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The Way We Bared Our Souls
If you could trade your biggest burden for someone else’s, would you do it?
Five teenagers sit around a bonfire in the middle of the New Mexico desert. They don’t know it yet, but they are about to make the biggest sacrifice of their lives.
Lo has a family history of MS, and is starting to come down with all the symptoms.
Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia, is plagued by traumatic memories of his war-torn past.
Kaya would do anything to feel physical pain, but a rare condition called CIP keeps her numb.
Ellen can’t remember who she was before she started doing drugs.
Kit lost his girlfriend in a car accident and now he just can’t shake his newfound fear of death.
When they trade totems as a symbol of shedding and adopting one another’s sorrows, they think it’s only an exercise.
But in the morning, they wake to find their burdens gone…and replaced with someone else’s.
As the reality of the ritual unfolds, this unlikely group of five embarks on a week of beautiful, terrifying experiences that all culminate in one perfect truth: In the end, your soul is stronger than your burdens.
Five teenagers sit around a bonfire in the middle of the New Mexico desert. They don’t know it yet, but they are about to make the biggest sacrifice of their lives.
Lo has a family history of MS, and is starting to come down with all the symptoms.
Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia, is plagued by traumatic memories of his war-torn past.
Kaya would do anything to feel physical pain, but a rare condition called CIP keeps her numb.
Ellen can’t remember who she was before she started doing drugs.
Kit lost his girlfriend in a car accident and now he just can’t shake his newfound fear of death.
When they trade totems as a symbol of shedding and adopting one another’s sorrows, they think it’s only an exercise.
But in the morning, they wake to find their burdens gone…and replaced with someone else’s.
As the reality of the ritual unfolds, this unlikely group of five embarks on a week of beautiful, terrifying experiences that all culminate in one perfect truth: In the end, your soul is stronger than your burdens.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 22, 2015
24 people are currently reading
3813 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
December 27, 2016
Meh. I thought it'll be amazing but it turned out sooo boring.
January 10, 2015
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
The Way We Bared Our Souls by Willa Strayhorn
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: January 22, 2015
Rating: 3 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher (unsolicited)
Summary (from Goodreads):
If you could trade your biggest burden for someone else’s, would you do it?
Five teenagers sit around a bonfire in the middle of the New Mexico desert. They don’t know it yet, but they are about to make the biggest sacrifice of their lives.
Lo has a family history of MS, and is starting to come down with all the symptoms.
Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia, is plagued by traumatic memories of his war-torn past.
Kaya would do anything to feel physical pain, but a rare condition called CIP keeps her numb.
Ellen can’t remember who she was before she started doing drugs.
Kit lost his girlfriend in a car accident and now he just can’t shake his newfound fear of death.
When they trade totems as a symbol of shedding and adopting one another’s sorrows, they think it’s only an exercise.
But in the morning, they wake to find their burdens gone…and replaced with someone else’s.
As the reality of the ritual unfolds, this unlikely group of five embarks on a week of beautiful, terrifying experiences that all culminate in one perfect truth: In the end, your soul is stronger than your burdens.
What I Liked:
I was sent this book by the publisher as an unsolicited review copy, so I didn't feel much obligation to read it. But I read the synopsis, and it sounded pretty interesting to me, despite the fact that it's contemporary (and I don't really like contemporary novels). I liked this novel, even if I didn't love it.
The story is told from the first person point-of-view of Consuelo - "Lo". She is experiencing symptoms of MS, which is in her family. Kit, her ex-boyfriend, is grieving the loss of his dead girlfriend, Lucita. Thomas, a friend of Kit, is a former child soldier from Liberia, who has PTSD (or worse). Ellen, a former friend of Lo, has been using more and more drugs to feel less and less. Kaya, a former friend of Lo, has a condition that doesn't allow her to feel physical pain. All five teenagers suffer, and when Lo gets this group together, and they undergo a Native American ritual. But the ritual allows them to swap burdens, and for a week, they must learn how to handle new burdens, as well as their old ones.
This book was heavy. The story was so dense. And I don't mean physically. The novel isn't all that long, but the content is very dense. It took me a while to get though the book, and not because I was bored or because it was dragging. There was a lot going on, both on the surface level, and subtly. The author did a really great job of building all the levels of the story.
There are five main characters in this book. Lo is the narrator - we get her first person perspective throughout the entire novel. In the beginning, Lo pretends that things aren't the way they are, that she doesn't have MS. When she meets Jay by chance, she doesn't necessarily believe that the ritual will cure her, but she wants to believe that SOMETHING will change. She gathers four ailing peers as well - not really friends, but acquaintances.
The swap takes everyone by surprise. Lo has Kaya's condition. Kaya has Thomas's condition - except she sees memories of her ancestors (who were Native American). Thomas has Kit's condition - so he's afraid of death (Kit's girlfriend died of a car crash). Kit has Ellen's condition - he isn't addicted to drugs, but he is always high. Ellen has Lo's condition - she has symptoms of MS.
Lo actually likes Kaya's condition, not having pain. Ellen hates her new condition. Kit is always happy (high), so he doesn't really seem to mind. Thomas is haunted. reserved, and now seems afraid of things (whereas he was not afraid of much better). Kaya has visions of her ancestors, which involves a lot of death and fighting with whites. Overall, the week passes... interestingly. They have a week because Jay (who performed the ritual) told them that they should come back in a week.
The teens learn a lot about themselves, and each other (that sounds cliche, but it's true). None of them were friends at the start of the book. But as the novel progressed, they banded together. And in the end, the teens look out for each other.
Lo has always been intrigued by Thomas, the Liberian boy who used to be a child soldier. Throughout the course of the story, this romance develops. It's such a raw and deep relationship from the start. Lo doesn't want to believe that she has MS, but knows better. Thomas is haunted by death, caused his own hands, and otherwise. But slowly, they learn to trust each other differently.
The ending of this novel took me by surprise. There was no way that I could have seen it coming - no obvious clues, other than the constant reminder of Lo's father's job. But one character surprised me, and made the ending very explosive. Overall, I was content with the ending, if not a little sad. But happy.
What I Did Not Like:
Theoretically, this one should have gotten more stars, but I didn't *love* the book. I thought it was interesting, I followed the story, and I definitely wanted to know what was going on and what would happen, but I wasn't entirely invested in the book.
These types of books aren't really for me, honestly. I gave this one a chance (and I'm glad I did!), but I'm not a huge fan of tough-issue contemporary novels. There are a lot of teen problems handled in this book, and the author handled the difficult content well. I just don't really like reading such sad novels. Personal preference!
I think I wanted a little more from the plot with Kit and Ellen, and less with Kit and Kaya. It seemed like there was a love triangle going on (not a significant one), but the wishy-washy behavior of Kit could have been contributed to his state of high happiness.
I also wanted a little more from Kit's backstory. I feel like everyone got some sort of personal healing, during that week. But Kit's healing didn't really seem personal - I guess him being high the whole time allowed him get over his ex-girlfriend's death? But wouldn't he have experienced some sort of withdrawal, after the teens performed the ritual again? Wouldn't he have gone way down after being so high (so to speak)? I was a little confused as to his personal healing, as well as physical healing.
But anyway. I didn't love this book, I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't rate it five or four stars. I was deeply impressed by the debut, but as far as fiction and reading for enjoyment goes, I only liked the book, on a 3-star level. Which isn't bad!
Would I Recommend It:
Hmm, well, these types of novels don't really appeal to me - I struggle with tough-issue contemporary novels, but I liked this one. It's not something you can just jump into and read - it's not a light and fluffy read. It's dense and gritty and deep, and I liked it well enough, but I didn't love it. So, take that as you may!
Rating:
3 stars. A good debut novel from Strayhorn! I have no doubt that this talented author will write many more thought-provoking and intriguing stories.
The Way We Bared Our Souls by Willa Strayhorn
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: January 22, 2015
Rating: 3 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher (unsolicited)
Summary (from Goodreads):
If you could trade your biggest burden for someone else’s, would you do it?
Five teenagers sit around a bonfire in the middle of the New Mexico desert. They don’t know it yet, but they are about to make the biggest sacrifice of their lives.
Lo has a family history of MS, and is starting to come down with all the symptoms.
Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia, is plagued by traumatic memories of his war-torn past.
Kaya would do anything to feel physical pain, but a rare condition called CIP keeps her numb.
