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Pulling the Chariot of the Sun: A Memoir of a Kidnapping
An unforgettable memoir by an award-winning poet about being kidnapped from his Black father and raised by his white supremacist grandparents.
When Shane McCrae was three years old, his grandparents kidnapped him and took him to suburban Texas. His mom was white and his dad was Black, and to hide his Blackness from him, his maternal grandparents stole him from his father. In the years that followed, they manipulated and controlled him, refusing to acknowledge his heritage—all the while believing they were doing what was best for him.
For their own safety and to ensure the kidnapping remained a success, Shane’s grandparents had to make sure that he never knew the full story, so he was raised to participate in his own disappearance. But despite elaborate fabrications and unreliable memories, Shane begins to reconstruct his own story and to forge his own identity. Gradually, the truth unveils itself, and with the truth, comes a path to reuniting with his father and finding his own place in the world.
A revelatory account of a singularly American childhood that hauntingly echoes the larger story of race in our country, Pulling the Chariot of the Sun is written with the virtuosity and heart of one of the finest poets writing today. And it is also a powerful reflection on what is broken in America—but also what might heal and make it whole again.
When Shane McCrae was three years old, his grandparents kidnapped him and took him to suburban Texas. His mom was white and his dad was Black, and to hide his Blackness from him, his maternal grandparents stole him from his father. In the years that followed, they manipulated and controlled him, refusing to acknowledge his heritage—all the while believing they were doing what was best for him.
For their own safety and to ensure the kidnapping remained a success, Shane’s grandparents had to make sure that he never knew the full story, so he was raised to participate in his own disappearance. But despite elaborate fabrications and unreliable memories, Shane begins to reconstruct his own story and to forge his own identity. Gradually, the truth unveils itself, and with the truth, comes a path to reuniting with his father and finding his own place in the world.
A revelatory account of a singularly American childhood that hauntingly echoes the larger story of race in our country, Pulling the Chariot of the Sun is written with the virtuosity and heart of one of the finest poets writing today. And it is also a powerful reflection on what is broken in America—but also what might heal and make it whole again.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2023
122 people are currently reading
12030 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 270 reviews
August 2, 2023
Let's see if I can describe my love/hate relationship with this book.
Initially, I was super intrigued by the author's story. As I began reading, I noticed the writing style was unusual, but I didn't mind it because it made me feel like I was sitting next to the author and he was talking through his story... kind of like when an elderly family member is telling you a story about something that happened to them years ago and they keep having to backtrack a bit to fill in some things they missed as they come to mind. I found it endearing.
About halfway through the book, unfortunately, and perhaps inevitably, that same writing style began to slowly drive me mad. The author continued backtracking to fill in details but then would backtrack again and change all the details he'd shared in a few pages before. Then, he'd backtrack once more, admitting that he didn't remember what really happened that day. I, too, am one of those people whose childhood memories play like gifs in my mind, but why publish a memoir about them then?
By the end, I felt like I still knew very little of the author's story. I got the sense that this memoir had been written for the author's own coping, like a journal, not meant for an audience. Simultaneously, though, I felt like he'd purposefully blocked the audience out of the heart of his story by not digging into the details. Eventually, I began skimming through all the gibberish and endless skateboarding terminology trying to pull out whatever bits of the story the author had decided to include.
Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me early access to the ARC ebook edition of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Initially, I was super intrigued by the author's story. As I began reading, I noticed the writing style was unusual, but I didn't mind it because it made me feel like I was sitting next to the author and he was talking through his story... kind of like when an elderly family member is telling you a story about something that happened to them years ago and they keep having to backtrack a bit to fill in some things they missed as they come to mind. I found it endearing.
About halfway through the book, unfortunately, and perhaps inevitably, that same writing style began to slowly drive me mad. The author continued backtracking to fill in details but then would backtrack again and change all the details he'd shared in a few pages before. Then, he'd backtrack once more, admitting that he didn't remember what really happened that day. I, too, am one of those people whose childhood memories play like gifs in my mind, but why publish a memoir about them then?
By the end, I felt like I still knew very little of the author's story. I got the sense that this memoir had been written for the author's own coping, like a journal, not meant for an audience. Simultaneously, though, I felt like he'd purposefully blocked the audience out of the heart of his story by not digging into the details. Eventually, I began skimming through all the gibberish and endless skateboarding terminology trying to pull out whatever bits of the story the author had decided to include.
Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me early access to the ARC ebook edition of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
February 13, 2023
what can’t shane mccrae do?
ever since i read “the gilded auction block” i have been obsessed with mccrae’s poetic prowess. i have chosen to write about his poems for multiple classes in grad school. i am enamored with his affinity for word and line. what an honor it is to read this arc, i feel extremely grateful.
mccrae’s mother is white, and his father is black, and he was kidnapped by his white supremacist grandparents who erased his identity whilst simultaneously treating him poorly due to his race. shane mccrae writes in a poignant, restorative way as he recounts his childhood. elements of his skill in writing poetry are present, and they blend nicely with the autobiographical prose. what a memoir this is.
thank you so very much to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review. i adore you shane mccrae!
ever since i read “the gilded auction block” i have been obsessed with mccrae’s poetic prowess. i have chosen to write about his poems for multiple classes in grad school. i am enamored with his affinity for word and line. what an honor it is to read this arc, i feel extremely grateful.
mccrae’s mother is white, and his father is black, and he was kidnapped by his white supremacist grandparents who erased his identity whilst simultaneously treating him poorly due to his race. shane mccrae writes in a poignant, restorative way as he recounts his childhood. elements of his skill in writing poetry are present, and they blend nicely with the autobiographical prose. what a memoir this is.
thank you so very much to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review. i adore you shane mccrae!
July 8, 2024
*July '24 reread.
I found an audiobook copy of PULLING THE CHARIOT OF THE SUN by Shane McCrae on Libby. Read by the author. All views are mine.
Their hatred is a still blue pond, in which their faces are reflected. ...Their blue water is the white skin of water, across which runs the white path of the chariot of the sun. ...He pulls the chariot of the sun across the sky, above clouds so thick and dark, he can't see the chariot behind him, though its heat reaches through the clouds and scorches his back– though he thinks he is running from the thing he is pulling.
"Every story is by definition a resurrection story." – Katherine Pickstock (foreword).
