Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American
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- Create Date：2022-01-20 18:22:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Wajahat Ali
- ISBN：B098LX1PLQ
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Summary
This is just one of the many warm， lovely， and helpful tips that Wajahat Ali and other children of immigrants receive on a daily basis。 Go back where exactly？ His hometown in the San Francisco Bay Area， where he can’t afford rent？
Awkward， left-handed， suffering from OCD， and wearing Husky pants， Ali grew up on the margins of the American mainstream， devoid of Brown superheroes， where people like him were portrayed as goofy sidekicks， shop owners with funny accents， sweaty terrorists， or aspiring sweaty terrorists。 Driven by his desire to expand the American narrative to include protagonists who look like him， he became a writer， and in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks， an accidental activist and ambassador of all things Muslim-y。 He uses his pen with turmeric-stained fingernails to fill in missing narratives， challenge the powerful， and booby trap racist stereotypes。 In his bold， hopeful and hilarious memoir， Ali offers indispensable lessons and strategies to help cultivate a more compassionate America。
Awkward， left-handed， suffering from OCD， and wearing Husky pants， Ali grew up on the margins of the American mainstream， devoid of Brown superheroes， where people like him were portrayed as goofy sidekicks， shop owners with funny accents， sweaty terrorists， or aspiring sweaty terrorists。 Driven by his desire to expand the American narrative to include protagonists who look like him， he became a writer， and in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks， an accidental activist and ambassador of all things Muslim-y。 He uses his pen with turmeric-stained fingernails to fill in missing narratives， challenge the powerful， and booby trap racist stereotypes。 In his bold， hopeful and hilarious memoir， Ali offers indispensable lessons and strategies to help cultivate a more compassionate America。
Reviews
Amethyst
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Wajahat Ali uses nuance， humor， and vulnerability to explore the push and pull of xenophobia and acceptance in America。 As he states in this debut， “Everything is conditional in America， even the right to the American dream。” He expertly tackles the model minority myth， meaningful representation of Desi and Muslim people in media， homelessness， parental incarceration， colorism， and managing his personal and family’s mental and physical health。 This book serves as a reminder of our common humanit Wajahat Ali uses nuance， humor， and vulnerability to explore the push and pull of xenophobia and acceptance in America。 As he states in this debut， “Everything is conditional in America， even the right to the American dream。” He expertly tackles the model minority myth， meaningful representation of Desi and Muslim people in media， homelessness， parental incarceration， colorism， and managing his personal and family’s mental and physical health。 This book serves as a reminder of our common humanity and interconnectedness and encourages more people to tell their stories。 Books like this， that weave together humor， history， and personal narratives are my favorites to read and help me consider another perspective when looking at complex issues。 An example of another book that does this is well and is also about being othered is How to Be Black by Baratunde R。 Thurston。 Also highly recommend Ali’s New York Times essay， ‘How to Teach a Little Girl to Love Her Brown Skin’。 His writing is affecting and relatable and necessary。 Big thank you to Wajahat Ali， RB Media/Recorded Books， and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook， narrated by the author himself。 。。。more
Maria
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I always gravitate towards books written about other people’s experiences to assimilate and grow up as the first generation in the US and it’s amazing to find， despite different backgrounds， how similar our experiences are。 It’s not easy to feel like you belong when you don’t look like everyone else。 I was extremely lucky to attend an international school and was surrounded by many children going through the same thing I was。 Wajahat Ali did not have the same luxury and it’s through his memories I always gravitate towards books written about other people’s experiences to assimilate and grow up as the first generation in the US and it’s amazing to find， despite different backgrounds， how similar our experiences are。 It’s not easy to feel like you belong when you don’t look like everyone else。 I was extremely lucky to attend an international school and was surrounded by many children going through the same thing I was。 Wajahat Ali did not have the same luxury and it’s through his memories， often humorous， always honest and thought-provoking， that we see the experiences that shaped the man he is today。 There are some difficult to hear passages but it’s definitely worth picking up for his take on the American dream。I received a copy from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Paul