Ellen can’t remember who she was before she started doing drugs.
Kit lost his girlfriend in a car accident and now he just can’t shake his newfound fear of death.
When they trade totems as a symbol of shedding and adopting one another’s sorrows, they think it’s only an exercise.
But in the morning, they wake to find their burdens gone…and replaced with someone else’s.
As the reality of the ritual unfolds, this unlikely group of five embarks on a week of beautiful, terrifying experiences that all culminate in one perfect truth: In the end, your soul is stronger than your burdens.
What I Liked:
I was sent this book by the publisher as an unsolicited review copy, so I didn't feel much obligation to read it. But I read the synopsis, and it sounded pretty interesting to me, despite the fact that it's contemporary (and I don't really like contemporary novels). I liked this novel, even if I didn't love it.
The story is told from the first person point-of-view of Consuelo - "Lo". She is experiencing symptoms of MS, which is in her family. Kit, her ex-boyfriend, is grieving the loss of his dead girlfriend, Lucita. Thomas, a friend of Kit, is a former child soldier from Liberia, who has PTSD (or worse). Ellen, a former friend of Lo, has been using more and more drugs to feel less and less. Kaya, a former friend of Lo, has a condition that doesn't allow her to feel physical pain. All five teenagers suffer, and when Lo gets this group together, and they undergo a Native American ritual. But the ritual allows them to swap burdens, and for a week, they must learn how to handle new burdens, as well as their old ones.
This book was heavy. The story was so dense. And I don't mean physically. The novel isn't all that long, but the content is very dense. It took me a while to get though the book, and not because I was bored or because it was dragging. There was a lot going on, both on the surface level, and subtly. The author did a really great job of building all the levels of the story.
There are five main characters in this book. Lo is the narrator - we get her first person perspective throughout the entire novel. In the beginning, Lo pretends that things aren't the way they are, that she doesn't have MS. When she meets Jay by chance, she doesn't necessarily believe that the ritual will cure her, but she wants to believe that SOMETHING will change. She gathers four ailing peers as well - not really friends, but acquaintances.
The swap takes everyone by surprise. Lo has Kaya's condition. Kaya has Thomas's condition - except she sees memories of her ancestors (who were Native American). Thomas has Kit's condition - so he's afraid of death (Kit's girlfriend died of a car crash). Kit has Ellen's condition - he isn't addicted to drugs, but he is always high. Ellen has Lo's condition - she has symptoms of MS.
Lo actually likes Kaya's condition, not having pain. Ellen hates her new condition. Kit is always happy (high), so he doesn't really seem to mind. Thomas is haunted. reserved, and now seems afraid of things (whereas he was not afraid of much better). Kaya has visions of her ancestors, which involves a lot of death and fighting with whites. Overall, the week passes... interestingly. They have a week because Jay (who performed the ritual) told them that they should come back in a week.
The teens learn a lot about themselves, and each other (that sounds cliche, but it's true). None of them were friends at the start of the book. But as the novel progressed, they banded together. And in the end, the teens look out for each other.
Lo has always been intrigued by Thomas, the Liberian boy who used to be a child soldier. Throughout the course of the story, this romance develops. It's such a raw and deep relationship from the start. Lo doesn't want to believe that she has MS, but knows better. Thomas is haunted by death, caused his own hands, and otherwise. But slowly, they learn to trust each other differently.
The ending of this novel took me by surprise. There was no way that I could have seen it coming - no obvious clues, other than the constant reminder of Lo's father's job. But one character surprised me, and made the ending very explosive. Overall, I was content with the ending, if not a little sad. But happy.
What I Did Not Like:
Theoretically, this one should have gotten more stars, but I didn't *love* the book. I thought it was interesting, I followed the story, and I definitely wanted to know what was going on and what would happen, but I wasn't entirely invested in the book.
These types of books aren't really for me, honestly. I gave this one a chance (and I'm glad I did!), but I'm not a huge fan of tough-issue contemporary novels. There are a lot of teen problems handled in this book, and the author handled the difficult content well. I just don't really like reading such sad novels. Personal preference!
I think I wanted a little more from the plot with Kit and Ellen, and less with Kit and Kaya. It seemed like there was a love triangle going on (not a significant one), but the wishy-washy behavior of Kit could have been contributed to his state of high happiness.
I also wanted a little more from Kit's backstory. I feel like everyone got some sort of personal healing, during that week. But Kit's healing didn't really seem personal - I guess him being high the whole time allowed him get over his ex-girlfriend's death? But wouldn't he have experienced some sort of withdrawal, after the teens performed the ritual again? Wouldn't he have gone way down after being so high (so to speak)? I was a little confused as to his personal healing, as well as physical healing.
But anyway. I didn't love this book, I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't rate it five or four stars. I was deeply impressed by the debut, but as far as fiction and reading for enjoyment goes, I only liked the book, on a 3-star level. Which isn't bad!
Would I Recommend It:
Hmm, well, these types of novels don't really appeal to me - I struggle with tough-issue contemporary novels, but I liked this one. It's not something you can just jump into and read - it's not a light and fluffy read. It's dense and gritty and deep, and I liked it well enough, but I didn't love it. So, take that as you may!
Rating:
3 stars. A good debut novel from Strayhorn! I have no doubt that this talented author will write many more thought-provoking and intriguing stories.
August 2, 2015
read a brand new review + q&a with the author on booky berries!
i remembered something else kaya had said in people: "sometimes i don’t really consider my condition the absence of pain. i consider it the presence of something else. something magic."
where do i even start with this book? i spent months drooling over it after i saw the blurb and cover, and i had to have it the very second it was available. i loved (almost) everything: the setting, the characters, the friendships, the parental relationships, the familial relationships, the rituals, the storytelling/writing. it was beautiful. perhaps even more than all of that, from what i've gathered, the author did a lot of research about native american culture/history, and that's something that i really respect.
from the summary alone, i knew this book was going to be different from roughly 90% of the other books i've got on my to-read/read shelves, and i was not disappointed at all. consuelo was a strikingly unique mc, sassy, selfish, and occasionally infuriating in a way that was so realistically teenaged - not even just that, it was human. she was a human being that popped right out of the book, along with the rest of her friends.
even the background characters in this book were well thought out and meaningful, and the relationships that formed out of the main character's line of vision were perfect. strayhorn very skillfully wrote from a first person pov: consuelo never knew more than she would realistically know, there was no flirtation with the fourth wall. some questions were left unanswered, situations unexplained, characters underdeveloped, and all of that was perfect because that's how life works. you don't know everything about everyone around you, some things are a mystery, left unsolved forever. the most you can hope to do is learn from your own mistakes and grow as a person to be more emotionally intelligent and understanding, compassionate person, and this book really captured that.
there was only one flaw here for me, personally: the romance between . it was unnecessary, awkward, and to be completely honest, contrived. i've never liked the whole "i've always liked you since way before this book!!" trope because it feels like the author is taking the easy way out of having to write actual chemistry and development, and unfortunately, this book was no exception to that. i didn't actually understand why those two characters wanted to be together, except for this ritual drawing them together and even then, i'm not really sure i get it. there were other romances in this book that i liked, but that particular one just made me uncomfortable. it felt like this book could have been a lot better if that had been either left out entirely, or developed/acknowledged beyond just "i like you" "i like you too!!" and then eventually "i love you" "i love you too!!!" and everyone is magically happy.
overall, though, i thought this book was amazing.
i remembered something else kaya had said in people: "sometimes i don’t really consider my condition the absence of pain. i consider it the presence of something else. something magic."
where do i even start with this book? i spent months drooling over it after i saw the blurb and cover, and i had to have it the very second it was available. i loved (almost) everything: the setting, the characters, the friendships, the parental relationships, the familial relationships, the rituals, the storytelling/writing. it was beautiful. perhaps even more than all of that, from what i've gathered, the author did a lot of research about native american culture/history, and that's something that i really respect.
from the summary alone, i knew this book was going to be different from roughly 90% of the other books i've got on my to-read/read shelves, and i was not disappointed at all. consuelo was a strikingly unique mc, sassy, selfish, and occasionally infuriating in a way that was so realistically teenaged - not even just that, it was human. she was a human being that popped right out of the book, along with the rest of her friends.
even the background characters in this book were well thought out and meaningful, and the relationships that formed out of the main character's line of vision were perfect. strayhorn very skillfully wrote from a first person pov: consuelo never knew more than she would realistically know, there was no flirtation with the fourth wall. some questions were left unanswered, situations unexplained, characters underdeveloped, and all of that was perfect because that's how life works. you don't know everything about everyone around you, some things are a mystery, left unsolved forever. the most you can hope to do is learn from your own mistakes and grow as a person to be more emotionally intelligent and understanding, compassionate person, and this book really captured that.
there was only one flaw here for me, personally: the romance between . it was unnecessary, awkward, and to be completely honest, contrived. i've never liked the whole "i've always liked you since way before this book!!" trope because it feels like the author is taking the easy way out of having to write actual chemistry and development, and unfortunately, this book was no exception to that. i didn't actually understand why those two characters wanted to be together, except for this ritual drawing them together and even then, i'm not really sure i get it. there were other romances in this book that i liked, but that particular one just made me uncomfortable. it felt like this book could have been a lot better if that had been either left out entirely, or developed/acknowledged beyond just "i like you" "i like you too!!" and then eventually "i love you" "i love you too!!!" and everyone is magically happy.
overall, though, i thought this book was amazing.
