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Sunshine State: Essays
Rising literary star and Los Angeles Times First Fiction Award finalist Sarah Gerard uses her experiences growing up along Florida’s gulf coast to illuminate the struggles of modern human survival—physical, emotional, environmental—through a collection of essays exploring intimacy, addiction, obsession, religion, homelessness, and incarceration.
With the personal insight of The Empathy Exams, the societal exposal of Nickel and Dimed, and the stylistic innovation and intensity of her own break-out debut novel Binary Star, Sarah Gerard’s Sunshine State uses the intimately personal to unearth the deep reservoirs of humanity buried in the corners of our world often hardest to face.
In the collection’s title essay, Gerard volunteers at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, a world renowned bird refuge. There she meets its founder, who once modeled with a pelican on his arm for a Dewar’s Scotch campaign but has since declined into a pit of fraud and madness. He becomes our embezzling protagonist whose tales about the birds he “rescues” never quite add up. Gerard’s personal stories are no less eerie or poignant: An essay that begins as a look at Gerard’s first relationship becomes a heart-wrenching exploration of acquaintance rape and consent. An account of intimate female friendship pivots midway through, morphing into a meditation on jealousy and class.
Sunshine State offers a unique look at Florida, a state whose economically and environmentally imperiled culture serves as a lens through which we can examine some of the most pressing issues haunting our nation.
BFF --
Mother-father God --
Going diamond --
Records --
The mayor of Williams Park --
Sunshine state --
Rabbit --
Before: an inventory
With the personal insight of The Empathy Exams, the societal exposal of Nickel and Dimed, and the stylistic innovation and intensity of her own break-out debut novel Binary Star, Sarah Gerard’s Sunshine State uses the intimately personal to unearth the deep reservoirs of humanity buried in the corners of our world often hardest to face.
In the collection’s title essay, Gerard volunteers at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, a world renowned bird refuge. There she meets its founder, who once modeled with a pelican on his arm for a Dewar’s Scotch campaign but has since declined into a pit of fraud and madness. He becomes our embezzling protagonist whose tales about the birds he “rescues” never quite add up. Gerard’s personal stories are no less eerie or poignant: An essay that begins as a look at Gerard’s first relationship becomes a heart-wrenching exploration of acquaintance rape and consent. An account of intimate female friendship pivots midway through, morphing into a meditation on jealousy and class.
Sunshine State offers a unique look at Florida, a state whose economically and environmentally imperiled culture serves as a lens through which we can examine some of the most pressing issues haunting our nation.
BFF --
Mother-father God --
Going diamond --
Records --
The mayor of Williams Park --
Sunshine state --
Rabbit --
Before: an inventory
384 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 2017
246 people are currently reading
6654 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Gerard
19 books242 followersSarah Gerard is the author of the essay collection Sunshine State; the novel Binary Star, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times first fiction prize; and two chapbooks, most recently BFF. She teaches writing at Columbia University and for independent workshop series, including Catapult, Sackett Street, and Brooklyn Poets. Her short stories, essays, interviews, and criticism have appeared in The New York Times, Granta, The Baffler, Vice, BOMB Magazine, and other journals, as well as in anthologies. She writes a monthly column for Hazlitt and is currently at work on several books, including a novel about love and a nonfiction book about a murder.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 287 reviews
March 2, 2020
"Our friendship was a sticky web. Our friendship was a black box. Our friendship was a swamp full of cottonmouths".
Sunshine State by Sarah Gerard
I really enjoyed this. I actually read it while down in Florida where I frequently vacation. It is a collection of essays and short stories. I will be honest..did not think this was up my alley. But I enjoyed it greatly.
Some of it is very educational. At least for me it was. And some of it is very sad. I really had a tough time with reading about the Homelessnes and how that has been dealt with in ST. Petersburg.
I did not even, before I read this, know that ST. Petersburg had such a large homeless problem and to read about it was very sad.
I would like to read more by this author and would highly recommend this to Non Fiction lovers. It was an excellent read.
Sunshine State by Sarah Gerard
I really enjoyed this. I actually read it while down in Florida where I frequently vacation. It is a collection of essays and short stories. I will be honest..did not think this was up my alley. But I enjoyed it greatly.
Some of it is very educational. At least for me it was. And some of it is very sad. I really had a tough time with reading about the Homelessnes and how that has been dealt with in ST. Petersburg.
I did not even, before I read this, know that ST. Petersburg had such a large homeless problem and to read about it was very sad.