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Go Back to Where You Came From is a distinctly American story… populated with trolls and racism， but also with celebrations of family and the story of a young man discovering his voice。 Ali is the son of Pakistani immigrants who grew up in Fremont， Ca， matriculated to Cal Berkeley， became a successful playwright， and is now a columnist at The Daily Beast and The NY Times。 Among other things， this book is the story of his growth， from a young “hefty” Muslim boy to a middle-aged man still fighting Go Back to Where You Came From is a distinctly American story… populated with trolls and racism， but also with celebrations of family and the story of a young man discovering his voice。 Ali is the son of Pakistani immigrants who grew up in Fremont， Ca， matriculated to Cal Berkeley， became a successful playwright， and is now a columnist at The Daily Beast and The NY Times。 Among other things， this book is the story of his growth， from a young “hefty” Muslim boy to a middle-aged man still fighting his gut （me too😂）。 Ali is known for his humor and there are laughs on almost every page， yet there are times when that laughter is bitter… The ridiculousness of the online taunts or the strife he and his family endure after 9/11， yet there’s also just the absurdity of growing up in America in the 80s and 90s。Wajahat and I are only a few years apart; I grew up right across the Bay in Marin County。 I was a suburban white kid living my own awkward life， and in many ways ignorant to Ali’s experience。 And while I was lucky to have parents who taught me lessons of understanding and acceptance， this book is proof that not everyone is exposed to other cultures and thus this ignorance can so easily breed hate， especially after 9/11。A couple other things to add: Ali’s humor shines in his satirical “tests” of racism and patriotism。 （How many points will you score？） This book continues the story to the current day， including Trump’s presidency and all the inflammatory rhetoric that came with it。 He explains that the The Whiteness （micro-aggressions and explicit racism） has been pushed into the mainstream， and speaks to possible solutions to all this hate。Go Back to Where You Came From should be on the shelf next to Undocumented by Dan-El Padilla Peralta and The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri。 These are powerful books that can open minds and create a better and more empathetic nation。5 out of 5 stars。Thank you to NetGalley， W。W。 Norton， and the author for an advanced copy for review。 。。。more
ASHLEY
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Go back to where you came from: and other helpful recommendations on how to become american by Wajahat Ali is a memoir about being the child of Pakistani immigrants who later established citizenship and the way he was treated by his peers and "white" americans， even though HE was born in America。 Mr。 Ali sheds light on the hopes that immigrants have for themselves， their families and the futures of them all when first coming to/trying to come to America and then instead being met with stares of Go back to where you came from: and other helpful recommendations on how to become american by Wajahat Ali is a memoir about being the child of Pakistani immigrants who later established citizenship and the way he was treated by his peers and "white" americans， even though HE was born in America。 Mr。 Ali sheds light on the hopes that immigrants have for themselves， their families and the futures of them all when first coming to/trying to come to America and then instead being met with stares of others who aren't accepting and who， even though some immigrants have established citizenship to be here in America some people STILL don't consider them American citizens。 He talks about the physical， financial and emotional tribulations that his family went through。 I judged a book by it's cover when I entered the give away and I am not disappointed at all with this read！ It was one that if I had the time， I could have read in one day。 It kept my attention。 I recommend that if you have an interest in this subject and the way that people of color （he touches on other races as "people of color" as well and how they often deal with the same things that he has） are treated。 He didn't sugar coat and also gave some laughs along the way。I usually read my books， then give them away for others to read BUT I really liked this one and it will be staying on my shelf。 。。。more
Emmalita