March 28, 2015
The premise is interesting. The character development is lacking. It builds up to a psychologically thrilling point and the concludes like an episode of Full House.
July 20, 2019
Click here to see this review and others on my blog Reading With Daniella
The second I saw this cover, I knew I needed to have this book! It was just so beautiful. And when I read the synopsis, I knew that I REALLY NEEDED to read the book! The story sounded absolutely incredible, but after completing the book, I'm sorry to say that I'm a little disappointed. It had so much potential, but it fell short.
I didn't hate it, but it wasn't great.
First of all, the first chapter of the book takes place near the end of the story line. I found this to be rather confusing and it would have made a whole lot ore sense if the book just began from the beginning of the storyline (Chapter 2).
Also, the book started out a little bit slow and I found myself having to push through the first few chapters.
But I think that my biggest problem was
I didn't really love the writing style of the book either. It's kind of difficult for me to explain, but it often felt unnatural and forced, especially when it came to the dialogue.
Also, I expected the story to bounce between the point of views of the five teenagers, but it was actually only told from Lo's POV. I would have liked to get an inside look on all of their lives and their sides of the story, but Lo's POV was still decent (for the most part).
What I did really like was the entire concept of the book. I thought it was very creative and interesting, and had a strong lesson of appreciating what you have, and walking in someone else's shoes before judging them.
I liked the small amount of romance in the story, and for once, I'm happy that it didn't play too much of a big role. I usually love when romance is a big focus of a book, but I'm happy that it wasn't in this situation.
All in all, the book wasn't awful, but it certainly had its issues. I doubt I'll ever read it again and there are many, many considerably better YA standalone contemporaries out there.
I also can't see myself reading any other books by this author if she writes more in the future.
The second I saw this cover, I knew I needed to have this book! It was just so beautiful. And when I read the synopsis, I knew that I REALLY NEEDED to read the book! The story sounded absolutely incredible, but after completing the book, I'm sorry to say that I'm a little disappointed. It had so much potential, but it fell short.
I didn't hate it, but it wasn't great.
First of all, the first chapter of the book takes place near the end of the story line. I found this to be rather confusing and it would have made a whole lot ore sense if the book just began from the beginning of the storyline (Chapter 2).
Also, the book started out a little bit slow and I found myself having to push through the first few chapters.
But I think that my biggest problem was
I didn't really love the writing style of the book either. It's kind of difficult for me to explain, but it often felt unnatural and forced, especially when it came to the dialogue.
Also, I expected the story to bounce between the point of views of the five teenagers, but it was actually only told from Lo's POV. I would have liked to get an inside look on all of their lives and their sides of the story, but Lo's POV was still decent (for the most part).
What I did really like was the entire concept of the book. I thought it was very creative and interesting, and had a strong lesson of appreciating what you have, and walking in someone else's shoes before judging them.
I liked the small amount of romance in the story, and for once, I'm happy that it didn't play too much of a big role. I usually love when romance is a big focus of a book, but I'm happy that it wasn't in this situation.
All in all, the book wasn't awful, but it certainly had its issues. I doubt I'll ever read it again and there are many, many considerably better YA standalone contemporaries out there.
I also can't see myself reading any other books by this author if she writes more in the future.
February 4, 2018
Very interesting read. The premise of this book involves five teenagers each with a different suffering. Consuelo "Lo", our main character, has multiple sclerosis and when offered a way to get rid of it, jumps at the chance. But the catch is that each person will switch problems with another. Suddenly they realize that their problems are their own and shouldn't belong to another. I loved the way this was presented and really invested in the characters.
June 12, 2015
Have you ever finished a book and had a headache from the intensity? Well I just did! It was definitely one of those mind…blown moments.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started the novel and to be honest the beginning was a little slow for me. I thought about putting the book down and starting something else, but I decided to trek through and I’m very happy I did.
I really enjoyed the story idea and how it was executed was really well done. I loved Lo, I also loved that it was only in her perspective. Because I went into the story blind, I wasn’t sure if there were going to be multiple POVs and I wasn’t sure if it’d be confusing. I also loved how different each background was, and the stories behind them. I was most interested in Thomas’ and Kaya’s stories but found all of them capturing enough. Even though it was a little slow for me in the first 20-30 pages, once it got started, I felt like the story didn’t let up until it was over.
I do have a couple things about it that I didn’t like. The first one was there wasn’t enough dialogue for me. I really like reading about people and their conversations, and I felt like Lo lost me a few times with her constant descriptions and long blocks of text. Another thing I didn’t like was i felt the author used too many bigger words to make the writing seem smarter in some instances, or more profound. When I had to look up the meaning of a word, I found that a big distracting. Lastly, I did feel like some of the conversations between the friends were a little unbelievable, considering they are teenagers. I felt like most wouldn’t be so deep and profound when speaking to each other, but that’s probably just me. ;)
Still an amazing but that I really recommend you read. It makes you think about your problems in a new light, which is what I love most about books.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started the novel and to be honest the beginning was a little slow for me. I thought about putting the book down and starting something else, but I decided to trek through and I’m very happy I did.
I really enjoyed the story idea and how it was executed was really well done. I loved Lo, I also loved that it was only in her perspective. Because I went into the story blind, I wasn’t sure if there were going to be multiple POVs and I wasn’t sure if it’d be confusing. I also loved how different each background was, and the stories behind them. I was most interested in Thomas’ and Kaya’s stories but found all of them capturing enough. Even though it was a little slow for me in the first 20-30 pages, once it got started, I felt like the story didn’t let up until it was over.
I do have a couple things about it that I didn’t like. The first one was there wasn’t enough dialogue for me. I really like reading about people and their conversations, and I felt like Lo lost me a few times with her constant descriptions and long blocks of text. Another thing I didn’t like was i felt the author used too many bigger words to make the writing seem smarter in some instances, or more profound. When I had to look up the meaning of a word, I found that a big distracting. Lastly, I did feel like some of the conversations between the friends were a little unbelievable, considering they are teenagers. I felt like most wouldn’t be so deep and profound when speaking to each other, but that’s probably just me. ;)
Still an amazing but that I really recommend you read. It makes you think about your problems in a new light, which is what I love most about books.
December 20, 2014
I won this book in the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway. I read the first few chapters to see if it would be appropriate to give to my son. They were very well written and engrossing. I think he will really enjoy reading this book.
October 31, 2014
wow deep and so much better than I thought it would be :)
August 6, 2015
This was definitely a "teenage" book. The emotions, dialogue and actions of the characters were very juvenile and somewhat unnatural. I rolled my eyes a few times at the corny lines and events that took place. Even when a character dies, no one really seems that sad. The only thing I enjoyed was the setting and historical information about the Native Americans. Even though I believe the message of being thankful for what you have and living life to the fullest is strong in this novel and good for teenagers to read, it was still too immature for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2018
The Way We Bared Our Souls
follows Lo, a girl living in New Mexico, who believes she has the onset of MS, a condition that her aunt passed away from a few months prior. She's been experiencing the early symptoms of it, but is terrified of facing the truth, so has been hiding her pain from everyone around her. After a mysterious meeting with a Native American man, Jay, and his pet coyote, Dakota, she agrees to take part in a ceremony involving some 'magic', that she hopes will take away her pain. The only catch is she needs to bring along 4 friends who also have burdens that they will like to get rid of.