I would like to read more by this author and would highly recommend this to Non Fiction lovers. It was an excellent read.
April 28, 2017
I read this book because I'm also writing about place. I think it's incredibly challenging to write a researched piece while sustaining a clear, engaging personal narrative. Gerard struggles here. Some of these essays read like a dissertation. The research goes on for pages and we lose Gerard's voice. I think most of these essays would have benefited from more personal story and way less research--they're very long and easily could have been cut in half. I'm also not sure why "Records" was included in this collection. It's a strictly personal essay, yes, but it's too long and lacks insight. I like the twist at the end but it would have been more resonant in a shorter piece. These essays need tighter edits.
Read
August 16, 2022The first essay in this collection blew me away. I'm still reeling from its sharpness and hungry to reread it. For those who enjoy essay collections, this one is pretty fantastic.
April 20, 2017
Gerard reflects on her growing-up years in Florida and explores the history of several organizations that have captured her imagination. Often, she moves from the personal to the general, first explaining what a certain movement means to her and then retreating into the past to provide its thorough history. Most of the essays are quite long, and it may be that readers will struggle to sustain their interest in some of the topics if they don’t have a personal connection. For that reason, I preferred the purely autobiographical pieces (“BFF” and “Rabbit”). In every case, though, the author delves deep into place and history to figure out how she became the person she is now. I recommend these essays to nonfiction readers who like to do the same in their own lives: look back to ask the big questions of where and how they got to where they are today.
See my full review at BookBrowse.
See also my Florida reading list.
See my full review at BookBrowse.
See also my Florida reading list.
March 26, 2017
I wanted badly to like this book. I did not.
Part of the problem is that it was described as a new take on the state of Florida. The writing of the first essay, BFF, was engaging and sharp, and the product of a critical mind—but it had nothing to do with Florida other than being tangentially set there. As I read further, the essays got longer and longer, and the writing felt like an almost gonzo journalism combination of memoir and reporting. Even in the places where Florida experiences were front and center, it didn't seem like the writer found a way to craft a story arc that spanned multiple essays.
I needed very little buy-in to care about this book but couldn't find a reason to. I grew up near St. Petersburg, and I can clearly place a lot of the locations that get name-dropped. Ulmerton Road. The Seabird Sanctuary. The Petland in Largo Mall. But these places, without context or symbolism, aren't going to mean much to someone who hasn't been there. They don't evoke the same mood or imagery as Park Avenue or Seaworld or Mall of America. Usually, having descriptive world-building helps the reader create their own mental image. In this case, decontextualizing these places does nothing but distract. The writing is useful in a conversational sense, but this isn't a book that I, as a reader, can engage with. It feels like being talked at with little care to whether I'm being brought along.
That said, I really appreciated the sections of this book that were reported out from news sources and the like. They were concise, well-written, and gave a lot of credence to the rest of the narrative.
It's likely I'm not the audience for this book and I'm not going to get the same thing out of it as someone who did enjoy it. I don't lay blame at the author's feet for a misleading blurb, but where I do is for how the book feels confused to me. Is it a memoir? Yeah, I would say so. Is it first-person reporting? Sure, in parts. Is there a larger story to be told? It often seems like not—and is it writing that, as the book blurb says, provides a unique look at Florida? Only to the person who wrote it.
Part of the problem is that it was described as a new take on the state of Florida. The writing of the first essay, BFF, was engaging and sharp, and the product of a critical mind—but it had nothing to do with Florida other than being tangentially set there. As I read further, the essays got longer and longer, and the writing felt like an almost gonzo journalism combination of memoir and reporting. Even in the places where Florida experiences were front and center, it didn't seem like the writer found a way to craft a story arc that spanned multiple essays.
I needed very little buy-in to care about this book but couldn't find a reason to. I grew up near St. Petersburg, and I can clearly place a lot of the locations that get name-dropped. Ulmerton Road. The Seabird Sanctuary. The Petland in Largo Mall. But these places, without context or symbolism, aren't going to mean much to someone who hasn't been there. They don't evoke the same mood or imagery as Park Avenue or Seaworld or Mall of America. Usually, having descriptive world-building helps the reader create their own mental image. In this case, decontextualizing these places does nothing but distract. The writing is useful in a conversational sense, but this isn't a book that I, as a reader, can engage with. It feels like being talked at with little care to whether I'm being brought along.
That said, I really appreciated the sections of this book that were reported out from news sources and the like. They were concise, well-written, and gave a lot of credence to the rest of the narrative.
