no está mal.

One of the best and most affecting books I've read in ages. A really original and interesting prose style. Loved it.

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