So our gang of misfits joining Lo are as follows: Kit, Lo's next door neighbour, and one-time boyfriend, who is suffering from depression after his girlfriend was killed in a car accident; Thomas, Lo's mysterious crush and former child solider from Liberia who's been struggling to adjust since being adopted by American missionaries; Ellen, Lo's friend who has been spiralling out of control for some time, and has a pretty heavy addiction to drugs; and Kaya, Lo's former best friend who has been living a very sheltered life as she has a condition where she cannot feel pain, at all.
After agreeing to take part in the ceremony, the gang is shocked to find that their burdens have been swapped, and they have to live in each other's shoes for a week, until the swap can be reversed..
So while I did somewhat enjoy this book, I had some issues with it. First of all, I feel like this story was very heavy handed on whole 'we all have burdens and you don't know what someone else is experiencing until you walk in their shoes' blah blah blah etc. Secondly, there was a huge plot point that takes place at the end of the book (but it's mentioned in the first chapter), and it wasn't handed very well. It was a huge thing that happened, and the reaction was basically, well that sucks, but it's okay, our lives are not majorly affected in any way despite the fact it should!! But yeah, after we sleep on it, we'll be fine and life goes on. What?
Despite that little niggle, it was an okay contemporary read with hints of magical realism. Just.. okay.
So our gang of misfits joining Lo are as follows: Kit, Lo's next door neighbour, and one-time boyfriend, who is suffering from depression after his girlfriend was killed in a car accident; Thomas, Lo's mysterious crush and former child solider from Liberia who's been struggling to adjust since being adopted by American missionaries; Ellen, Lo's friend who has been spiralling out of control for some time, and has a pretty heavy addiction to drugs; and Kaya, Lo's former best friend who has been living a very sheltered life as she has a condition where she cannot feel pain, at all.
After agreeing to take part in the ceremony, the gang is shocked to find that their burdens have been swapped, and they have to live in each other's shoes for a week, until the swap can be reversed..
So while I did somewhat enjoy this book, I had some issues with it. First of all, I feel like this story was very heavy handed on whole 'we all have burdens and you don't know what someone else is experiencing until you walk in their shoes' blah blah blah etc. Secondly, there was a huge plot point that takes place at the end of the book (but it's mentioned in the first chapter), and it wasn't handed very well. It was a huge thing that happened, and the reaction was basically, well that sucks, but it's okay, our lives are not majorly affected in any way despite the fact it should!! But yeah, after we sleep on it, we'll be fine and life goes on. What?
Despite that little niggle, it was an okay contemporary read with hints of magical realism. Just.. okay.
February 8, 2015
22529157
Amazon / Goodreads
If you could trade your biggest burden for someone else’s, would you do it?
Five teenagers sit around a bonfire in the middle of the New Mexico desert. They don’t know it yet, but they are about to make the biggest sacrifice of their lives.
Lo has a family history of MS, and is starting to come down with all the symptoms.
Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia, is plagued by traumatic memories of his war-torn past.
Kaya would do anything to feel physical pain, but a rare condition called CIP keeps her numb.
Ellen can’t remember who she was before she started doing drugs.
Kit lost his girlfriend in a car accident and now he just can’t shake his newfound fear of death.
When they trade totems as a symbol of shedding and adopting one another’s sorrows, they think it’s only an exercise.
But in the morning, they wake to find their burdens gone…and replaced with someone else’s.
As the reality of the ritual unfolds, this unlikely group of five embarks on a week of beautiful, terrifying experiences that all culminate in one perfect truth: In the end, your soul is stronger than your burdens.
I really liked this book. It was achingly heartbreaking. A tale of true understanding and forgiveness. It was a story about friendship and staying together. About bravery in the worst, and best, of times. Of loss and gain. Of love and hate. Of truly finding your soul among the lies and deceit.
It was diverse. We have Kaya who is the descendant of the Native Americans who came before the European settlers. We have Liberian child soldier Thomas. We have MS-riddled Lo. Drug-addicted Ellen. (I said there were two with health problems and three with psychological ones. Kaya and Lo had the health problems. Kit had depression. I think Thomas had PTSD. And Ellen had a drug addiction.) We had more than Caucasian males. We had a Native American girl. And an African. (If I got my geography right. Liberia is in Africa.)
I liked the diversity. We had many different people. I like that. The world is diverse. We need diversity. We can't just accept the guidelines. We need to break free and become a new generation of writers and readers. This book is the epitome of diversity. (Well...for this year...) Thank you, Willa Strayhorn. Thank you for that.
The characters are more human. They have problems. They have pasts. They aren't two dimensional.
I didn't particularly like Lo. She was caring, though. She cared for her friends. She was worried for them. (In her own special way.) She was just a bit...too annoying at first. A tad whiny. Just a tad. She grew into a new character, though. Someone entirely different. She saw the world differently. She wasn't whiny. She was brave.
Kaya was interesting. Her analgesia was fascinating to read about. (Even though I hadn't heard of it before.) She was interesting. But her personality wasn't set in stone before the ritual. And after? I don't know. She seemed to be jumping from out of it to hyper. It was confusing. She was supposed to have taken Thomas's burden. But it didn't seem that way. I still liked her, though.
Kit...I'm not sure what to think. He doesn't seem that mopey in the beginning. Out of it, maybe. But mopey? And depressed? Not exactly. He seemed to think too much. But...I really liked hyper-Kit. Man. That was just amazing to read. I loved it. I wanted to laugh and smack him on the head at the same time. Kit was actually pretty well written. But a bit too flirty with Ellen. And a bit too reminiscent. Also, I felt like the brotherhood between Kit and Thomas was missing.
Thomas. Wow. Thomas. Great character. Absolutely fantastic. I adored his character. A haunting backstory. Aloof personality. He was fantastic. He had a dark past he was trying to hide. And it kept running at him. He couldn't hide his past. And when he took on Kit's fear? Wow. He turned into a new person. And while he had to be comforted, he was still brave. He is a brave and strong character. Anyone has to be when they go through the pain of war. I am mildly reminded of two people as I think of Thomas. One is my brave friend. (I won't name names.) But I also think of Shin from the nonfiction book 'Escape from Camp 14'. Stuck in real life, these two had to become someone else. Someone who didn't have compassion. (No offense to them, of course.) They had to turn off their minds and just fight. Some might even say they aren't human. (Even though they are. Emotionless or not.) This is what I look for in characters. A character you can care for. Someone who grows on you. Someone who makes you care and feel for them.
Ellen. Ah. I don't know what to think of Ellen. She is like...a female Kit. If that makes any sense. I didn't exactly like her. She wasn't someone I would like. In general. She was a bit annoying. And a little whiny. And she didn't really shake that. But...people will like her. I just didn't.
These characters all changed. That was something amazing. They all became someone else. They found the path. That was truly amazing.
It wasn't too heavy with the romance. The romance was, actually, kind of cute. (Between Thomas and Lo, I mean.) They were two people who were struggling through life. They complemented each other. One was darker. Another breaking in the darkness. They were like two halves of the same whole. And, if you know me, I don't like romance. (Practically ever. There are only a handful of couples I don't mind. Only a few I like. Only...one or two I ship undoubtedly.)
They weren't absolutely adorable. They were cute. Not bad. But not fantastic. There were things I didn't like. For example, how fast they moved things along. They were fast. They kissed. And barely did any talking before it. Wow. Physical attraction is a lot these days.
Other than that, I was fine with the romance. Between Lo and Thomas.
Ellen and Kit is a whole other story. I didn't like that. Where is the spark? The chemistry? When did they ever talk? I don't see it.
The only thing I didn't like was the ending. I mean...wow. The action tumbling over your head in the last few chapters. Things were thrown at you. It was a surprise ending. And then...things rolled down the resolution. And it wasn't the best resolution. I wish there was something better.
I didn't want Kaya to die. (Not a spoiler, guys. It's within the first chapter. I didn't ruin anything.) She wasn't a bad character. She was important to Lo. Lo had too much pain to begin with. (Aunt Karine. Hint hint.) There was so much happening. Goodness...
And how the story started at the end. I didn't like that. It was a bit odd for me. I prefer to have stories that start with the beginning. Chronological order is better for me. It's confusing when you just jump into the end, or the middle. It's just a nuisance, though. Not completely terrible. Only...meh.