It's likely I'm not the audience for this book and I'm not going to get the same thing out of it as someone who did enjoy it. I don't lay blame at the author's feet for a misleading blurb, but where I do is for how the book feels confused to me. Is it a memoir? Yeah, I would say so. Is it first-person reporting? Sure, in parts. Is there a larger story to be told? It often seems like not—and is it writing that, as the book blurb says, provides a unique look at Florida? Only to the person who wrote it.
June 25, 2017
An eclectic essay collection that touches on topics ranging from friendship to homelessness to the environment. Sarah Gerard's strongest essays, such as "BFF" and "Rabbit", explore intimate emotions like loss and jealousy with vulnerability and detail. Some of her pieces that looked outward did not resonate with me as much, because even though they explored important topics, I could not hear Gerard's voice over the inundation of facts and interviews. Overall, a good combination of unique pieces that could have been pulled together more tightly with a greater unifying theme or voice. Excited to see how Gerard's writing develops in the future.
March 20, 2017
https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com... my blog
“Every day. Bob’s parent’s sued people- the city, other motorists, etc.- for a living.”
Essays, memoir, environmental… all these things make up this collection. BFF is a fantastic choice to start the book. It’s a raw, brutal bloodletting on friendship. It’s a give and take, it’s envy and love, it’s everything crazy, young girls are made of- it’s not sugar and spice my friends. Florida grown myself, having left, lived in other countries and traveled, I too have left people behind. The Florida I returned to is never the same one I left. It is a strange world made up of transplants (people) and fierce creatures that are like throwbacks from the prehistoric age. Reading about the cult like spiritual community her parents fell into for a spell, I too scratched my head in wonder as to why they fell for it? But then, why do we fall for anything? I vaguely remember hearing murmurings in my youth about Christian Science, as much as mystery to me then as Scientology is now and how the heck are the two the same and different? My knowledge, both have roots in Clearwater, Florida. Again, you can’t live in Florida and not hear rumors or stories about both. This up close account is enthralling, and people get a high from their beliefs. Everything has something positive, why else do people turn to it?
Then her parents get involved with Amway, and they’re prey to hope, seduced by a better life. Which got me thinking about a friend of mine and her parents getting involved with some Malacca selling scheme in the late 80’s, but that’s another story. This is one of the strangest collections I’ve read. It’s not that Gerard is strange, just life, particularly here in the Sunshine State. The bad girl high school years, her drug and alcohol didn’t ruin her as it does other kids, which makes warnings sort of fall flat doesn’t it? Some people still come out of the muck of such things unscathed, it seems. Makes those after school specials a bit suspect eh? But friends, it’s not just a Florida thing. Drugs are in all corners of this country.
The part of the book dealing with substance abuse and homelessness is eye-opening. Painfully so. Safe Harbor and the many people waiting for disability bouncing from shelter to shelter is like a nightmare to someone like me, whose never gone hungry nor lived on the streets. Reading about the sort of women that end up in shelters… victims mostly sat with me for sometime. The Sunshine State is about a sanctuary gone awry, as best intentions often do. Ralph seems a strange, fascinating bird himself. How does hoarding come into it? Read on…
Aside from BFF I adored her writing on Rabbit about her grandparents and her husbands own medical struggles. Again the Velveteen Rabbit appears in my reading… it’s beautiful, just the very pacts made. This collection is strange, just as life is. A talent to watch!
Available April 11, 2017
Harper Collins
“Every day. Bob’s parent’s sued people- the city, other motorists, etc.- for a living.”
Essays, memoir, environmental… all these things make up this collection. BFF is a fantastic choice to start the book. It’s a raw, brutal bloodletting on friendship. It’s a give and take, it’s envy and love, it’s everything crazy, young girls are made of- it’s not sugar and spice my friends. Florida grown myself, having left, lived in other countries and traveled, I too have left people behind. The Florida I returned to is never the same one I left. It is a strange world made up of transplants (people) and fierce creatures that are like throwbacks from the prehistoric age. Reading about the cult like spiritual community her parents fell into for a spell, I too scratched my head in wonder as to why they fell for it? But then, why do we fall for anything? I vaguely remember hearing murmurings in my youth about Christian Science, as much as mystery to me then as Scientology is now and how the heck are the two the same and different? My knowledge, both have roots in Clearwater, Florida. Again, you can’t live in Florida and not hear rumors or stories about both. This up close account is enthralling, and people get a high from their beliefs. Everything has something positive, why else do people turn to it?
