Tuesday Taste: Everything Sucks But I'm Still Happy (3)

"This is losing your father and virginity within a month of each other. A sweaty back sticking to the fogged up window of my 16 year old boyfriend's car. The smell. Musty and sweet, and clinical, like running a marathon and having a check up at the doctors office all at once. The pungent latex from the condom, the ammonia-bleach-like semen, and all these things I wasn't really supposed to be smelling in the midst of grief." 

(Taken from the essay "How it Feels to Lose Your Father and Your Virginity Within 30 Days of Each Other" by Ari Eastman)

My comment: I have started reading this collection of essays, and there is something very emotional and beautiful about the way Ari Eastman writes. It is brutally honest as well as very relatable. She writes about her experiences, about loss and heartache, and just trying to get trough the toughest days. I see myself in her writing a lot of the time, which is why I think I enjoy it so much. I encourage you to give it a try also.

You can find more information about the book here, and the author here.

Everything Sucks But I'm Still Happy by Ari Eastman

Published: August 14th, 2015
Publisher: Thought Catalog Books
Age Group: 15+
Pages: 98
Format: Paperback
Rating: ♥♥♥♥ (4,5)

Always deeply personal and unapologetic in her writing, Eastman has made a habit of inviting strangers into her life. In this collection of her best essays, she shares intimate bits with readers like: losing her father and virginity within 30 days, her ongoing battle with depression, and various lessons in love. Eastman reminds us the strength in vulnerability and how freeing it can be when we finally decide to tell the truth.

My thoughts on it:

First off, right now I'm going to be one of those cheesy people that starts a review with; this book spoke to my soul, at least better parts of it did. What I've read of this authors writing before (I Promised You I Wouldn't Write This), has been amazing as well, but this essay collection really put words to a lot of what I have been thinking, both lately, and in my 22 years of life. Ari writes about love, loss, loneliness and depression, and in most of the essays in this collection it was like reading something I could have written, but I would not be able to express myself as well as Ari Eastman does in this book.

Almost all of the essays in this book were perfect in my opinion, the only reason why I'm not giving this a full five heart/star rating is because there were a few of the essays that I didn't really connect with, and that is okay by me, because as a whole I think this collection deserves recognition for what it is. Which is amazing. I encourage you to support Ari's writing by picking up a copy of this, it is the type of book you can read slowly, one story at a time, or you can do what I did which is devour it in one sitting. I really appreciate books like this one, because I feel that they drag me into the present moment and forces me not only face what it is saying, but also myself, because I feel so at home in the narrative.

I do think that this is the type of book that you'll either hate, or you'll love, and in my case I love this book and would recommend it to anyone.