Weather:
Clear skies
5/5
Amazon / Goodreads
If you could trade your biggest burden for someone else’s, would you do it?
Five teenagers sit around a bonfire in the middle of the New Mexico desert. They don’t know it yet, but they are about to make the biggest sacrifice of their lives.
Lo has a family history of MS, and is starting to come down with all the symptoms.
Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia, is plagued by traumatic memories of his war-torn past.
Kaya would do anything to feel physical pain, but a rare condition called CIP keeps her numb.
Ellen can’t remember who she was before she started doing drugs.
Kit lost his girlfriend in a car accident and now he just can’t shake his newfound fear of death.
When they trade totems as a symbol of shedding and adopting one another’s sorrows, they think it’s only an exercise.
But in the morning, they wake to find their burdens gone…and replaced with someone else’s.
As the reality of the ritual unfolds, this unlikely group of five embarks on a week of beautiful, terrifying experiences that all culminate in one perfect truth: In the end, your soul is stronger than your burdens.
I really liked this book. It was achingly heartbreaking. A tale of true understanding and forgiveness. It was a story about friendship and staying together. About bravery in the worst, and best, of times. Of loss and gain. Of love and hate. Of truly finding your soul among the lies and deceit.
It was diverse. We have Kaya who is the descendant of the Native Americans who came before the European settlers. We have Liberian child soldier Thomas. We have MS-riddled Lo. Drug-addicted Ellen. (I said there were two with health problems and three with psychological ones. Kaya and Lo had the health problems. Kit had depression. I think Thomas had PTSD. And Ellen had a drug addiction.) We had more than Caucasian males. We had a Native American girl. And an African. (If I got my geography right. Liberia is in Africa.)
I liked the diversity. We had many different people. I like that. The world is diverse. We need diversity. We can't just accept the guidelines. We need to break free and become a new generation of writers and readers. This book is the epitome of diversity. (Well...for this year...) Thank you, Willa Strayhorn. Thank you for that.
The characters are more human. They have problems. They have pasts. They aren't two dimensional.
I didn't particularly like Lo. She was caring, though. She cared for her friends. She was worried for them. (In her own special way.) She was just a bit...too annoying at first. A tad whiny. Just a tad. She grew into a new character, though. Someone entirely different. She saw the world differently. She wasn't whiny. She was brave.
Kaya was interesting. Her analgesia was fascinating to read about. (Even though I hadn't heard of it before.) She was interesting. But her personality wasn't set in stone before the ritual. And after? I don't know. She seemed to be jumping from out of it to hyper. It was confusing. She was supposed to have taken Thomas's burden. But it didn't seem that way. I still liked her, though.
Kit...I'm not sure what to think. He doesn't seem that mopey in the beginning. Out of it, maybe. But mopey? And depressed? Not exactly. He seemed to think too much. But...I really liked hyper-Kit. Man. That was just amazing to read. I loved it. I wanted to laugh and smack him on the head at the same time. Kit was actually pretty well written. But a bit too flirty with Ellen. And a bit too reminiscent. Also, I felt like the brotherhood between Kit and Thomas was missing.
Thomas. Wow. Thomas. Great character. Absolutely fantastic. I adored his character. A haunting backstory. Aloof personality. He was fantastic. He had a dark past he was trying to hide. And it kept running at him. He couldn't hide his past. And when he took on Kit's fear? Wow. He turned into a new person. And while he had to be comforted, he was still brave. He is a brave and strong character. Anyone has to be when they go through the pain of war. I am mildly reminded of two people as I think of Thomas. One is my brave friend. (I won't name names.) But I also think of Shin from the nonfiction book 'Escape from Camp 14'. Stuck in real life, these two had to become someone else. Someone who didn't have compassion. (No offense to them, of course.) They had to turn off their minds and just fight. Some might even say they aren't human. (Even though they are. Emotionless or not.) This is what I look for in characters. A character you can care for. Someone who grows on you. Someone who makes you care and feel for them.
Ellen. Ah. I don't know what to think of Ellen. She is like...a female Kit. If that makes any sense. I didn't exactly like her. She wasn't someone I would like. In general. She was a bit annoying. And a little whiny. And she didn't really shake that. But...people will like her. I just didn't.
These characters all changed. That was something amazing. They all became someone else. They found the path. That was truly amazing.
It wasn't too heavy with the romance. The romance was, actually, kind of cute. (Between Thomas and Lo, I mean.) They were two people who were struggling through life. They complemented each other. One was darker. Another breaking in the darkness. They were like two halves of the same whole. And, if you know me, I don't like romance. (Practically ever. There are only a handful of couples I don't mind. Only a few I like. Only...one or two I ship undoubtedly.)
They weren't absolutely adorable. They were cute. Not bad. But not fantastic. There were things I didn't like. For example, how fast they moved things along. They were fast. They kissed. And barely did any talking before it. Wow. Physical attraction is a lot these days.
Other than that, I was fine with the romance. Between Lo and Thomas.
Ellen and Kit is a whole other story. I didn't like that. Where is the spark? The chemistry? When did they ever talk? I don't see it.
The only thing I didn't like was the ending. I mean...wow. The action tumbling over your head in the last few chapters. Things were thrown at you. It was a surprise ending. And then...things rolled down the resolution. And it wasn't the best resolution. I wish there was something better.
I didn't want Kaya to die. (Not a spoiler, guys. It's within the first chapter. I didn't ruin anything.) She wasn't a bad character. She was important to Lo. Lo had too much pain to begin with. (Aunt Karine. Hint hint.) There was so much happening. Goodness...
And how the story started at the end. I didn't like that. It was a bit odd for me. I prefer to have stories that start with the beginning. Chronological order is better for me. It's confusing when you just jump into the end, or the middle. It's just a nuisance, though. Not completely terrible. Only...meh.
Weather:
Clear skies
5/5
Read
April 30, 2015I cannot help it; I have grown achingly, increasingly bored with basic YA storylines. You know the drill. A girl trapped in a dystopian society realizes she is different and overtakes the government with the help of a capital-R Resistance. Meanwhile, a girl in our world meets an enigmatic bad boy whose secrets threaten to tear her apart. I have read so much YA that these tropes fail to impress me, even when executed well.
That is why I am so drawn to unique concepts in fiction—I am so much more inclined to enjoy a book that explores a completely new idea. And that is why, when I first heard about The Way We Bared Our Souls, I knew I had to read it.
To some extent, Willa Strayhorn's debut delivers on its creative premise. The author does a fantastic job of describing each burden, painting a vivid picture of the symptoms of MS, the trauma of being a child soldier, and more. Even better, after the switch, Strayhorn creatively applies each new issue to each character. None of the burdens affect their new owners in quite the same way as their old owners, and I loved watching the impact of a given issue vary from person to person.
But, much like the lives of its main characters, this book's plot is not perfect. It lacks one key element: plausibility. At the start of the story, the burden-swappers are perfectly non-magical individuals living normal lives in the Santa Fe suburbs. But once they realize their burdens have been shuffled, they accept the situation as if it magic is a day-to-day event. Of course, they panic a bit as they grapple with each other's issues, but they barely seem surprised that they have been involved in an act of successful sorcery. I would have liked to see more confusion, more incredulity—I could not believe that they could simply brush off their situation with an "oh, that's strange."
Additionally, Strayhorn completely glazes over one major plot point: other characters who might realize that Lo, Thomas, Kaya, Ellen, and Kit have changed dramatically. No one—not even the protagonists' parents—notice anything different after the burden switch, another element I did not find believable. To be fair, some of the characters have rather absent parents, and others have small social circles, but with five main characters, someone should have noticed something was off. The fact that the author did not include this conflict makes the story seem a bit lazy and underdeveloped.
All of this could have worked if Strayhorn had given the story an atmospheric magical realism feeling, hinting that the characters do live in a world blurred at the corners by magic. However, Strayhorn's writing style does not achieve any kind of mystical mood. Instead, it reads as if the author was trying too hard to meet a set of YA criteria. At times, the voice of the narrator, Lo, comes across as slightly forced as she describes the requisite high school social hierarchy that too many YA novels emphasize. Even worse, The Way We Bared Our Souls includes an awkward romance with no real chemistry, only to meet the unspoken romance requirement in YA. The writing style is safe, never straying from established conventions, but it needed to be as bold, unique, and magical as the plot it accompanies.