I am drawn to abuse narratives because I am a survivor and I'm always fascinated when one of us makes it. Memoir is an opportunity to sit in empathy with another survivor and pray and wonder at the only question that matters– how did you get out? I always find it difficult to consume these stories because of their content, but the best are written in a way that empathizes with the reader and doesn't cause them pain. McCrae's is one of those, and it's why, ultimately, I've given this book 5 stars.
I listened to this audiobook twice. As it isn't very long, when I discovered I needed a few more notes for my review, and considering what a gorgeous memoir this book is, PULLING THE CHARIOT OF THE SUN was certainly due a second listen on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. So I popped some blueberries off the bush out front and settled in.
This book is one of those that I think probably makes a better audiobook than a written book. Don't hold me to that, though, as I haven't read it. But McCrae does often use creative and spiraling syntax. His paragraphs take challenging, albeit beautiful, shapes. When he reads it for the audiobook, all this advanced style transforms into music.
I recommend PULLING THE CHARIOT OF THE SUN for fans of memoir, abuse narratives, racial narratives, and coming of age stories.
Each of my teenage years was years long, especially the first four, thirteen through sixteen. Time seems to have started speeding up when I was seventeen. I hardly remember anything that happened when I was seventeen. Though I remember eighteen. I remember a lot of what happened when I was eighteen. Time had begun to move at what I expect is a normal pace, or I had begun to move through time at a normal pace. Is that what becoming an adult is? Though I was hardly an adult.
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. It's hard to write a memoir of abuse without overwhelming the reader with trauma memory. McCrae manages the precarious balance carefully and well, making a harrowing read still readable and relatable.
2. I love that McCrae asks questions where he cannot offer statements, and admits the gaps in his personal knowledge. Acknowledging the potential inaccuracies increases authenticity of the read for me.
3. I really recommend the audiobook, which is read by the author, and so helps make sense of those mile-long sentences I've read about in several reviews. I haven't had any comprehension problems with the audiobook!
4. The style is purple and memorable, like a bruise. Opening sentence: Before I saw it cascading across the fabric store parking lot, tumbling across the fabric store parking lot, like a gif of two impossibly small gray birds, fighting, that has been copied and pasted a hundred thousand times, reeling through the air above the fabric store parking lot, the four hundred thousand wings overlapping, intertwining, each of the pair birds seeming to flap away from its opponent, even as it attacks its opponent, I hadn't known rain could fly sideways. I really love McCrae's style, and his read of this book. I don't think anyone else could have read for this audiobook.
Rating: 🌧🌧🌧🌧🌧 /5 gray birds
Recommend? YES!
Finished: Jul 7 '24
Format: Audiobook, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🪞 memoir
👨👩👧👦 family stories, family drama
🩹 abuse narratives
🧑 boy's coming of age
I found an audiobook copy of PULLING THE CHARIOT OF THE SUN by Shane McCrae on Libby. Read by the author. All views are mine.
Their hatred is a still blue pond, in which their faces are reflected. ...Their blue water is the white skin of water, across which runs the white path of the chariot of the sun. ...He pulls the chariot of the sun across the sky, above clouds so thick and dark, he can't see the chariot behind him, though its heat reaches through the clouds and scorches his back– though he thinks he is running from the thing he is pulling.
"Every story is by definition a resurrection story." – Katherine Pickstock (foreword).
I am drawn to abuse narratives because I am a survivor and I'm always fascinated when one of us makes it. Memoir is an opportunity to sit in empathy with another survivor and pray and wonder at the only question that matters– how did you get out? I always find it difficult to consume these stories because of their content, but the best are written in a way that empathizes with the reader and doesn't cause them pain. McCrae's is one of those, and it's why, ultimately, I've given this book 5 stars.
I listened to this audiobook twice. As it isn't very long, when I discovered I needed a few more notes for my review, and considering what a gorgeous memoir this book is, PULLING THE CHARIOT OF THE SUN was certainly due a second listen on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. So I popped some blueberries off the bush out front and settled in.
This book is one of those that I think probably makes a better audiobook than a written book. Don't hold me to that, though, as I haven't read it. But McCrae does often use creative and spiraling syntax. His paragraphs take challenging, albeit beautiful, shapes. When he reads it for the audiobook, all this advanced style transforms into music.
I recommend PULLING THE CHARIOT OF THE SUN for fans of memoir, abuse narratives, racial narratives, and coming of age stories.
Each of my teenage years was years long, especially the first four, thirteen through sixteen. Time seems to have started speeding up when I was seventeen. I hardly remember anything that happened when I was seventeen. Though I remember eighteen. I remember a lot of what happened when I was eighteen. Time had begun to move at what I expect is a normal pace, or I had begun to move through time at a normal pace. Is that what becoming an adult is? Though I was hardly an adult.
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. It's hard to write a memoir of abuse without overwhelming the reader with trauma memory. McCrae manages the precarious balance carefully and well, making a harrowing read still readable and relatable.
2. I love that McCrae asks questions where he cannot offer statements, and admits the gaps in his personal knowledge. Acknowledging the potential inaccuracies increases authenticity of the read for me.
3. I really recommend the audiobook, which is read by the author, and so helps make sense of those mile-long sentences I've read about in several reviews. I haven't had any comprehension problems with the audiobook!
4. The style is purple and memorable, like a bruise. Opening sentence: Before I saw it cascading across the fabric store parking lot, tumbling across the fabric store parking lot, like a gif of two impossibly small gray birds, fighting, that has been copied and pasted a hundred thousand times, reeling through the air above the fabric store parking lot, the four hundred thousand wings overlapping, intertwining, each of the pair birds seeming to flap away from its opponent, even as it attacks its opponent, I hadn't known rain could fly sideways. I really love McCrae's style, and his read of this book. I don't think anyone else could have read for this audiobook.
Rating: 🌧🌧🌧🌧🌧 /5 gray birds
Recommend? YES!