Then her parents get involved with Amway, and they’re prey to hope, seduced by a better life. Which got me thinking about a friend of mine and her parents getting involved with some Malacca selling scheme in the late 80’s, but that’s another story. This is one of the strangest collections I’ve read. It’s not that Gerard is strange, just life, particularly here in the Sunshine State. The bad girl high school years, her drug and alcohol didn’t ruin her as it does other kids, which makes warnings sort of fall flat doesn’t it? Some people still come out of the muck of such things unscathed, it seems. Makes those after school specials a bit suspect eh? But friends, it’s not just a Florida thing. Drugs are in all corners of this country.
The part of the book dealing with substance abuse and homelessness is eye-opening. Painfully so. Safe Harbor and the many people waiting for disability bouncing from shelter to shelter is like a nightmare to someone like me, whose never gone hungry nor lived on the streets. Reading about the sort of women that end up in shelters… victims mostly sat with me for sometime. The Sunshine State is about a sanctuary gone awry, as best intentions often do. Ralph seems a strange, fascinating bird himself. How does hoarding come into it? Read on…
Aside from BFF I adored her writing on Rabbit about her grandparents and her husbands own medical struggles. Again the Velveteen Rabbit appears in my reading… it’s beautiful, just the very pacts made. This collection is strange, just as life is. A talent to watch!
Available April 11, 2017
Harper Collins
April 12, 2017
I had the great privilege to read this book months ago, but seeing as it's pub day and Sunshine State is officially out in the world, I'm bumping this up. I adored Sarah's debut novel Binary Star with something like religious fervor, and this collection somehow manages to more than live up to the impossibly high standard that novel set. Gerard's prose is deft and lyrical, her curiosity unyielding and insatiable. These essays are documents of a prismatic mind at work on the page, examining, as Joan Didion has it, "the ways in which our investments in each other remain too freighted ever to see the other clear." I recommend this book like I'd recommend drinking water.
"I open up this time so I can feel all the other time around it. I can see it in sharp focus: a difference of this or that, the light or the dark. I am choosing the light. In the dark, hurt is pushed to the perimeter and stretched. It is variegated, bold. A bright pink scar. In the light, I can love you the way I want to. The way you deserve. I hope you're happy."—from the wonderful opening essay, "BFF"
"I open up this time so I can feel all the other time around it. I can see it in sharp focus: a difference of this or that, the light or the dark. I am choosing the light. In the dark, hurt is pushed to the perimeter and stretched. It is variegated, bold. A bright pink scar. In the light, I can love you the way I want to. The way you deserve. I hope you're happy."—from the wonderful opening essay, "BFF"
November 26, 2016
An amazing book.
June 29, 2017
DNF--couldn't get past the first two stories.
"BFF" was as generic as short stories come, without a personal spark to keep you invested. Sounded like the ramblings of a 15-year-old girl in the throes of adolescent friendship. Bland, superficial, ultimately forgettable.
"Mother-Father God" seemed more promising but ultimately ended up being not a short story, but more a piece of journalism, and a bad one at that. It was neither engaging on a factual level nor on a human interest level. Needed so much editing it could have been half the length.
Overall, it seems Gerard has some potentially good topics to work with (hence why I picked this collection up) but does not seem to have the will or the talent to shape them into readable or interesting pieces. Her characters are all paper dolls that crumple in the humidity of her setting, a setting which is weirdly faceless for its professed importance to the book. No one seemed human, with human motivations or thoughts or feelings. Every "feeling" seemed to be play-acted, in its extreme, a gross caricature of humanity. She also needs a far better editor, as some of her stories exceed 50 pages but seem aimless and lack any compelling human or factual plot.
"BFF" was as generic as short stories come, without a personal spark to keep you invested. Sounded like the ramblings of a 15-year-old girl in the throes of adolescent friendship. Bland, superficial, ultimately forgettable.
"Mother-Father God" seemed more promising but ultimately ended up being not a short story, but more a piece of journalism, and a bad one at that. It was neither engaging on a factual level nor on a human interest level. Needed so much editing it could have been half the length.
Overall, it seems Gerard has some potentially good topics to work with (hence why I picked this collection up) but does not seem to have the will or the talent to shape them into readable or interesting pieces. Her characters are all paper dolls that crumple in the humidity of her setting, a setting which is weirdly faceless for its professed importance to the book. No one seemed human, with human motivations or thoughts or feelings. Every "feeling" seemed to be play-acted, in its extreme, a gross caricature of humanity. She also needs a far better editor, as some of her stories exceed 50 pages but seem aimless and lack any compelling human or factual plot.
