Book Review: Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class by Rob Henderson/ Memoir

Hello dear Readers,

Below is my book review of Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class by Rob Henderson.

Title: Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Memoir

Author: Rob Henderson

Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: February 20, 2024

Language: English

Hardcover: 336 pages
Meet the Author: Rob Henderson
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

In this raw coming-of-age memoir, in the vein of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, The Other Wes Moore, and Someone Has Led This Child to Believe, Rob Henderson vividly recounts growing up in foster care, enlisting in the US Air Force, attending elite universities, and pioneering the concept of “luxury beliefs”—ideas and opinions that confer status on the upper class while inflicting costs on the less fortunate.

Rob Henderson was born to a drug-addicted mother and a father he never met, ultimately shuttling between ten different foster homes in California. When he was adopted into a loving family, he hoped that life would finally be stable and safe. Divorce, tragedy, poverty, and violence marked his adolescent and teen years, propelling Henderson to join the military upon completing high school.

An unflinching portrait of shattered families, desperation, and determination, Troubled recounts Henderson’s expectation-defying young life and juxtaposes his story with those of his friends who wound up incarcerated or killed. He retreads the steps and missteps he took to escape the drama and disorder of his youth. As he navigates the peaks and valleys of social class, Henderson finds that he remains on the outside looking in. His greatest achievements—a military career, an undergraduate education from Yale, and a PhD from Cambridge—feel like hollow measures of success. He argues that stability at home is more important than external accomplishments, and he illustrates the ways the most privileged among us benefit from a set of social standards that actively harm the most vulnerable.

My Thoughts

A heartbreaking but eye-opening story.

I found Robert Henderson's story fascinating. Not just for his very impressive academic achievements but also for his very early awareness of the not so good things in this world. Granted, Robert goes through a lot of hardships from a very young age but sadly seems to me like he developed kind of an early adult radar for a kid, which is understandable. 

I can only imagine how difficult and horrible is to be separated from your biological mother, have no relationship whatsoever with your mom or your dad, and have to go through the Foster Care system. Like I said, I can only imagine but I can see how these situations can alter a person's life forever, and that was the case for Robert indeed. 

I also found it interesting his views on social class, and his views on education, especially since he had access to these called elite universities, and how the pressure of just being there can have negative and positive impacts on a person's life. 

Although Robert's story is very heartbreaking at times, when he describes his experiences being a foster kid, I also found his story very inspirational and one that could absolutely be of help to others. 

Thank you Gallery Books for the free advanced copy, in exchange for an honest review. 

Wendy 

Book Review: The Guest: A Novel by B.A. Paris-Mystery/Thriller

Hello dear Readers,

My book review of The Guest: A Novel by B.A. Paris.

Title: The Guest: A Novel

Rating:  5/5 Stars

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Author: B.A. Paris

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Publication Date: February 20, 2024

Language: English

Hardcover: 320 pages
Meet the Author: B.A. Paris
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

New York Times bestselling author B. A. Paris captivated psychological thriller readers everywhere with Behind Closed Doors. Now she invites you into another home full of heart-pounding secrets, in The Guest.

Some secrets never leave.

Iris and Gabriel have just arrived home from a make-or-break holiday. But a shock awaits them. One of their closest friends, Laure, is in their house. The atmosphere quickly becomes tense as she oversteps again and again: sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris' clothes, even rearranging the furniture.

Laure has walked out on her husband―and their good friend―Pierre, over his confession of an affair and a secret child. Iris and Gabriel want to be supportive of their friends, but as Laure's mood becomes increasingly unpredictable, her presence takes its toll.

Iris and Gabriel's only respite comes in the form of a couple new to town. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past.

Soon, secrets from all their pasts will unravel, some more dangerous than they could have known.

My Thoughts

This is my new B.A. Paris favorite. This was such a treat and a delight. I have really enjoyed all of her backlist, Behind Closed Doors being my favorite but with The Guest, I got those old B.A. Paris vibes and I loved it. 

This was a well-developed, easy-to-follow story, with a very brilliant and unexpected twist at the end. I honestly was not expecting that. I also liked how one of the MCs is so evil and the other one very annoying but I didn't dislike them or hate them.

I can't wait for B.A. Paris's next book to come out. She will forever be one of my favorite authors. 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the Advanced Free Copy, in exchange for an honest review.

Wendy 

Book Review: Private Equity: A Memoir by Carrie Sun/ Memoir

 Hello dear Readers,

Below is my book review of Private Equity: A Memoir by Carrie Sun.

Title: Private Equity: A Memoir

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Memoir

Author: Carrie Sun

Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication Date: Feb 13, 2024

Language: English

Hardcover: 352 pages
Meet the Author: Carrie Sun
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

Named a most-anticipated book of 2024 by NPR.org, Oprah Daily, Town & Country, The Millions, Financial Times, and more.

A gripping memoir of one woman’s self-discovery inside a top Wall Street firm, and an urgent indictment of privilege, extreme wealth, and work culture

When we meet Carrie Sun, she can’t shake the feeling that she’s wasting her life. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Carrie excelled in school, graduated early from MIT, and climbed the corporate ladder, all in pursuit of the American dream. But at twenty-nine, she’s left her analyst job, dropped out of an MBA program, and is trapped in an unhappy engagement. So when she gets the rare opportunity to work at one of the most prestigious hedge funds in the world, she knows she can’t say no. Fourteen interviews later, she’s in.

Carrie is the sole assistant to the firm’s billionaire founder. She manages his work life, becoming the right hand to an investor who can move mountains and markets with a single phone call. Eager to impress, she dives headfirst into the firm’s culture, which values return on time above all else. A luxury-laden world opens up for her, and Carrie learns that money can solve nearly everything.

Playing the game at the highest levels, amid the ultimate winners in our winner-take-all economy, Carrie soon finds her identity swallowed whole by work. With her physical and mental health deteriorating, she begins to rethink what it actually means to waste one’s life. A searing examination of our relationship to work, Carrie’s story illuminates the struggle for balance in a world of extremes: efficiency and excess, status and aspiration, power and fortune. Private Equity is a universal tale of self-invention from a dazzling new voice, daring to ask what we’re willing to sacrifice to get to the top—and what it might take to break free and leave it all behind.

My Thoughts

This book was very interesting, especially to see how in many ways the author breaks from some of the most common stereotypes for women in society, starting with the fact that she broke off her engagement over her new job. 

Also, the fact that she was not looking for a job that was going to pay for what her education and skills were at the moment. She chose a low-paying job, and it seemed to me Carrie was not necessarily interested in the high dollar she could have gotten.

Mostly focused on her work life, working for a Billionaire, trying to balance her very exigent job with her personal life, and also shows us that sometimes in our work life, no matter how much good money we get paid, all the perks we may receive, if that given job steals your health and inner peace from you, is not worth it. 

I also liked the parts where the author shares about her childhood and upbringing. 

Thank you Penguin Group and Netgalley for the free advanced copy, in exchange for an honest review. 

Wendy