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Wajahat Ali’s Go Back to Where You Came From and Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American is an enormously readable punch in the gut。 Ali is a gifted storyteller。 He dissects his life and the world around him with a fine scalpel。 He is funny， smarter than me， and can make me look at the ugly underbelly while I’m laughing until I’m not laughing anymore。"As I told an earlier fan， I would love to move back to my ancestral land of the Bay Area， California， but only if you can help sub Wajahat Ali’s Go Back to Where You Came From and Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American is an enormously readable punch in the gut。 Ali is a gifted storyteller。 He dissects his life and the world around him with a fine scalpel。 He is funny， smarter than me， and can make me look at the ugly underbelly while I’m laughing until I’m not laughing anymore。"As I told an earlier fan， I would love to move back to my ancestral land of the Bay Area， California， but only if you can help subsidize my rent。"Go Back to Where You Came From is a memoir in which he expertly weaves the personal and the political。 Ali grew up in the Bay Area。 His parents immigrated from Pakistan。 He talks about his own experience， contextualizing it with the larger cultural and political landscape。 When talking about the pursuit of Whiteness， he includes some history of US immigration policies and the trauma of British colonial rule。 He was often the token brown kid， or the token Muslim， while also surrounded by a community Pakistani Americans。 And when he finally gets to revel in being one of many in college， 9/11 happens and suddenly he is a spokes person for a whole group。Racism flattens individuals and lumps people together， removing nuance。 Ali adds the nuance back into the discourse。 He shines a light on the texture and separates out the differences。 It’s an emotional rollercoaster of a book。 It starts with humor and ends with hope， and is full of wisdom and pop culture references。 There is also rage， grief， and the exhaustion of fighting off the racism all around。 I can’t possibly do justice to this book。 It’s an experience you should go into with less information and an open heart。Or as Wajahat Ali would say， “Invest in hope， but tie your camel first。”Thank you to W。W。 Norton and Company and NetGalley for the advance reader copy。 My opinions are my own。 。。。more
Becki
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Wajahat Ali is the American born son of Pakastani immigrants， so when people tell him to "Go Back to Where You Came From"。。。 um。。。 that's *here*。 Fittingly， this book is a commentary on living in America as a brown Muslim， as well as Ali's memoir。 Ali is funny and self-deprecating， but his words are an invitation to "the people" （ie， White Amreekans） to see the US and its culture from a different viewpoint。 It's a roller coaster of a ride， but ends with hope。 My thanks to the author， publisher， Wajahat Ali is the American born son of Pakastani immigrants， so when people tell him to "Go Back to Where You Came From"。。。 um。。。 that's *here*。 Fittingly， this book is a commentary on living in America as a brown Muslim， as well as Ali's memoir。 Ali is funny and self-deprecating， but his words are an invitation to "the people" （ie， White Amreekans） to see the US and its culture from a different viewpoint。 It's a roller coaster of a ride， but ends with hope。 My thanks to the author， publisher， and #NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC of this book。 #GoBackToWhereYouCameFrom 。。。more
Transgender Bookworm
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Disclosure : I received an ARC of this book through the #goodreadsgiveaway program 。 What follows is my honest opinion 。 I am so happy that I judged a book by its cover and signed up for the giveaway of this book。 I had no prior knowledge of the author and only thought the title was funny。 What I received was a beautiful ， vulnerable ， and often times hilarious account of what it means to be a first generation American from a Muslim family。 This book meets the moment of rampant Islamophobia and Disclosure : I received an ARC of this book through the #goodreadsgiveaway program 。 What follows is my honest opinion 。 I am so happy that I judged a book by its cover and signed up for the giveaway of this book。 I had no prior knowledge of the author and only thought the title was funny。 What I received was a beautiful ， vulnerable ， and often times hilarious account of what it means to be a first generation American from a Muslim family。 This book meets the moment of rampant Islamophobia and xenophobia that America is facing with a gentle hand and heart breaking honesty 。 Instead of using esoteric academic language ， the author uses hilarious metaphors to meet readers where they are and explain complex issues。 He challenges readers and himself to investigate the ways that white supremacy and eurocentric fixation has infiltrated all of our thinking。 In this book by sharing his own American story he invites all people to see their Muslim neighbors as who they are 。 They are imperfect people like the rest of us trying to create a healthy ，safe and prosperous life for their families and communities 。 。。。more