June 7, 2017
Because these are essays I didn't expect a lengthy biblio in the back - I'm always surprised when books "end early" because of it. This collection is vivid, insightful, and thought-provoking, working less as a series of personal essays and more as a series of long-form creative non-fiction journalism (which isn't a thing I guess but that's what this is). Rarely after reading personal essays do I feel as if I've learned about facts as well as the human condition, but Sunshine State is fascinating. As always some essays stand out more than others, in particular the title essay and the Amway essay, but overall an excellent collection and a breath of fresh air in the genre. Absolutely recommend.
December 27, 2022
As someone who grew up in Pinellas County, this book now holds a special place in my heart. The chapter on homelessness in St. Pete was especially interesting to me, and it was very well-researched. While personal to Gerard and her family, the book is as multifaceted as Florida itself. 🍊
April 11, 2017
I wrote a review of this book for the Miami Rail. You can read it here for free: http://miamirail.org/spring-2017/the-...
August 1, 2017
Competently Written Musings on Privilege...and Inanity
The opening essay is both the best and worst in the collection. However, it does set the tone for what follows: a quagmire of psychoses and insincerity intermingled with all the verve of a Sunday afternoon amateur golf commentary.
The opening essay is both the best and worst in the collection. However, it does set the tone for what follows: a quagmire of psychoses and insincerity intermingled with all the verve of a Sunday afternoon amateur golf commentary.
September 13, 2017
I really enjoyed three of the essays in this book: BFF, Going Diamond and Rabbit because they felt the most authentic and personal. The other essays just didn't catch my attention because they read more like research papers.
A few of my favorite highlights:
BFF
Going Diamond
This essay includes an interesting history of the DeVos family and their Amway connection. It also contains fictionalized, satirical accounts of high-end home tours in exclusive Florida neighborhoods.
Rabbit
A few of my favorite highlights:
BFF
...by this time we'd already gotten the tattoos that linked our right and left hips together into a single message: "Forever / & ever." And I should say that, at a glance, my text appeared to spell "Beaver" - too perfect that yours bore the autonomous word while mine was dependent.
Going Diamond
This essay includes an interesting history of the DeVos family and their Amway connection. It also contains fictionalized, satirical accounts of high-end home tours in exclusive Florida neighborhoods.
Each yard must coordinate with every other yard, to meet color-palette standards that coordinate with every other house. You pay $137 a month for this privilege, another $250 for security and maintenance of common areas.
Rabbit
Though I felt I was too old for stuffed animals, I started sleeping with the rabbit every night. Eventually, her soft fur wore down and became patchy, her body flattened, and her white face grew yellow.
May 6, 2017
As someone who is endlessly fascinated by what I imagine is the seething underbelly of criminality and sexual mystique that mythologizes Florida as a hedonistic playground for serial killers, Tony Montana, and the creators of Grand Theft Auto, I've come to covet any book that frames this storied place as its setting, and, well Sunshine State does just that.
The book is roughly divided into two sections, with the first half mostly vignettes from Sarah Gerard's childhood and adolescence growing up in Florida, and the latter half a series of journalistic musings on the homeless population in St. Petersburg and a once-famous bird sanctuary that's now ruinous and on the brink of being shut down due to the financial mishandling of its charismatic/eccentric founder.
Sunshine State begins with, "BFF," a maudlin note to the author's former best friend from the perspective of the author as an adult, as she recounts the tragic events of her friend's life that have caused an irreparable rift in their relationship. Though the story did come off a tad emo and angsty at times, I was conflicted because it also captured those fleetingly youthful moments of inhibition and wildness when being young and in that moment is so all-encompassing and magical at the same time that that you think it will stay like that forever, even though it can't and never could. I would get lost in those passages and think that maybe I was being too harsh in my criticism, I don't know. For what it's worth, I apologize for that.
The essays following that focus on her parent's experience with two cult-like entities: the Christian Science church and Amway. With a journalist's eye for detail and background, Gerard intersperses both stories with ample research (as evidenced by the bibliography), and draws a common thread between the hopeful messages inherent in the New Thought Movement and Amway's quasi-religious mantra of empowerment and opportunity, available to anyone, regardless of their life circumstances.
"Mother-Father-God" was WAY too long, though, and included way too much tiresome detail about the history of religion for my taste.
The other essays like "Records" and "Rabbit" are mostly autobiographical with little historical context, and that's where I think Gerard shines in her ability to divulge those private adolescent moments that we rarely talk about in pleasant company as adults—Ecstasy parties and bouncing from boyfriend to boyfriend—while also objectively recounting her personal experience with date rape and how that manifests itself in the collective psyche of our culture. It's pretty surreal, yet also human.