Finished: Jul 7 '24
Format: Audiobook, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🪞 memoir
👨👩👧👦 family stories, family drama
🩹 abuse narratives
🧑 boy's coming of age
February 24, 2023
You’ve met the kind of storyteller who starts with a point then rabbit trails through asides, explanations, and mumbling second guesses about factual details, right? This book is a good version of that. Like when Shane describes his six-year-old self breaking into a house because a new friend thought it would be fun. He is committed to the plan, has snuck out, then contemplates the wisdom of this adventure with a meandering mind that reflects the porousness of memory. It works well when it works, and it does so in Shane’s younger years, which are tender and compelling memories of a child evolving in his realization that his grandparents both love and despise what he is, although they are willfully blind to the fact that their hatred of the other is hatred of their grandson. The impact fizzles a bit when Shane reaches his teenage years. His memories skim through skating and other issues most teenagers face but withhold on the deeper issues such as his decision to drop out of school and becoming a father at eighteen.
Shane is a poet and infuses his prose with conventions of that craft, which will lead to purposeful repetition and other techniques. You’ll want to keep that in mind if you pick up this interesting book. And you should pick it up if you want to experience a fresh approach and read the heartrending memories of a mixed race child whose white grandparents kidnap him to secret him away from his black father.
Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC.
Shane is a poet and infuses his prose with conventions of that craft, which will lead to purposeful repetition and other techniques. You’ll want to keep that in mind if you pick up this interesting book. And you should pick it up if you want to experience a fresh approach and read the heartrending memories of a mixed race child whose white grandparents kidnap him to secret him away from his black father.
Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC.
Read
July 2, 2023I recieved this book via a Goodreads Giveaway and sadly I DNF. While I love memoirs and Shane McCrae’s powerful story, the poetic language made the storytelling hard to keep up with. There were many chapters where I was unsure of what was going on because of how repetitive the story became. The language is beautiful and eloquent, but not for a memoir in my opinion. McCrae is a poet though, so this was to be expected— I just haven’t read his other works.
Out of respect for the author’s life story, I will not be giving this a rating.
Out of respect for the author’s life story, I will not be giving this a rating.
September 27, 2023
I think a more apt title for this book by Shane McCrae would be Pulling the Chariot of the Sun: A Poetic Memoir of Memory and an Unremembered Kidnapping. Perhaps people would not have felt so negatively towards it if it had been labeled a little differently.
Because a big problem here is that this book doesn't really read like a memoir and it isn't exactly a story about a kidnapping, so I can see why people were frustrated with it. This is exactly why I don't read the backs of books and jump into everything knowing as little as possible.
A book can't fail to meet expectations if you have none from the start.
It seems that the biggest complaint about this book is that the writing is... a bit hard to swallow. And yes, it sure is, especially if you haven't read a lot of poetry or aren't a fan of such.
Pulling the Chariot of the Sun reads like a long, narrative, stream-of-consciousness poem that drifts in and out of memory and reflections of what could have been. I appreciated the author's acknowledgement of how faulty his own memories are and thought the writing style matched that lost and fragmentary feeling. It was very strange, but I liked it.
There is also an incredible amount of repetition here, which I think is off-putting to most people. However, after I got in the groove, I thought this book was both stunningly unique and beautifully hypnotic.
I like poetry, and it's evident that McCrae has a unique way with words. I also followed along with the physical copy I won from a Goodreads Giveaway while listening to the audiobook, which was read by McCrae himself. I think this played a big part with how much I enjoyed the book. Hearing this narrative with the author's intended cadence helped me to be able to appreciate his words.
I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed this as much as I did if I had tried to read it with my eyes only. This may be one of those books that's better when consumed auditorily if you have that option. Though I will say I had to turn the speed down a bit from what I normally keep it at until I became familiar with the writing style.
The last thing I want to mention is that VERY little of this story revolves around the author being kidnapped by his white supremacist grandparents. I mean, the author's whole life revolves around the topic, but it seems he wasn't directly aware of it as a child. So, as far as narrative content goes, this story, by far, is more about exploring childhood memories.
There's some fairly shallow and fleeting reflection on the topic of his white supremacist, but no details other than a few things his grandparents did and said that weren't right.
This story, by far, is more about the memories the author has of his childhood, but it seems he was kept mostly unaware of the racism surrounding him while he was a kid. I thought it was interesting to look back on that with McCrae, but others who are seeking a more dramatic and detailed discussion of racial issues should look elsewhere.
I rated Shane McCrae's Pulling the Chariot of the Sun: A Memoir of a Kidnapping 4 out of 5 stars.
Because a big problem here is that this book doesn't really read like a memoir and it isn't exactly a story about a kidnapping, so I can see why people were frustrated with it. This is exactly why I don't read the backs of books and jump into everything knowing as little as possible.
A book can't fail to meet expectations if you have none from the start.
It seems that the biggest complaint about this book is that the writing is... a bit hard to swallow. And yes, it sure is, especially if you haven't read a lot of poetry or aren't a fan of such.
Pulling the Chariot of the Sun reads like a long, narrative, stream-of-consciousness poem that drifts in and out of memory and reflections of what could have been. I appreciated the author's acknowledgement of how faulty his own memories are and thought the writing style matched that lost and fragmentary feeling. It was very strange, but I liked it.
There is also an incredible amount of repetition here, which I think is off-putting to most people. However, after I got in the groove, I thought this book was both stunningly unique and beautifully hypnotic.
I like poetry, and it's evident that McCrae has a unique way with words. I also followed along with the physical copy I won from a Goodreads Giveaway while listening to the audiobook, which was read by McCrae himself. I think this played a big part with how much I enjoyed the book. Hearing this narrative with the author's intended cadence helped me to be able to appreciate his words.
I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed this as much as I did if I had tried to read it with my eyes only. This may be one of those books that's better when consumed auditorily if you have that option. Though I will say I had to turn the speed down a bit from what I normally keep it at until I became familiar with the writing style.
The last thing I want to mention is that VERY little of this story revolves around the author being kidnapped by his white supremacist grandparents. I mean, the author's whole life revolves around the topic, but it seems he wasn't directly aware of it as a child. So, as far as narrative content goes, this story, by far, is more about exploring childhood memories.
There's some fairly shallow and fleeting reflection on the topic of his white supremacist, but no details other than a few things his grandparents did and said that weren't right.
This story, by far, is more about the memories the author has of his childhood, but it seems he was kept mostly unaware of the racism surrounding him while he was a kid. I thought it was interesting to look back on that with McCrae, but others who are seeking a more dramatic and detailed discussion of racial issues should look elsewhere.