Anna
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Wajahat Ali hits the nail on the head with his book on how to become American。 Since he already is an American， who would be better to give advice to the uninitiated？ I have to interject here though。 I wish there were some Americans that weren’t Americans， but that’s for another story。 Ali is so funny at times （actually， all the time） that you forget for a minute （just a minute） the disrespectful， racist， loathsome， things that can be said to and perpetrated on a human being。 I take that back。 Y Wajahat Ali hits the nail on the head with his book on how to become American。 Since he already is an American， who would be better to give advice to the uninitiated？ I have to interject here though。 I wish there were some Americans that weren’t Americans， but that’s for another story。 Ali is so funny at times （actually， all the time） that you forget for a minute （just a minute） the disrespectful， racist， loathsome， things that can be said to and perpetrated on a human being。 I take that back。 You can’t forget。 Like Ali， all you can do is laugh about it。 And boy， does Ali laugh at himself。 You’ll find out that he was a bit overweight， with “big bones”。 In second grade， he went to an elite private school in Saratoga where everyone wore uniforms。 He claims he looked like a brown hobbit， in a green sweater， green pants， and a white-collared shirt。 I should mention one unfunny incident Ali talks about in the book。 His parents get arrested。 You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens。 But I will tell you that Ali has a near-death experience。 What a ride！ 。。。more
Liz
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I received this book in a first reads giveaway in exchange for an honest review。 I enjoyed the book-the author gives an account of growing up as a first generation immigrant。 He does a wonderful job of using humor to make difficult subject matter easier to digest。 As someone who doesn't fit in to her community expectations I could identify with quite a bit of the author's struggles growing up。 I received this book in a first reads giveaway in exchange for an honest review。 I enjoyed the book-the author gives an account of growing up as a first generation immigrant。 He does a wonderful job of using humor to make difficult subject matter easier to digest。 As someone who doesn't fit in to her community expectations I could identify with quite a bit of the author's struggles growing up。 。。。more
Eric
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I knew this was going to be a smart， funny look at race relations in our country but what I didn't expect is the incredibly personal and emotional story that came with it。 Wajahat Ali's book is able to simultaneously be an educational and emotional story。 It's funny， it's touching it's beautiful and quite frankly it needs to be read by everyone。 It gives us pause but also gives us hope。 I couldn't put this book down。 *I received an advanced edition in order to write this review。 I knew this was going to be a smart， funny look at race relations in our country but what I didn't expect is the incredibly personal and emotional story that came with it。 Wajahat Ali's book is able to simultaneously be an educational and emotional story。 It's funny， it's touching it's beautiful and quite frankly it needs to be read by everyone。 It gives us pause but also gives us hope。 I couldn't put this book down。 *I received an advanced edition in order to write this review。 。。。more
Helen Geng
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Read Nov 2021
Lilisa
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This is a humorous， hard hitting， and unvarnished account by Wajahat Ali of what it’s like to be born， raised， and live in America as a son of immigrants， who are South Asian and Muslim。 I very much enjoyed his humor and writing - funny， self deprecating at times， and no holds barred as he describes his experiences with his family， at school， within his local community， and the community at large。 His humor was laugh out loud and I found myself reading pieces out to my sister - we could definite This is a humorous， hard hitting， and unvarnished account by Wajahat Ali of what it’s like to be born， raised， and live in America as a son of immigrants， who are South Asian and Muslim。 I very much enjoyed his humor and writing - funny， self deprecating at times， and no holds barred as he describes his experiences with his family， at school， within his local community， and the community at large。 His humor was laugh out loud and I found myself reading pieces out to my sister - we could definitely relate to some of his accounts， e。g。 paraphrasing here - Asian parents have two levels of operations: blunt and very blunt。 We hooted with laughter - it was so on point！ I like that he didn’t shy away from sharing parts about his parents’ challenges - it was sad that after all the hardships they overcame as immigrants， were successful in getting a great education， and became entrepreneurs， that they ended up making questionable choices， and ended up in prison。 Hats off to the author for his resilience and drive in overcoming so many life challenges， including that of his young child’s major health issue， to power through， hold his own， and be successful in his own right。 His accidental activism and his voice on the national front is made even more effective through the deployment of humor to inform， get people to stop and think， and get his points across。 Overall this was a great read and I hope he writes another book in the near future。 Many thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Connie