The book is roughly divided into two sections, with the first half mostly vignettes from Sarah Gerard's childhood and adolescence growing up in Florida, and the latter half a series of journalistic musings on the homeless population in St. Petersburg and a once-famous bird sanctuary that's now ruinous and on the brink of being shut down due to the financial mishandling of its charismatic/eccentric founder.
Sunshine State begins with, "BFF," a maudlin note to the author's former best friend from the perspective of the author as an adult, as she recounts the tragic events of her friend's life that have caused an irreparable rift in their relationship. Though the story did come off a tad emo and angsty at times, I was conflicted because it also captured those fleetingly youthful moments of inhibition and wildness when being young and in that moment is so all-encompassing and magical at the same time that that you think it will stay like that forever, even though it can't and never could. I would get lost in those passages and think that maybe I was being too harsh in my criticism, I don't know. For what it's worth, I apologize for that.
The essays following that focus on her parent's experience with two cult-like entities: the Christian Science church and Amway. With a journalist's eye for detail and background, Gerard intersperses both stories with ample research (as evidenced by the bibliography), and draws a common thread between the hopeful messages inherent in the New Thought Movement and Amway's quasi-religious mantra of empowerment and opportunity, available to anyone, regardless of their life circumstances.
"Mother-Father-God" was WAY too long, though, and included way too much tiresome detail about the history of religion for my taste.
The other essays like "Records" and "Rabbit" are mostly autobiographical with little historical context, and that's where I think Gerard shines in her ability to divulge those private adolescent moments that we rarely talk about in pleasant company as adults—Ecstasy parties and bouncing from boyfriend to boyfriend—while also objectively recounting her personal experience with date rape and how that manifests itself in the collective psyche of our culture. It's pretty surreal, yet also human.
May 21, 2017
This is one of the best books I've read so far this year. I'm so glad I bought Gerard's book, rather than waiting for it to arrive at the library.
Sunshine State is a book to revisit when thinking about thinking about other people.
This book was marketed as "a way to understand Trump's America." Fuck that. The American dream is an undertow, but it's more an analysis of the American sickness of always wanting more. From any side. "We were happy, until we were told we could be happier." (78) Every person tells their own story, tells the myths of their existence, from pyramid-scheme founders, to wildlife sanctuary owners, to advocates--the stories do not give us answers, but we should listen. Gerard writes in a way that draws the reader in. There is little judgment in the way she shares the stories of her subjects. It's subtle and very beautiful. Though there is little judgment, she does not shy away from demonstrating the harm we cause each other: "Even if we don't cause our own pain, we still have to recover from it." (69)
During "Rabbit," I cried for what we cannot know about death, which we know will always come.
I highly recommend this for anyone--writers, readers, doesn't matter you're trade. It may be difficult to look in the mirror, but it will be worth it to see more. If you like Lia Purpura, Tim O'Brien, or Han Kang, you'll like Sarah Gerard. It works conversely too. These are all authors that see.
Sunshine State is a book to revisit when thinking about thinking about other people.
This book was marketed as "a way to understand Trump's America." Fuck that. The American dream is an undertow, but it's more an analysis of the American sickness of always wanting more. From any side. "We were happy, until we were told we could be happier." (78) Every person tells their own story, tells the myths of their existence, from pyramid-scheme founders, to wildlife sanctuary owners, to advocates--the stories do not give us answers, but we should listen. Gerard writes in a way that draws the reader in. There is little judgment in the way she shares the stories of her subjects. It's subtle and very beautiful. Though there is little judgment, she does not shy away from demonstrating the harm we cause each other: "Even if we don't cause our own pain, we still have to recover from it." (69)
During "Rabbit," I cried for what we cannot know about death, which we know will always come.
I highly recommend this for anyone--writers, readers, doesn't matter you're trade. It may be difficult to look in the mirror, but it will be worth it to see more. If you like Lia Purpura, Tim O'Brien, or Han Kang, you'll like Sarah Gerard. It works conversely too. These are all authors that see.
September 12, 2017
This essay collection starts off with a bang and then quickly fizzles out. I loved the first story ("BFF") which charts the emotional ups and downs of a toxic friendship, using lacerating prose.
Most remaining pieces however are impersonal, technical essays on a wide range of topics (from the history of a fringe church, to homelessness in Florida, to a troubled bird sanctuary). The essays are research-dense and dry, and would have been better placed in a related industry journal.