I rated Shane McCrae's Pulling the Chariot of the Sun: A Memoir of a Kidnapping 4 out of 5 stars.
Read
September 11, 2023Did not love.
As a memoir, I will respect the author and not give a star rating but I will say the writing style does not work for a memoir. I respect that Shane McCrae is a poet and perhaps this would have been better as a collection of poetic essays about the Author's experiences and less memoir. Maybe had I gone into this with that frame work, I would have been better prepared.
But what I will say is the style doesn't work for audio as it is repetitive and repeated phrases may work for poetry - on audio book it can certainly hinder a reader's patience and willingness to continue.
I do respect the author's life story and wish the author well and healing for so much trauma. For my part, I must abstain from further trauma - filled reading as it can be triggering for me also. So fair warning to other readers who perhaps are highly sensitive or empathetic or unhealed in their own trauma.
This story is valuable for sure, just not for me at this time.
As a memoir, I will respect the author and not give a star rating but I will say the writing style does not work for a memoir. I respect that Shane McCrae is a poet and perhaps this would have been better as a collection of poetic essays about the Author's experiences and less memoir. Maybe had I gone into this with that frame work, I would have been better prepared.
But what I will say is the style doesn't work for audio as it is repetitive and repeated phrases may work for poetry - on audio book it can certainly hinder a reader's patience and willingness to continue.
I do respect the author's life story and wish the author well and healing for so much trauma. For my part, I must abstain from further trauma - filled reading as it can be triggering for me also. So fair warning to other readers who perhaps are highly sensitive or empathetic or unhealed in their own trauma.
This story is valuable for sure, just not for me at this time.
August 12, 2023
𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗜𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪
Thank you #partner @scribnerbooks for the #gifted copy.
𝗣𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗻: 𝗔 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝗱𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴
𝗕𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗠𝗰𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗲
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝟴/𝟭/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁: An unforgettable memoir by an award-winning poet about being kidnapped from his Black father and raised by his white supremacist grandparents.
💭 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Though the content is difficult and heartbreaking, this book is magnificent, and I devoured it in a single evening (which meant I didn't get much sleep last night). I started out reading the hardcover, but switched to audio halfway through. I wish I'd done audio the entire time, because the author narrates. He has a wonderful voice and it was such a pleasure to listen to him read his own words.
McCrae is a poet and really brings his poetic prowess to these pages. It's written just beautifully, and with a childlike uncertainty at times. This is not simply a memoir full of events as the author recalls them (though it is that, too); but it's often a memoir of questions and doubt. Additionally, McCrae's writing style is often non-linear - meaning he will circle back around to points, as if pondering things directly on page. It was just exceptional and I loved every second.
Coincidentally, Shane (can I call you Shane?) is from my hometown. I didn't know this until I started reading, but what a neat thing to discover! His mom worked at the local K-Mart, just a few blocks from my childhood home. We skated some of the same areas. We both attended the same local college (though not at the same time). I even know some of his family members. We may have crossed paths at some point and not known it. Having this sort of connection to the author made me all the more invested in his story and further in my feelings while reading. Thank you for sharing your journey with the world.
Thank you #partner @scribnerbooks for the #gifted copy.
𝗣𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗻: 𝗔 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝗱𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴
𝗕𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗠𝗰𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗲
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝟴/𝟭/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁: An unforgettable memoir by an award-winning poet about being kidnapped from his Black father and raised by his white supremacist grandparents.
💭 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Though the content is difficult and heartbreaking, this book is magnificent, and I devoured it in a single evening (which meant I didn't get much sleep last night). I started out reading the hardcover, but switched to audio halfway through. I wish I'd done audio the entire time, because the author narrates. He has a wonderful voice and it was such a pleasure to listen to him read his own words.
McCrae is a poet and really brings his poetic prowess to these pages. It's written just beautifully, and with a childlike uncertainty at times. This is not simply a memoir full of events as the author recalls them (though it is that, too); but it's often a memoir of questions and doubt. Additionally, McCrae's writing style is often non-linear - meaning he will circle back around to points, as if pondering things directly on page. It was just exceptional and I loved every second.
Coincidentally, Shane (can I call you Shane?) is from my hometown. I didn't know this until I started reading, but what a neat thing to discover! His mom worked at the local K-Mart, just a few blocks from my childhood home. We skated some of the same areas. We both attended the same local college (though not at the same time). I even know some of his family members. We may have crossed paths at some point and not known it. Having this sort of connection to the author made me all the more invested in his story and further in my feelings while reading. Thank you for sharing your journey with the world.
August 6, 2023
This is a memoir on trauma, race and belonging (or not belonging) in your own family. There were moments that I was hooked reading this — I felt the frustration, confusion and pain that Shane was feeling during his childhood. Those moments were very short lived though. I hate to say it but sometimes poets should just stick to poetry rather than prose. This book felt random, repetitive and chaotic and while I understand that may be the point given his childhood trauma (because that’s how trauma can feel), it doesn’t work well in print. For a book that is less than 300 pages (and only 5.5 hrs on audiobook), it dragged on and felt incredibly monotonous. Had it been any longer, it would have been a DNF for me.
2023
October 15, 2025Black History Month TBR
Memoir March TBR
Non-fiction November TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner
Memoir March TBR
Non-fiction November TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner
July 31, 2023
I received an ARC of this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
It is clear in reading Shane McCrae’s memoir that he’s a talented poet, but I don’t think he’s yet hit his stride with writing longer pieces such as memoirs or novels. The memoir is easy to get lost in, as McCrae often repeats himself and skips around timelines. There were multiple times I found myself questioning whether or not I had already read a line.
I’ve read books written in verse previously so I know that wasn’t the case in this book, it just seemed a little haphazard in the writing style. Maybe that was done intentionally to show the effects of trauma on his thoughts over the years? There are a lot of references to broken timelines and holes in his memory throughout the book.
I still rated the book 3 ⭐️ because the content is important and only he can tell his story.
It is clear in reading Shane McCrae’s memoir that he’s a talented poet, but I don’t think he’s yet hit his stride with writing longer pieces such as memoirs or novels. The memoir is easy to get lost in, as McCrae often repeats himself and skips around timelines. There were multiple times I found myself questioning whether or not I had already read a line.