However, as negative as my review may sound, I did enjoy this book. I just cannot ignore the lack of plausibility and nuance. Of course, Strayhorn is a debut author with plenty of time to grow—and with her incredible story ideas, I have high hopes for her future novels. I will absolutely pick up her next book, and I cannot wait to watch her style blossom.
This review originally appeared at www.foreverliterary.blogspot.com.
That is why I am so drawn to unique concepts in fiction—I am so much more inclined to enjoy a book that explores a completely new idea. And that is why, when I first heard about The Way We Bared Our Souls, I knew I had to read it.
To some extent, Willa Strayhorn's debut delivers on its creative premise. The author does a fantastic job of describing each burden, painting a vivid picture of the symptoms of MS, the trauma of being a child soldier, and more. Even better, after the switch, Strayhorn creatively applies each new issue to each character. None of the burdens affect their new owners in quite the same way as their old owners, and I loved watching the impact of a given issue vary from person to person.
But, much like the lives of its main characters, this book's plot is not perfect. It lacks one key element: plausibility. At the start of the story, the burden-swappers are perfectly non-magical individuals living normal lives in the Santa Fe suburbs. But once they realize their burdens have been shuffled, they accept the situation as if it magic is a day-to-day event. Of course, they panic a bit as they grapple with each other's issues, but they barely seem surprised that they have been involved in an act of successful sorcery. I would have liked to see more confusion, more incredulity—I could not believe that they could simply brush off their situation with an "oh, that's strange."
Additionally, Strayhorn completely glazes over one major plot point: other characters who might realize that Lo, Thomas, Kaya, Ellen, and Kit have changed dramatically. No one—not even the protagonists' parents—notice anything different after the burden switch, another element I did not find believable. To be fair, some of the characters have rather absent parents, and others have small social circles, but with five main characters, someone should have noticed something was off. The fact that the author did not include this conflict makes the story seem a bit lazy and underdeveloped.
All of this could have worked if Strayhorn had given the story an atmospheric magical realism feeling, hinting that the characters do live in a world blurred at the corners by magic. However, Strayhorn's writing style does not achieve any kind of mystical mood. Instead, it reads as if the author was trying too hard to meet a set of YA criteria. At times, the voice of the narrator, Lo, comes across as slightly forced as she describes the requisite high school social hierarchy that too many YA novels emphasize. Even worse, The Way We Bared Our Souls includes an awkward romance with no real chemistry, only to meet the unspoken romance requirement in YA. The writing style is safe, never straying from established conventions, but it needed to be as bold, unique, and magical as the plot it accompanies.
However, as negative as my review may sound, I did enjoy this book. I just cannot ignore the lack of plausibility and nuance. Of course, Strayhorn is a debut author with plenty of time to grow—and with her incredible story ideas, I have high hopes for her future novels. I will absolutely pick up her next book, and I cannot wait to watch her style blossom.
This review originally appeared at www.foreverliterary.blogspot.com.
January 21, 2015
The Way We Bared Our Souls by Willa Strayhorn takes us through themes relevant to what adolescents face and highlights important issues in society in a interesting, clever, and unique way. Specifically, it expresses that to be comfortable with who you are, you must first realize you cannot be anyone else and your soul is stronger than your burdens. The book, published by Razorbill in 2015, is 228 pages and is in the contemporary/YA genre.
As the book opens, readers learn about Lo, a teen who struggles with her overwhelming symptoms of MS. The story is also told from her perspective, and from this, we gather insight into her thought, life, and needs throughout the spiritual journey she experiences. The writing is not very sophisticated, but the descriptive, simplistic style fits well with the perspective from which the story is told. Lo meets a medicine man who she immediately trusts, and he persuades her to participate in a sacred ritual that is said to solve her problem. She gathers the necessary group of four others, Kit, Kaya, Thomas, and Ellen, who each receive a totem from the ritual. The day after the ritual is performed, they had swapped burdens and totems. The book follows their week-long journey as they embark in finding strength in their souls. When they swap burdens with each other, they must walk in each other’s shoes and understand their newfound difficulties. When they have to learn how to cope with another’s body and how it affects their mind. When they realize the depth of their souls and how it carries them, you can overcome any burden because their soul is strong and because who they are is unique and their burden is part of who they are.
The intensity of the book is highly captivating and moves the book along quickly. An interesting point to highlight is the fact that the idea that acts as the antagonist is each character’s burden rather than a person. The plot greatly depends on the setting because many of the events that take place throughout the book are based off the modern and historical New Mexico culture and history that surrounds where they live. While this book starting with Lo’s perspective, and focused on her and no other character, as new characters were introduced, character development was very evident in Lo and the other characters as we learned more about their past, as well as their hopes and souls, which both a focuses in the book. Each character is forced to deal with adult topics at a young age. These adult topics extremely heavy, but the writing style markets the books towards teenagers. This marketing can be perceived as quite accurate, because many times adolescents are the people who are forced to deal with it.
The authors purpose was to entertain, and this was definitely achieved through an informal, roundly articulate, descriptive, distinctive, fast-paced and conversational writing style. Strayhorn demonstrates an ability to keep the story moving and interesting well. There was always an event taking place that relates to the theme or plot of the novel, making the novel cohesive. This was an extremely interesting and unique plot that was creative as well as being fast-paced. Because of this, I would recommend this book to teenagers who enjoyed books by John Green, Sarah Dessen, or Laurie Halse Anderson.
As the book opens, readers learn about Lo, a teen who struggles with her overwhelming symptoms of MS. The story is also told from her perspective, and from this, we gather insight into her thought, life, and needs throughout the spiritual journey she experiences. The writing is not very sophisticated, but the descriptive, simplistic style fits well with the perspective from which the story is told. Lo meets a medicine man who she immediately trusts, and he persuades her to participate in a sacred ritual that is said to solve her problem. She gathers the necessary group of four others, Kit, Kaya, Thomas, and Ellen, who each receive a totem from the ritual. The day after the ritual is performed, they had swapped burdens and totems. The book follows their week-long journey as they embark in finding strength in their souls. When they swap burdens with each other, they must walk in each other’s shoes and understand their newfound difficulties. When they have to learn how to cope with another’s body and how it affects their mind. When they realize the depth of their souls and how it carries them, you can overcome any burden because their soul is strong and because who they are is unique and their burden is part of who they are.
The intensity of the book is highly captivating and moves the book along quickly. An interesting point to highlight is the fact that the idea that acts as the antagonist is each character’s burden rather than a person. The plot greatly depends on the setting because many of the events that take place throughout the book are based off the modern and historical New Mexico culture and history that surrounds where they live. While this book starting with Lo’s perspective, and focused on her and no other character, as new characters were introduced, character development was very evident in Lo and the other characters as we learned more about their past, as well as their hopes and souls, which both a focuses in the book. Each character is forced to deal with adult topics at a young age. These adult topics extremely heavy, but the writing style markets the books towards teenagers. This marketing can be perceived as quite accurate, because many times adolescents are the people who are forced to deal with it.
The authors purpose was to entertain, and this was definitely achieved through an informal, roundly articulate, descriptive, distinctive, fast-paced and conversational writing style. Strayhorn demonstrates an ability to keep the story moving and interesting well. There was always an event taking place that relates to the theme or plot of the novel, making the novel cohesive. This was an extremely interesting and unique plot that was creative as well as being fast-paced. Because of this, I would recommend this book to teenagers who enjoyed books by John Green, Sarah Dessen, or Laurie Halse Anderson.
February 12, 2015
It all started with Lo, who was told about an ancient ritual that could relieve her burden and the burdens of four others. Lo, who's aunt died of MS and is starting to show symptoms. She recruits Kit, who's afraid of death even since his girlfriend died; Kaya, who can't feel pain due to her CIP; Thomas, an orphan and former child soldier plagued by memories; and Ellen, too lost in her haze of drugs to feel anything real. It doesn't seem like the ritual works, until the next morning when they each wake up with their burden gone, and a new one having replaced it.
I absolutely loved the concept of this book. There was the 'grass isn't always greener' lesson that so many people have to learn(sometimes more than once) in their lives but there was also the lesson of everyone's pain should count, it shouldn't be dismissed just because someone else has it worse. And it left a very good question in: if you could get rid of your burden for a week but had to take on someone else's, would you?