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As a Chinese American child of immigrants， I have always found relief and deep resonance in Wajahat's blunt， unforgettable， and often hilarious personal stories。 In his new memoir， I see an accomplished writer， weaving together his own American story out of a patchwork of identities， histories， and mythologies。 It is healing and affirming to read and a book that I wish existed earlier。 "Go Back To Where You Came From" is a laugh-out-loud honest memoir that will make you appreciate how we as Amer As a Chinese American child of immigrants， I have always found relief and deep resonance in Wajahat's blunt， unforgettable， and often hilarious personal stories。 In his new memoir， I see an accomplished writer， weaving together his own American story out of a patchwork of identities， histories， and mythologies。 It is healing and affirming to read and a book that I wish existed earlier。 "Go Back To Where You Came From" is a laugh-out-loud honest memoir that will make you appreciate how we as Americans do our best to survive all that we come from and where we are now。 。。。more
Marsi Darcy
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I really enjoyed this book。 It's funny and heartbreaking at the same time。 Ali has a great style of writing。I received a complimentary copy of this book from W。 W。 Norton & Company through NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 Thank you， W。 W。 Norton & Company。 I really enjoyed this book。 It's funny and heartbreaking at the same time。 Ali has a great style of writing。I received a complimentary copy of this book from W。 W。 Norton & Company through NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 Thank you， W。 W。 Norton & Company。 。。。more
Muneer Uddin
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This book perfectly encapsulates the many trials and tribulations faced by Pakistani-Americans。 If you want to understand us， read this book。Ali accurately paints the Pakistani community in this book。 In the secondf half of the book， as his parents are going through myriad legal troubles， Ali and his family turn to the community to get help。 The same people who ate their food， came to ther parties， and accepted their presents begin disavowing the Ali family almost immediately。 They come to event This book perfectly encapsulates the many trials and tribulations faced by Pakistani-Americans。 If you want to understand us， read this book。Ali accurately paints the Pakistani community in this book。 In the secondf half of the book， as his parents are going through myriad legal troubles， Ali and his family turn to the community to get help。 The same people who ate their food， came to ther parties， and accepted their presents begin disavowing the Ali family almost immediately。 They come to events Ali holds to help raise money for his parents’ bail to have new fodder for their gossip。 Ali’s family is the butt of jokes and snickers while they go through the worst periods of their lives。 It’s this type of small mindedness and duplicitousness that caused me to dissociate from the majority of Pakistanis in my city。 I’d never seen anyone call out this behavior so accurately and succinctly before， and I thank Mr。 Ali for putting words to what I’ve felt for the past 30 plus years。At its core， this book is a hero story， showing how Wajahat Ali and his beautiful family made their fortune， lost it all， and are now trying to rise again。 I sincerely hope that they’re able to get all the way back。 I recommend this book for everyone。 。。。more
Michelle
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I picked this up solely from the title。 I had no idea who the author was。 It was a humorous and tough memoir with a lot of commentary of how America treats Muslims and Arabs， while he offers some tongue in cheek helpful suggestions。Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。
Shahed