I’ve read books written in verse previously so I know that wasn’t the case in this book, it just seemed a little haphazard in the writing style. Maybe that was done intentionally to show the effects of trauma on his thoughts over the years? There are a lot of references to broken timelines and holes in his memory throughout the book.
I still rated the book 3 ⭐️ because the content is important and only he can tell his story.
August 9, 2023
A truly stunning book about trying to remember a past that was deliberately altered and reconcile that past with who they have become today and just how being kidnapped and lied to for years fits into all of it overall. It is just so much at times that I could do nothing but weep for this man who just wants the truth and honestly wants more memories that are stable and not the flitflitflit that they are [due to how he was raised and the lies he was told and all the moving his grandparent did to stay ahead of the game].
I have read some reviews that disparage the telling of the story [the poetic style, the repetitiveness, the "trying to be true crime" {I'M SORRY, but is kidnapping of a CHILD just so they aren't raised by a black father NOT TRUE CRIME ENOUGH FOR YOU ?? SMH} ] and all I can say to that is...you all have totally MISSED the meaning and message of this book and clearly it must be wonderful to have perfect memories from your perfect childhood. *EYEROLL* This book is just so much more than some people are giving it credit for and I cannot state that loudly enough. I can only hope that the author finds the peace he is looking for and basks in the love he has found and revels in now. I would read anything he writes.
Thank you to NetGalley, Shane McCrae, and Scribner for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have read some reviews that disparage the telling of the story [the poetic style, the repetitiveness, the "trying to be true crime" {I'M SORRY, but is kidnapping of a CHILD just so they aren't raised by a black father NOT TRUE CRIME ENOUGH FOR YOU ?? SMH} ] and all I can say to that is...you all have totally MISSED the meaning and message of this book and clearly it must be wonderful to have perfect memories from your perfect childhood. *EYEROLL* This book is just so much more than some people are giving it credit for and I cannot state that loudly enough. I can only hope that the author finds the peace he is looking for and basks in the love he has found and revels in now. I would read anything he writes.
Thank you to NetGalley, Shane McCrae, and Scribner for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 11, 2023
I received a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was excited to read McCrae's memoir - memoirs by poets are often lyrical and beautifully written. Unfortunately, I did not find that to be the case here. The book is written with a lot of metaphors and long, sometimes illogical, run-on sentences. Sometimes these metaphors convey a clear point, but at other times I found them too obtuse to decipher. While I got whiffs of McCrae's emotions, there is little in the way of a concrete story, so I finished the book with many questions unanswered. In particular, I wanted to learn more about McCrae's relationship with his Black father who he was kidnapped from, but he is barely mentioned at all. McCrae is also honest about the fact that much of his past is a mystery that he cannot clearly remember, so many of his "memories" are written with disclaimers (maybe this happened, maybe I was ten, maybe this reader should have given up on this book and not finished it). This one fell sadly short for me.
I was excited to read McCrae's memoir - memoirs by poets are often lyrical and beautifully written. Unfortunately, I did not find that to be the case here. The book is written with a lot of metaphors and long, sometimes illogical, run-on sentences. Sometimes these metaphors convey a clear point, but at other times I found them too obtuse to decipher. While I got whiffs of McCrae's emotions, there is little in the way of a concrete story, so I finished the book with many questions unanswered. In particular, I wanted to learn more about McCrae's relationship with his Black father who he was kidnapped from, but he is barely mentioned at all. McCrae is also honest about the fact that much of his past is a mystery that he cannot clearly remember, so many of his "memories" are written with disclaimers (maybe this happened, maybe I was ten, maybe this reader should have given up on this book and not finished it). This one fell sadly short for me.
January 5, 2024
READING VLOG
Whirls around the way memory works, the way memory is evoked, and through McCrae's poetic prose, we are struck by the very raw feeling of being a child. Imaginations forever in all directions, deep as the sky, swift as the sea.
I've never seen a memoir written quite like this. I feel writers write vignettes, but here I am actually looking at vignettes, meant to be seen, film rolling, flickerings of the misremembered and the reliance of other voices, here and there, ghosts and all.
Whirls around the way memory works, the way memory is evoked, and through McCrae's poetic prose, we are struck by the very raw feeling of being a child. Imaginations forever in all directions, deep as the sky, swift as the sea.
I've never seen a memoir written quite like this. I feel writers write vignettes, but here I am actually looking at vignettes, meant to be seen, film rolling, flickerings of the misremembered and the reliance of other voices, here and there, ghosts and all.
Read
July 23, 2023#bookreview
Pulling the Chariot of the Sun, by Shane McCrae
I thought I should write a review, as, after all, I did receive this book for free as part of a Goodreads Giveaway. Writing a review, would, I suppose, be the right thing to do, maybe the expected thing to do? I would certainly feel guilty if I did not at least acknowledge the receipt and offer some feedback. But, how does one write such a review on something that is labeled as a memoir? Is it fair for another person, that person being me, to judge what should or should not be included in someone else’s memoir, if it truly is such a thing? Should a memoir require the author to have gone through some kind of transformation, to be introspective of that transformation and forthcoming about one’s feelings at each stage? Should a memoir include important details and events, or just random, disjointed memories? Is it fair for the reader to expect more details, more depth, more self-awareness, in so far as the book is labeled as a memoir? Or, is consciousness of one’s stream of thoughts, of one’s vague memories of places and people-however poetic- enough?
While the author is an accomplished poet and my experience pales in comparison, I can’t help but wonder if literary art or poetic prose would be a better label than “memoir of a kidnapping” for such a piece? As a reader, I felt cheated by the memoir label. I read to the end because the book was won, so it felt like it was gifted. If I am being honest, had I picked this book up from the library, I would have returned it only partially read.
I wanted it to go deeper into…..something. Whether it was the grandfather’s racism and white supremacy, which was clear, but not explored, or the author’s discovering the truth of his kidnapping, or the author being reunited with his father…so many areas where there was opportunity to feed the reader rather than starve them on bare bones.
So, am I disappointed by the memoir label, or is it something else? Would I have felt the same sense of loss if it had been labeled as poetic prose or literary art? Perhaps, but maybe I would have had more appreciation for the artistic flare and style. I will never know.