The whole book was told from Lo's POV. We stayed with her as she struggled to cope with the emerging symptoms of MS, her desperation to find four others for the ritual, her fear as she realized what the ritual had done. Her growth through the book was great to see and I loved how much she cared about her friends. She wanted to ritual to work not only for her, but for them all. She wanted them all to be okay.
I do wish we had gotten to spend a little more time with the other characters before the ritual to get a better sense of how their burdens were affecting them and who they were as people. And being restricted to Lo's POV, we only saw them after the ritual when she was with them. Though they each managed to show growth and it was really interesting to see how each character dealt with their new burden, and what they eventually came to realize about their past burden. But it did feel like seeing everything from Lo's POV lessened the impact of the other characters' lessons.
The book started out with a very interesting and high stakes first chapter and then flashed back to a little over a week prior. Almost the whole book was set within that week. It was very character driven, the plot was centered around their growth in the week between the rituals. It wasn't a long book, under 300 pages, and was a surprisingly fast read even though it dealt with a lot of issues.
Even though it was a short read, it still made me think and left an impact.
I absolutely loved the concept of this book. There was the 'grass isn't always greener' lesson that so many people have to learn(sometimes more than once) in their lives but there was also the lesson of everyone's pain should count, it shouldn't be dismissed just because someone else has it worse. And it left a very good question in: if you could get rid of your burden for a week but had to take on someone else's, would you?
The whole book was told from Lo's POV. We stayed with her as she struggled to cope with the emerging symptoms of MS, her desperation to find four others for the ritual, her fear as she realized what the ritual had done. Her growth through the book was great to see and I loved how much she cared about her friends. She wanted to ritual to work not only for her, but for them all. She wanted them all to be okay.
I do wish we had gotten to spend a little more time with the other characters before the ritual to get a better sense of how their burdens were affecting them and who they were as people. And being restricted to Lo's POV, we only saw them after the ritual when she was with them. Though they each managed to show growth and it was really interesting to see how each character dealt with their new burden, and what they eventually came to realize about their past burden. But it did feel like seeing everything from Lo's POV lessened the impact of the other characters' lessons.
The book started out with a very interesting and high stakes first chapter and then flashed back to a little over a week prior. Almost the whole book was set within that week. It was very character driven, the plot was centered around their growth in the week between the rituals. It wasn't a long book, under 300 pages, and was a surprisingly fast read even though it dealt with a lot of issues.
Even though it was a short read, it still made me think and left an impact.
January 15, 2015
Only got about 40 pages in, and probably wouldn't have pushed myself that far if it weren't for this being a book club pick. Basically the writing wasn't strong enough for my taste. And while I don't doubt that the author must have done some research for her premise and her characters, the use of various cultures didn't seem expertly done (i.e., not sensitive or well-employed).
Other thoughts:
- The first chapter is confusing and unnecessary. Could have just started at Chapter 2.
- Given the premise, I was expecting a 3rd person narration, or rotating 1st person POVs between the 5 main characters. I was looking forward to that. Instead, we're with Lo all the time.
- In fairness, Lo's POV isn't terrible. But again, the writing just isn't great.
Other thoughts:
- The first chapter is confusing and unnecessary. Could have just started at Chapter 2.
- Given the premise, I was expecting a 3rd person narration, or rotating 1st person POVs between the 5 main characters. I was looking forward to that. Instead, we're with Lo all the time.
- In fairness, Lo's POV isn't terrible. But again, the writing just isn't great.
July 23, 2015
Disappointed with this book. The romance was cute, and I'm glad it wasn't the main focus of the book. But the dialogue writing got annoying (said was used way too much), and it got cheesy at times. The book also felt fast in some parts, and the "beautiful experiences" were really just regular things.
February 23, 2015
I didn't love how this ended up being, but it was different to other books I've read, which is a huge positive, so.
April 24, 2015
what even was this book
December 6, 2015
3.5 stars, rounded up
full review to come!
full review to come!
April 8, 2017
This was just okay. I am leaning more towards it being a 2.5 or 2.75.
Right away I decided I didn't love the writing style BUT there are several beautiful passages and some amazing imagery.
I love the concept of this book. Interesting and sad chronic illnesses and tragic events haunting these people's lives and getting to see what happens when you switch burdens for a week sounds super cool. I just don't think it was done very well. I started to see in other reviews that native Americans were not portrayed fairly or accurately in this and it is not up to me to say if that's true or not so I have to believe it is if it's coming from the source.
I saw this book had a magical realism tag attached to it. You have to suspend belief quite a bit to accept the plot of this and not even just the most outrageous parts of it either. For example how does Lo convince these people who are barely her friends to go with her to the desert for some strange healing ritual?? You wouldn't catch me agreeing to that.
Although I'm thankful this wasn't another multiple perspectives book, I think we didn't quite get enough of what each person experienced after the switch or what they might have learned from it about themselves and each other.
All in all I would love to read a story like this with a different setting. Again, the concept is super interesting but I didn't love how it all came together.
PS: these people were all a littttttle bit (a lot) way too accepting of what happened. You go to this weird desert ritual where there's this dude who has a pet coyote and proceeds to spit on you, then suddenly the next day you have someone else's burdens, and you DONT freak out about it?! These kids just wake up then next day not in the least bit shocked and they should have at least had a chapter where they were struggling with this development. All of a sudden one girl is like yep I have this chronic illness now, sucks. There was no "oh my god what if we're stuck like this forever." Idk....something more profound needed to happen within this book.
Right away I decided I didn't love the writing style BUT there are several beautiful passages and some amazing imagery.
I love the concept of this book. Interesting and sad chronic illnesses and tragic events haunting these people's lives and getting to see what happens when you switch burdens for a week sounds super cool. I just don't think it was done very well. I started to see in other reviews that native Americans were not portrayed fairly or accurately in this and it is not up to me to say if that's true or not so I have to believe it is if it's coming from the source.
I saw this book had a magical realism tag attached to it. You have to suspend belief quite a bit to accept the plot of this and not even just the most outrageous parts of it either. For example how does Lo convince these people who are barely her friends to go with her to the desert for some strange healing ritual?? You wouldn't catch me agreeing to that.
Although I'm thankful this wasn't another multiple perspectives book, I think we didn't quite get enough of what each person experienced after the switch or what they might have learned from it about themselves and each other.
All in all I would love to read a story like this with a different setting. Again, the concept is super interesting but I didn't love how it all came together.
PS: these people were all a littttttle bit (a lot) way too accepting of what happened. You go to this weird desert ritual where there's this dude who has a pet coyote and proceeds to spit on you, then suddenly the next day you have someone else's burdens, and you DONT freak out about it?! These kids just wake up then next day not in the least bit shocked and they should have at least had a chapter where they were struggling with this development. All of a sudden one girl is like yep I have this chronic illness now, sucks. There was no "oh my god what if we're stuck like this forever." Idk....something more profound needed to happen within this book.
May 10, 2017
Oh man...what do I say about this book? I bought this a couple months ago from BookOutlet and I was very excited to start it. The synopsis sounds fascinating and unique; like something I've never read before, and it is. I have to give props to Strayhorn for the overall uniqueness of her book. That's about all I can commend though.
This had the potential to be so freaking good. Unfortunately, it was poorly written. The characters are poorly designed and it does more telling than showing. Each of the characters are tragically flawed and I wish that they had been fleshed out more rather than being props.
My biggest grievance is with Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia who struggles with his past and the things he had to do. If written properly, this would have been an amazing story. However, the first time we're introduced to Thomas, it's with shallow superficiality. The first thing to describe him is, "In brief, [Thomas] was a really hot student from Africa who looked half the time as if he wanted you dead the other half as if he was about to hand you a bouquet of flowers and sweep you off your feet." Seriously, what the hell???? Of all the things you could introduce a character with, this is how you choose? I'm not sure if Strayhorn was attempting to be "cool" or "hip" but this was unnecessary.
Also, the entire issue with
The only reason I'm giving this two stars instead of one is because it was a quick read. I wanted to know how it ended, even though I didn't like it. So I guess there's that.
This had the potential to be so freaking good. Unfortunately, it was poorly written. The characters are poorly designed and it does more telling than showing. Each of the characters are tragically flawed and I wish that they had been fleshed out more rather than being props.