Apart from "BFF", there are two autobiographical stories inserted in the collection – "Records" (which describes the author and her friends getting high and hooking up) and "Rabbit" (which catalogs the health decline of her grandparents). Both stories go nowhere and had me scratching my head as to their purpose.
Overall, an odd collection with very little to connect the essays in style or content, except that they happen to be geographically linked to Florida.
Mood: Uneven, aimless
Rating: 5/10
Also on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BY77h6Hnx...
Most remaining pieces however are impersonal, technical essays on a wide range of topics (from the history of a fringe church, to homelessness in Florida, to a troubled bird sanctuary). The essays are research-dense and dry, and would have been better placed in a related industry journal.
Apart from "BFF", there are two autobiographical stories inserted in the collection – "Records" (which describes the author and her friends getting high and hooking up) and "Rabbit" (which catalogs the health decline of her grandparents). Both stories go nowhere and had me scratching my head as to their purpose.
Overall, an odd collection with very little to connect the essays in style or content, except that they happen to be geographically linked to Florida.
Mood: Uneven, aimless
Rating: 5/10
Also on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BY77h6Hnx...
May 7, 2017
An uneven collection of essays, some reportorial, some memoirish, enjoyable in parts but ultimately frustrating because we never feel like we get to know the author or get her mature perspectives on what she shares of her life.
August 2, 2017
Gerard's essay game is strong.
March 7, 2023
A love letter to Florida.
Living in St. Pete, I was really excited to read this one. There are so many great stories within this book. However, what I noticed when reading was that each chapter/section feels like it's written by someone different and the stories don't always follow the standard beginning, middle, and end but not in a good way, moreso in a disjointed way. The first chapter was my favorite and I found myself trying to chase that high in the rest of the chapters and never made it back there.
Living in St. Pete, I was really excited to read this one. There are so many great stories within this book. However, what I noticed when reading was that each chapter/section feels like it's written by someone different and the stories don't always follow the standard beginning, middle, and end but not in a good way, moreso in a disjointed way. The first chapter was my favorite and I found myself trying to chase that high in the rest of the chapters and never made it back there.
May 18, 2025
Not sure I’ve read a memoir before - wack take by me for this to be the first lol
This collection of essays about the author’s experience of Florida was a tough read for me. Not sure if it was the writing style or that the “essay” part meant if I wasn’t vibing with an essay it dragggged on. Learned a lot about Christian Science which I was not expecting… favorite essays had to be The Mayor of William’s Park and Rabbit.
This collection of essays about the author’s experience of Florida was a tough read for me. Not sure if it was the writing style or that the “essay” part meant if I wasn’t vibing with an essay it dragggged on. Learned a lot about Christian Science which I was not expecting… favorite essays had to be The Mayor of William’s Park and Rabbit.
August 16, 2018
Overdrive stopped playing this audiobook after part seven, so I guess I'm done now? It's refusing to let me listen to the rest of it. Well, this book was good, but not a superb collection of essay. At least the first half. BFF blew me away, and how Gerard is able to blend time and history together is a great skill! I like her, and I like her visions of Florida. Maybe this is how Joan Didion talks about California. Or Miami. Wasn't she in Miami? Anywho, this was a fine read. I expected a bit more nature, though.
July 24, 2025
equal parts moving and sharp. another win for two dollar radio
June 4, 2017
3.5 stars, but rounding down because of the "Florida factor". The Florida factor is what I have to impose on my reviews of books set in Florida. I am a native Floridian and I will basically read anything set there. Much of this book, for example, is set in Pinellas County and I know that very well, have been there many many times. The "Florida factor" is my way of asking: If this book were set in another state, would I still rate it as high? Not really. I enjoyed this, but I'm giving nostalgia and location familiarity a lot of credit. Aside from the Florida factor, I liked but didn't love this. In fact, I'm not sure what out-of-staters would get out of it.
It has to be said that the marketing is misleading. Look at the cover with all the seabirds, the title, and even the word "Essays" at the top, and you might be expecting a set of opinions on the ecological conditions of the state. In fact, only one essay, the title one does this, as it examines the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. The word "essay" would need to be interpreted very broadly for this to be considered a collection of essays. Aside from the the aforementioned one, the rest of the book are merely non-linear segments of a memoir. Even in the title "essay", there is very much of the author present. This book is a about life growing up along Gulf Coast Florida in the '90s and early 2000's. If this appeals to you, it's worth the read.