As I sat reading at the table, or perhaps I was on the couch, it occurred to me that maybe this is the author’s first attempt at looking back at his childhood. I wonder if he is trying to put the pieces of his life together in the way he feels most comfortable, but without the luxury of a professional counselor to help him dig deeper. At various times, I began to feel like I wanted to stop the narrative to ask the author to explore that scenario further. To dig out the details of what really mattered, the important things, not the insignificant details used to avoid the harsh truths. I wanted to tell him not to obsess over things that don’t matter, like if it was a Piggly-Wiggly, a left turn or a right turn, the first day or the third day in a new town, a new school. The important details are kept from the reader, and perhaps from the author’s own memory, which can only be retrieved with the hard work of therapy.
I wish Shane happiness and healing.
Pulling the Chariot of the Sun, by Shane McCrae
I thought I should write a review, as, after all, I did receive this book for free as part of a Goodreads Giveaway. Writing a review, would, I suppose, be the right thing to do, maybe the expected thing to do? I would certainly feel guilty if I did not at least acknowledge the receipt and offer some feedback. But, how does one write such a review on something that is labeled as a memoir? Is it fair for another person, that person being me, to judge what should or should not be included in someone else’s memoir, if it truly is such a thing? Should a memoir require the author to have gone through some kind of transformation, to be introspective of that transformation and forthcoming about one’s feelings at each stage? Should a memoir include important details and events, or just random, disjointed memories? Is it fair for the reader to expect more details, more depth, more self-awareness, in so far as the book is labeled as a memoir? Or, is consciousness of one’s stream of thoughts, of one’s vague memories of places and people-however poetic- enough?
While the author is an accomplished poet and my experience pales in comparison, I can’t help but wonder if literary art or poetic prose would be a better label than “memoir of a kidnapping” for such a piece? As a reader, I felt cheated by the memoir label. I read to the end because the book was won, so it felt like it was gifted. If I am being honest, had I picked this book up from the library, I would have returned it only partially read.
I wanted it to go deeper into…..something. Whether it was the grandfather’s racism and white supremacy, which was clear, but not explored, or the author’s discovering the truth of his kidnapping, or the author being reunited with his father…so many areas where there was opportunity to feed the reader rather than starve them on bare bones.
So, am I disappointed by the memoir label, or is it something else? Would I have felt the same sense of loss if it had been labeled as poetic prose or literary art? Perhaps, but maybe I would have had more appreciation for the artistic flare and style. I will never know.
As I sat reading at the table, or perhaps I was on the couch, it occurred to me that maybe this is the author’s first attempt at looking back at his childhood. I wonder if he is trying to put the pieces of his life together in the way he feels most comfortable, but without the luxury of a professional counselor to help him dig deeper. At various times, I began to feel like I wanted to stop the narrative to ask the author to explore that scenario further. To dig out the details of what really mattered, the important things, not the insignificant details used to avoid the harsh truths. I wanted to tell him not to obsess over things that don’t matter, like if it was a Piggly-Wiggly, a left turn or a right turn, the first day or the third day in a new town, a new school. The important details are kept from the reader, and perhaps from the author’s own memory, which can only be retrieved with the hard work of therapy.
I wish Shane happiness and healing.
October 12, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5.
This is an amazing read and it isn’t getting enough credit.
The blurb for this book makes it sound tabloid-worthy – a child is kidnapped from his black father and raised by his white supremacist grandparents. But this is a little misleading, both factually and tonally. McCrae was taken and raised by his grandparents, yes, but his mother was aware of and reluctantly agreed to the arrangement. And the book is not at all true crime, nor is it salacious, although it is often shocking. And I think this misleading marketing may be contributing to readers’ misplaced expectations, which may in turn account for the lower than deserved Goodreads ratings.
Imagine being raised by parents who abhor black people, when you, yourself, are half black, and what that would do to your identity. Imagine being told so many lies and manipulated so much that, even as an adult, you’re still not sure what’s real.
This book is less a memoir, and more a meditation. Through powerful vignettes, McCrae describes his fragmented childhood memories, while simultaneously pondering the slipperiness of memory itself. It reminded me of Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House in that, sure, it’s a memoir, but it’s also something more unique and, in my opinion, far more valuable.
It’s very clear that McCrae is a poet and his stream of consciousness writing style won’t be for everyone, but I was immediately drawn in. It reads almost like spoken word at a poetry jam, with lots of repetition and run on sentences – there is a certain rhythm to it that you have to settle into. McCrae is not just relating memories here, but really thinking about how foggy memories, inaccurate memories and even the absence of memories have shaped his life. McCrae describes his upbringing as pulling a chariot through dark clouds, unaware that he is pulling the very thing that he is running from. Utterly brilliant.
Sincere thanks to @scribnerbooks for the gifted finished copy, this is out now!
This is an amazing read and it isn’t getting enough credit.
The blurb for this book makes it sound tabloid-worthy – a child is kidnapped from his black father and raised by his white supremacist grandparents. But this is a little misleading, both factually and tonally. McCrae was taken and raised by his grandparents, yes, but his mother was aware of and reluctantly agreed to the arrangement. And the book is not at all true crime, nor is it salacious, although it is often shocking. And I think this misleading marketing may be contributing to readers’ misplaced expectations, which may in turn account for the lower than deserved Goodreads ratings.
Imagine being raised by parents who abhor black people, when you, yourself, are half black, and what that would do to your identity. Imagine being told so many lies and manipulated so much that, even as an adult, you’re still not sure what’s real.
This book is less a memoir, and more a meditation. Through powerful vignettes, McCrae describes his fragmented childhood memories, while simultaneously pondering the slipperiness of memory itself. It reminded me of Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House in that, sure, it’s a memoir, but it’s also something more unique and, in my opinion, far more valuable.
It’s very clear that McCrae is a poet and his stream of consciousness writing style won’t be for everyone, but I was immediately drawn in. It reads almost like spoken word at a poetry jam, with lots of repetition and run on sentences – there is a certain rhythm to it that you have to settle into. McCrae is not just relating memories here, but really thinking about how foggy memories, inaccurate memories and even the absence of memories have shaped his life. McCrae describes his upbringing as pulling a chariot through dark clouds, unaware that he is pulling the very thing that he is running from. Utterly brilliant.
Sincere thanks to @scribnerbooks for the gifted finished copy, this is out now!