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As someone who has been familiar with Wajahat's writings for over 15 years， I expected this book to be a sort of long-form version of one of his many articles。 What I found instead was something that read like a novel or a film script。 The observations， lessons， and prescriptions are there， of course - as the title would suggest - but they are embedded in an overall narrative arc that puts context around all of them。 It isn't enough to suggest to fellow Americans how they can best contribute to As someone who has been familiar with Wajahat's writings for over 15 years， I expected this book to be a sort of long-form version of one of his many articles。 What I found instead was something that read like a novel or a film script。 The observations， lessons， and prescriptions are there， of course - as the title would suggest - but they are embedded in an overall narrative arc that puts context around all of them。 It isn't enough to suggest to fellow Americans how they can best contribute to this ongoing experiment - we need to show why those suggestions are needed， how they are implemented， and most importantly showcase the very human elements behind all of this。 "Go Back Where You Came From" does all this in a way that， frankly， I expect to see made into a major motion picture starring Riz Ahmed。 And when that happens， I think we'll all learn how to be better Americans and have an enjoyable time learning how to do that。 。。。more
Jess Witkins
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A top read of the year！ Part memoir， part political commentary， Wajahat Ali's "Go Back to Where You Came From" is a stirring look at the American Dream， and the barriers around it， told with excellent humor and heart。 On its own， the book is a gripping memoir where Ali faces multiple near-death experiences， works through more than a decade of legal battles while his parents are incarcerated， and navigates life as the child of an immigrant family who walks the tightrope of cultural and societal e A top read of the year！ Part memoir， part political commentary， Wajahat Ali's "Go Back to Where You Came From" is a stirring look at the American Dream， and the barriers around it， told with excellent humor and heart。 On its own， the book is a gripping memoir where Ali faces multiple near-death experiences， works through more than a decade of legal battles while his parents are incarcerated， and navigates life as the child of an immigrant family who walks the tightrope of cultural and societal expectations。 His story alone would make a great book， but wait。。。 there's more！ With sincere and comical stylings， he also expertly speaks on the political landscape of "What it means to be an American （or Amreekan， as he playfully writes）？" and "WHO gets viewed as American？" Following 9/11， Ali is thrown into the role of spokesperson and totem expert of Islam as the president of his college's Student Muslim Association。 Hate mail from all over （thanks to his contact being listed on a school website） comes his way， while the school administration just wants to know if "they" （Muslim students） are planning any protesting。 What happens instead is that the students are too busy providing safe walking services for Muslim female students and either cannot practice their prayers or do so in mosques who've been forced to hire armed guards because of increasing hate crime retaliations。 How have politics in our country changed in a post-9/11 world？ Ali recounts the hopes and devastation of the Muslim vote as George W。 Bush was at one point the most Islamic friendly president who spoke with numerous Muslim leaders， and then launched the war on terror。 With Obama came hope， but due to the constant skepticism over his name and possible closeted faith （which was easily denied）， his administration often over-reacted to situations that placed him near Muslim people or faith。 And then， there was a Muslim ban。 For people of color in our country， there are very clear lines in the form of policy， opportunities， wealth， education， etc where we still have "us" vs "them" mentalities。 Ali points these discrepancies out from the benign titles that introduce him as a "Muslim correspondent" even when he's not speaking on an inter-faith panel and we never introduce other anchors as "Christian correspondents" to the very real and devastating disparities of incarcerated populations which target people of color and often benefit white wealthy criminals who can pay their legal fees and bargain for lower sentencing。 The book is packed with critical examinations of our country， and yet it's often funny。 He invites the reader to see the foolishness as well as the harm when we uphold racist systems。 And by adding in his own story and the difficulties his family has faced， it makes it harder for reluctant readers to wave him off。 He speaks a very real truth， and I'm so glad he shared it。 10 stars if I could give them。 I could not put it down。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell
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This sounds like it'll make me both want to laugh and also want to punch people This sounds like it'll make me both want to laugh and also want to punch people 。。。more
Michelle
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