Finally, I must point out that audiobook narrator Madeleine Maby does an overall good job with the production, but...not once but twice she pronounces Ybor City as "Why-bor" City. What the heck? It's one of the most famous Cuban communities in the US, predating even Little Havana. Ever heard of Ybor cigars or coffee? And none of the producers caught this? That's a huge goof on their end.
It has to be said that the marketing is misleading. Look at the cover with all the seabirds, the title, and even the word "Essays" at the top, and you might be expecting a set of opinions on the ecological conditions of the state. In fact, only one essay, the title one does this, as it examines the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. The word "essay" would need to be interpreted very broadly for this to be considered a collection of essays. Aside from the the aforementioned one, the rest of the book are merely non-linear segments of a memoir. Even in the title "essay", there is very much of the author present. This book is a about life growing up along Gulf Coast Florida in the '90s and early 2000's. If this appeals to you, it's worth the read.
Finally, I must point out that audiobook narrator Madeleine Maby does an overall good job with the production, but...not once but twice she pronounces Ybor City as "Why-bor" City. What the heck? It's one of the most famous Cuban communities in the US, predating even Little Havana. Ever heard of Ybor cigars or coffee? And none of the producers caught this? That's a huge goof on their end.
May 10, 2017
I absolutely loved reading Sunshine State, where each story is a universe of its own. Gerard's great writing leads you through seemingly stand-alone stories about life, love, society, culture, sex, health, family, and everything in between. From pyramid schemes to love stories to a bird smuggler, you really get it all in this book. It is new-age gonzo journalism where Sarah shows you pieces of her inner soul and then applies that worldview to external situations -- throwing herself into riveting investigations and giving you a taste of her mind while she does it.
Upon finishing, I realized that the book taken as a whole has the common thread of really following the development and thought process of complex woman. Sarah takes you inside her mind and her experiences, shows you how she approaches the world and all of its complexities. When you're sitting inside her mind, there is a lot to look at, think about, and feel. This is one of those books that you read in public and the whole world glosses over in front of you in wonder because you're stunned at how much is going on around you and within each individual.
Cherish this book - it is very rare that someone can master story-telling, with self-awareness, and a fiery curiosity for the whole we live in.
Upon finishing, I realized that the book taken as a whole has the common thread of really following the development and thought process of complex woman. Sarah takes you inside her mind and her experiences, shows you how she approaches the world and all of its complexities. When you're sitting inside her mind, there is a lot to look at, think about, and feel. This is one of those books that you read in public and the whole world glosses over in front of you in wonder because you're stunned at how much is going on around you and within each individual.
Cherish this book - it is very rare that someone can master story-telling, with self-awareness, and a fiery curiosity for the whole we live in.
October 30, 2017
This book was awful. I kept thinking, okay one more essay and it will get readable, but nope. It is extremely rare for me to give up on a book, so take that how you will. I'm sure the author is a nice person, but the authorial tone was an attempt at edginess marred by pretension; the author I conjure in my head would find life's greatest delight in finding a way to make everyone around them look dumb at a cocktail party.
I had hoped for a book of personal essays, but this author wanted to cudgel me with research instead, and the integration of personal experience lacked reflection or self-insight. It seemed shallow. If you are looking for something like David Sedaris or Alain de Botton, you will be disappointed.
Would not recommend.
I had hoped for a book of personal essays, but this author wanted to cudgel me with research instead, and the integration of personal experience lacked reflection or self-insight. It seemed shallow. If you are looking for something like David Sedaris or Alain de Botton, you will be disappointed.
Would not recommend.
September 15, 2017
I fell into the trap of picking up a book based on its cover. I was under the mistaken belief that this would be a collection of essays about Florida's ecological, environmental issues. I was hoping for insight into the state of its lands and its animals. Instead, the first essay is about the author's relationship with a former best friend. I didn't enjoy it to say the least. I DNF after that first essay (and after checking the Table of Contents and flipping through to read a few other pages).
Read
March 22, 2017Really enjoyed this when it was about her life, her family, her friends. Did not enjoy the journalism/research aspects. I think this was mostly the topics, just wasn't very interested in what she focuses on.
Read
August 10, 2018Fascinating overall, amazed she lived to tell. Gerard strikes me as someone who grew up with dysfunction, absorbed and then recreated it in her own life, but has managed to come through wiser on the other side.
Great Florida history; Amway, Christian Science, St. Pete Bird Sanctuary...
Great Florida history; Amway, Christian Science, St. Pete Bird Sanctuary...
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