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September 14, 2023This hooked me right away, and then I really did not enjoy the style. A lot of extremely long run-on sentences of half formed thoughts and memories. I feel so badly to have a negative opinion because the author went through so much, and his detachment from his memories is real and valid…but then I have to wonder why did you write a memoir? I almost wonder if it would have been more effective to write a novel based on what one could remember and then fill in the gaps with fiction instead of continuing to say “maybe it happened this way,” or “it couldn’t have happened this way but this is how I remember it.” I skimmed a lot of the skateboarding anecdotes. I really wanted more about the last interactions with the grandfather because the Langston Hughes book gift thoroughly fascinated me! I’ll be looking into the author’s poetry though, because my favorite part was when he talked about discovering poetry and beginning to write poems for the first time.
July 14, 2023
This memoir was just ok for me. The kidnapping part almost seems sensationalist, possibly as an attempt to market this as a true crime memoir.
As for all of us, the author’s memories of his childhood are hazy, so instead he repeats a lot of the emotions he felt as he grew up. It all became very redundant.
While i think the author’s life experiences are interesting, they didn’t play out that way on the page.
As for all of us, the author’s memories of his childhood are hazy, so instead he repeats a lot of the emotions he felt as he grew up. It all became very redundant.
While i think the author’s life experiences are interesting, they didn’t play out that way on the page.
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October 13, 2023I heard this author interviewed on NPR and the conversation about this memoir was better than the experience of reading the memoir.
February 2, 2024
I wanted to like this so bad but it made me feel nothing. Gonna read some Dr. Suess for a while.
September 8, 2023
This is one book that you canNOT judge by its cover! The cover, along with the title, is STUNNING! However, the book itself is repetitive and annoying. I hate to discount someone’s very personal and vulnerable experiences; regardless, there is nothing compelling or moving within McCrae’s writing style. I did look him up, and his actual life arc is intriguing—his success, impressive. I wish this book would have conveyed those truths. Instead, it’s a lot of…I was maybe this age or this age, but maybe this age…preceded and followed by, I remember except I don’t remember but recall, though I don’t recall…It is infuriating!
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May 29, 2023Many thanks for the ARC!
I am torn writing this review. I didn't give the book a rating as that seemed unfair given it's a memoir.
I understand the traumatic experience of being kidnapped by your grandparents and growing up not knowing your parents. I am sure that really screws with a person's mind.
However, this was just not my style of writing. I felt like I was rereading the same sentence, confusing myself, and not understanding the author's intention.
My heart goes out to anyone who has had or is in this situation and I wish them the best recovering from such a horrible situation.
I am torn writing this review. I didn't give the book a rating as that seemed unfair given it's a memoir.
I understand the traumatic experience of being kidnapped by your grandparents and growing up not knowing your parents. I am sure that really screws with a person's mind.
However, this was just not my style of writing. I felt like I was rereading the same sentence, confusing myself, and not understanding the author's intention.
My heart goes out to anyone who has had or is in this situation and I wish them the best recovering from such a horrible situation.
July 31, 2023
Special thanks to Scribner Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
I appreciate that the author is a poet but this was a little too poetic for me. I just kept putting it down. The story was too repetitive for me and because of the prose and long chapters, I often felt I was confused and lost interest.
I could not in my right mind finish this book. Very sorry. I'm sure poetry lovers will have a very different opinion.
I appreciate that the author is a poet but this was a little too poetic for me. I just kept putting it down. The story was too repetitive for me and because of the prose and long chapters, I often felt I was confused and lost interest.
I could not in my right mind finish this book. Very sorry. I'm sure poetry lovers will have a very different opinion.
April 2, 2024
stunning. exquisite. a must read.
ty to netgalley for this rockin arc
ty to netgalley for this rockin arc
December 16, 2023
I didn’t know anything or never heard about the poet Shane McCrae until I read this memoir. I know a lot more about him now. Grown ups can sure screw up a childhood. Every child should have happy fond memories of being loved by people who are there to protect them and help them be all they can be, but that often is not the case. Shane was kidnapped by his grandparents when he was three. They are white and didn’t want him to be raised black by his black father. They blackmailed his white mom to not reveal what they had done. These people were not pillars of the community. This unique memoir is poetic and not written in a linear telling. I am amazed how some people rise from the ashes of their lives, like a phoenix, to become something many of who knew them would never believe they could be, like an award winning poet, husband and father.
September 29, 2023
I'm really on the fence with this one. I heard about this book when the author was interviewed on Fresh Air and was intrigued. About halfway through the book, I heard another interview with the New York Times Magazine book reviewer who described it as an avant-garde prose poem. As I listened to the audiobook, I did feel like I was listening to an epic poem. At first I enjoyed the cadence and repetition, but about halfway through it started to become burdensome and, for me, detracted from the substance. The author said in his Fresh Air interview that he wrote in a way that was meant to replicate our inexact childhood memories. And it did seem like he was excavating his memories; memories that were immersed in severe childhood trauma. Maybe even more difficult to remember with the many years between when they happened and when the author penned them. I feel that any shortcomings regarding this book are my own, not the author's.
March 26, 2024
A beautifully poetic memoir of an incredible story. I was moved by the author's retelling of his life through many small anecdotes woven together to create a larger narrative. A warning to those who dislike side stories; this novel may not be for you. I found this to be a quick read that left me to reflect upon my own life, but not in a sinister way. I will be seeking out more titles from this author.
November 15, 2023
4 stars because I really enjoyed reading this book but I don't think I would have liked it had it not been within a class context. It is a confusing read, but when considering McCrae's trauma and the content of which he is writing it makes sense and the actual formatting of the book becomes less confusing more raw look into his mind.
December 16, 2023
Shane McCrae’s memoir Pulling the Chariot of the Sun (Scribner) is a difficult book to read and a tricky book to review.
It’s difficult to read because it’s the true story of a kidnapping—namely, the kidnapping of the author, by his white grandparents, when he was three years old. They kidnapped him because his father was Black and because they were the kinds of racists who say the quiet parts out loud—and act accordingly. His grandparents wanted to “save” him, in some twisted sense, from his blackness. Even if it meant lying to him about his father. Even if it meant beating him into submission until he started calling them “Mom” and “Dad.” Even if it meant stealing his childhood.