My biggest grievance is with Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia who struggles with his past and the things he had to do. If written properly, this would have been an amazing story. However, the first time we're introduced to Thomas, it's with shallow superficiality. The first thing to describe him is, "In brief, [Thomas] was a really hot student from Africa who looked half the time as if he wanted you dead the other half as if he was about to hand you a bouquet of flowers and sweep you off your feet." Seriously, what the hell???? Of all the things you could introduce a character with, this is how you choose? I'm not sure if Strayhorn was attempting to be "cool" or "hip" but this was unnecessary.
Also, the entire issue with
The only reason I'm giving this two stars instead of one is because it was a quick read. I wanted to know how it ended, even though I didn't like it. So I guess there's that.
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April 1, 2021I usually don't write reviews for books I don't finish, but decided to make an exception for this one. I was excited going into this book because the idea of it sounded unique and interesting. However, 50 pages into it and I am just disappointed. I greatly dislike the way the author wrote about the other cultures and POC in the book. In general I did not like the main character much at all. She felt too snobbish to me and I found myself thinking "What the hell?!" multiple times by things she either thought or said. Overall I would not recommend this book and am ready to move on to something better.
August 27, 2021
i really did enjoy this book, but a lot of parts of it had me feeling kind of uncomfortable; like secondhand embarrassment. as well as the non natives calling indigenous people indian a lot, wasn’t that swag
all in all though, i’m glad i read the book and i did enjoy the plot but it could’ve used a couple more revisions
all in all though, i’m glad i read the book and i did enjoy the plot but it could’ve used a couple more revisions
April 13, 2017
Great concept, beautiful execution. I would have liked it more if there wasn't a romance subplot.
October 12, 2017
This book changed me i think that this book was the best book ever i´m in love with all the characters and just saying i also cried at the end i cant lie
July 3, 2020
The concept was interesting... And that's it. That's the only good thing I can possibly say about this book. Ick.
March 2, 2017
I'm a little bit angry with this book right now.
Don't get me wrong. That doesn't mean I disliked it, obviously, I did (4 stars), but it made a few years trickle down my face. In all fairness, I actually appreciate that depth of emotion...much more than I appreciate the cliche love story. I am so anti-love story. Also, I really wish the ending had been messier. Leave some questions unanswered. Give me more to ponder. Aside from those gripes it was great. It made me really think about my own burdens and encouraged me to get my kids (students) thinking about theirs (and thinking about their willingness to take on the burdens of other people).
Don't get me wrong. That doesn't mean I disliked it, obviously, I did (4 stars), but it made a few years trickle down my face. In all fairness, I actually appreciate that depth of emotion...much more than I appreciate the cliche love story. I am so anti-love story. Also, I really wish the ending had been messier. Leave some questions unanswered. Give me more to ponder. Aside from those gripes it was great. It made me really think about my own burdens and encouraged me to get my kids (students) thinking about theirs (and thinking about their willingness to take on the burdens of other people).
February 2, 2015
The Way We Bared Our Souls by Willa Strayhorn is a YA novel with a very unique concept. When I read the description, I thought to myself, this is different, and it really interested me. What would you think about 5 troubled teenagers, with various issues physically, mentally, or on drugs that find themselves in the midst of a healing ritual that will have them unknowingly switch their burdens with someone else within the 5.
In the beginning of The Way We Bared Our Souls, we meet our heroine of this story. Lo is undergoing an examination as to symptoms she has been having that might be the sign multiple sclerosis, which her beloved aunt recently died from. She tries to hide her fears by pretending nothing is wrong to friends and family. While walking home from school, she comes across a stranger and his coyote. We meet Jay, who is a shaman. Jay tells her things about herself that no one really knows, and she begins to believe him when he talks about a healing ritual. Agreeing to give it a try, she must find 4 friends, who suffer from different types of conditions, and meet with Jay on the weekend.
We get to meet and learn more about the 4 friends that she will find to help complete the ritual.
Kaya – who suffers from inability to feel physical pain, due to a rare condition called CIP that makes her feel numb.
Kit – who is deeply lost in grief for his dead girlfriend.
Ellen – who has become totally hooked on drugs, causing her memory loss.
Thomas – a young child soldier, who can’t get past the nightmares of horrors he witnessed.
When all five meet in a cave in Santa Fe, Jay explains the ritual that will help them cleanse their souls. They will meet back in a week, and after Jay leaves, the 5 sit there not sensing anything different. But later that night or the following morning, they find that they have swapped their burdens.
Lo takes on the numbness of Kaya; Kaya takes on Thomas emotional nightmares, but her own history; Ellen picks up Lo’s pain; Kit enjoys the new feeling of be happy, but without the drugs Ellen was taking; and Thomas takes on Kit’s fears of death.
All this is early on, and what follows is an interesting story that leads each of them to look at things in a different perspective, different pain; which also brings about revelations, coming to terms with their own lives and bringing them all closer, as well as tragedy. Will they find their way back to their own burdens? Will they be able to recover? You will have to read the book to find the answers.
This was an interesting storyline, completely different than I have read before. There were times that I found myself rushing it along with some slow parts early on. However, I did enjoy the story, the friendships, and wanted to find out how it all ended. I do recommend that you read The Way We Bared Our Souls.
In the beginning of The Way We Bared Our Souls, we meet our heroine of this story. Lo is undergoing an examination as to symptoms she has been having that might be the sign multiple sclerosis, which her beloved aunt recently died from. She tries to hide her fears by pretending nothing is wrong to friends and family. While walking home from school, she comes across a stranger and his coyote. We meet Jay, who is a shaman. Jay tells her things about herself that no one really knows, and she begins to believe him when he talks about a healing ritual. Agreeing to give it a try, she must find 4 friends, who suffer from different types of conditions, and meet with Jay on the weekend.
We get to meet and learn more about the 4 friends that she will find to help complete the ritual.
Kaya – who suffers from inability to feel physical pain, due to a rare condition called CIP that makes her feel numb.
Kit – who is deeply lost in grief for his dead girlfriend.
Ellen – who has become totally hooked on drugs, causing her memory loss.
Thomas – a young child soldier, who can’t get past the nightmares of horrors he witnessed.
When all five meet in a cave in Santa Fe, Jay explains the ritual that will help them cleanse their souls. They will meet back in a week, and after Jay leaves, the 5 sit there not sensing anything different. But later that night or the following morning, they find that they have swapped their burdens.
Lo takes on the numbness of Kaya; Kaya takes on Thomas emotional nightmares, but her own history; Ellen picks up Lo’s pain; Kit enjoys the new feeling of be happy, but without the drugs Ellen was taking; and Thomas takes on Kit’s fears of death.
All this is early on, and what follows is an interesting story that leads each of them to look at things in a different perspective, different pain; which also brings about revelations, coming to terms with their own lives and bringing them all closer, as well as tragedy. Will they find their way back to their own burdens? Will they be able to recover? You will have to read the book to find the answers.
This was an interesting storyline, completely different than I have read before. There were times that I found myself rushing it along with some slow parts early on. However, I did enjoy the story, the friendships, and wanted to find out how it all ended. I do recommend that you read The Way We Bared Our Souls.
August 9, 2015
This is a full on after school special of a teenager story. There were some elements that I did like from the book. One of those elements is learning some of the Native American folklore that was sprinkled within the story. It was something that I normally don't come across in the books I read and it was really cool to read about. Also, one of my favorite things about setting the story in New Mexico or somewhere in the Southwest is that people always want to emphasize the setting as it's own character with a detailed description.
Some of the dialogue was very eye rollling in the sense that they were really corny. Their though process was also an issue for me since at one time the characters sounded so wise and beyond their age then to turn around and act like a teenager or even more immature than that. There really was no consistency behind it. The characters lacked any dimension as well. Thomas was my only favorite of the characters and ironically the lack of character background made him the most fleshed out and developed in the story.
The death of Kara bothered me because I feel like this was unnecessary for the story. I feel like that the characters would have gotten to their epiphany just fine without having her kill herself. They were already halfway to achieving that epiphany when she decided to jump off the cliff.
Some of the dialogue was very eye rollling in the sense that they were really corny. Their though process was also an issue for me since at one time the characters sounded so wise and beyond their age then to turn around and act like a teenager or even more immature than that. There really was no consistency behind it. The characters lacked any dimension as well. Thomas was my only favorite of the characters and ironically the lack of character background made him the most fleshed out and developed in the story.
The death of Kara bothered me because I feel like this was unnecessary for the story. I feel like that the characters would have gotten to their epiphany just fine without having her kill herself. They were already halfway to achieving that epiphany when she decided to jump off the cliff.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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