So yes, this book is difficult to read for all these reasons. But it’s also a challenging book to review because of the author’s audacious literary choices.
McCrae is an accomplished poet who teaches in an MFA program at Columbia University. I’ve read enough of his work to know he uses words with greater intentionality than most of us. He deserves our trust in that regard. But there are some long, very long, sentences in this book. What’s more, many of these sentences contain repetitions and contradictions, as if he’s editing himself (second-guessing himself?) in real time.
These bold choices do, in many cases, serve the book well; McCrae knows what he’s doing. Indeed, a boy who is kidnapped as a toddler and raised by abusive, deceptive grandparents—such a child is eventually going to grow into a man who carries complicated and confusing burdens wherever he goes. And one of the ways childhood trauma quite often reveals itself is in a fracturing of the memory. In a memoir about such a childhood, then, it would be one thing to explain this fracturing; it’s another thing entirely to demonstrate it.
A taste of McCrae’s profundity as well his capacity to bewilder:
“An occasion of terror is fundamentally unlike other occasions, and what makes an occasion of terror remarkable enough to be remembered also makes it seem as if it doesn’t belong in one’s memory; a remembered occasion of terror is a transplanted organ the body constantly tries to reject, or does reject, sometimes the body does reject it, and a hole where the memory of the original occasion of terror was or might have been is left, a space seems to be hollowed out for the memory even if the memory never occupies a space in the mind, and the hole where the memory was or might have been becomes itself an occasion of terror, but slower, but slower than the original occasion, and longer than the original occasion, boundaryless, unending, but one can turn one’s attention from it. I only notice it when I look at it, terror as the background noise of undifferentiated voices in a large crowd, the thousands of conversations in a stadium, terror as the inability to isolate a voice and comprehend it, that one can be in a stadium in which one’s memories speak, but neither to one nor to each other, and incomprehensibly, so that the noise of one’s memories is in some ways silence, but a silence of varying shades” (pp. 114-115).
Sentences like those can be a lot to handle—especially when they appear on page after page after page. But by book’s end, patient readers will be rewarded for their trust.
It’s difficult to read because it’s the true story of a kidnapping—namely, the kidnapping of the author, by his white grandparents, when he was three years old. They kidnapped him because his father was Black and because they were the kinds of racists who say the quiet parts out loud—and act accordingly. His grandparents wanted to “save” him, in some twisted sense, from his blackness. Even if it meant lying to him about his father. Even if it meant beating him into submission until he started calling them “Mom” and “Dad.” Even if it meant stealing his childhood.
So yes, this book is difficult to read for all these reasons. But it’s also a challenging book to review because of the author’s audacious literary choices.
McCrae is an accomplished poet who teaches in an MFA program at Columbia University. I’ve read enough of his work to know he uses words with greater intentionality than most of us. He deserves our trust in that regard. But there are some long, very long, sentences in this book. What’s more, many of these sentences contain repetitions and contradictions, as if he’s editing himself (second-guessing himself?) in real time.
These bold choices do, in many cases, serve the book well; McCrae knows what he’s doing. Indeed, a boy who is kidnapped as a toddler and raised by abusive, deceptive grandparents—such a child is eventually going to grow into a man who carries complicated and confusing burdens wherever he goes. And one of the ways childhood trauma quite often reveals itself is in a fracturing of the memory. In a memoir about such a childhood, then, it would be one thing to explain this fracturing; it’s another thing entirely to demonstrate it.
A taste of McCrae’s profundity as well his capacity to bewilder:
“An occasion of terror is fundamentally unlike other occasions, and what makes an occasion of terror remarkable enough to be remembered also makes it seem as if it doesn’t belong in one’s memory; a remembered occasion of terror is a transplanted organ the body constantly tries to reject, or does reject, sometimes the body does reject it, and a hole where the memory of the original occasion of terror was or might have been is left, a space seems to be hollowed out for the memory even if the memory never occupies a space in the mind, and the hole where the memory was or might have been becomes itself an occasion of terror, but slower, but slower than the original occasion, and longer than the original occasion, boundaryless, unending, but one can turn one’s attention from it. I only notice it when I look at it, terror as the background noise of undifferentiated voices in a large crowd, the thousands of conversations in a stadium, terror as the inability to isolate a voice and comprehend it, that one can be in a stadium in which one’s memories speak, but neither to one nor to each other, and incomprehensibly, so that the noise of one’s memories is in some ways silence, but a silence of varying shades” (pp. 114-115).
Sentences like those can be a lot to handle—especially when they appear on page after page after page. But by book’s end, patient readers will be rewarded for their trust.
January 2, 2024
“your relationship with yourself is retrospective in a way… no one else can betray you the way you betray you. But for most people, it’s a certainty – no one else will betray you the way you will betray you.”
Thanks to the audiobook, I made it to the end in just about 2.5 hours. McCrae is primarily a poet and his writing style in this memoir proves that. I believe this writing style was how McCrae best articulated his story, so I will not fault him for that.
Words or phrases are often repeated, which is rather distracting (Piggly Wiggly, being born, the day he met his father, and the kidnapping). However, with each repetition a new nugget of information or memory is introduced. Though the accuracy of that memory could be called to question.
I particularly want more of the story behind his introduction to poetry. As McCrae spoke about Lady Lazarus, I felt the most connected to the story and to him as an author. There is something there worth exploring for sure.
Overall, I don’t hate this book, but the writing style isn’t for me. McCrae created a work that I believe ultimately is intended you share his story and help him heal.
Thanks to the audiobook, I made it to the end in just about 2.5 hours. McCrae is primarily a poet and his writing style in this memoir proves that. I believe this writing style was how McCrae best articulated his story, so I will not fault him for that.
Words or phrases are often repeated, which is rather distracting (Piggly Wiggly, being born, the day he met his father, and the kidnapping). However, with each repetition a new nugget of information or memory is introduced. Though the accuracy of that memory could be called to question.
I particularly want more of the story behind his introduction to poetry. As McCrae spoke about Lady Lazarus, I felt the most connected to the story and to him as an author. There is something there worth exploring for sure.
Overall, I don’t hate this book, but the writing style isn’t for me. McCrae created a work that I believe ultimately is intended you share his story and help him heal.
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