Easy Beauty: A Memoir
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- Create Date：2022-03-31 10:19:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Chloé Cooper Jones
- ISBN：B09842M36T
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Reviews
Jasmine
，
Easy Beauty by Chloé Cooper Jones has quickly made it to one of my top books of the year。 This memoir is about Chloé Cooper Jones’ life as a disabled woman， a mother， an academic， and her journey to finding herself。 Jones discusses her experience living with sacral agenesis and its side effects， such as chronic pain。 She tells of an awful conversation with two men that led to her impulsively travelling to Italy。 A place where she reflected on the Ancient Roman’s beauty standards and their consta Easy Beauty by Chloé Cooper Jones has quickly made it to one of my top books of the year。 This memoir is about Chloé Cooper Jones’ life as a disabled woman， a mother， an academic， and her journey to finding herself。 Jones discusses her experience living with sacral agenesis and its side effects， such as chronic pain。 She tells of an awful conversation with two men that led to her impulsively travelling to Italy。 A place where she reflected on the Ancient Roman’s beauty standards and their constant desire for symmetry。 Jones discusses her other travel experiences after Italy， from trips around the US to Cambodia。 She describes her relationship with her parents， partner， son， friends， and past romantic encounters。 Jones shares many examples of how ableism is so inherent in society and how it can come from friends or strangers。 I cannot tell you how much I loved this book。 How much I related to it。 Although my disability is different， I’ve shared many similar experiences。 It always blows my mind how many people can be so casually and audaciously ableist。 When Jones recounted past conversations with people on eugenics， my blood started boiling at their sheer callousness。Chloé Cooper Jones’ writing is impeccable。 At first， I tried to read this slowly， but after a while， I found it to be completely unputdownable。 Her writing style is so engaging。 Her storytelling made me laugh， fume， and even emotional at times。 There is a philosophical side to much of this narrative， and I’ll be honest， a lot of that went over my head。 I am so happy this book exists， and I hope to see more like it in the future。 I recommend this book to everyone。 I’m sure other disabled people will find something to relate to here。 And able-bodied people will get some insight into what it’s like living as a disabled person in an able-bodied world。 Many thanks to Avid Reader Press for a finished copy in exchange for an honest review。 https://booksandwheels。com 。。。more
Ashley Harris
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“If love is the name of the pursuit of the whole， what is the name given to finding it？ I close my eyes and focus on the feeling of the world getting a little wider。”I had never heard or read any of Chloé’s writing before Easy Beauty， but I think there’s nothing I want more in this moment than to sit with her and talk for hours。 She writes in a way that makes me think I could be her friend， as if reading her memoir has somehow enlightened me to her uncensored， unedited personality。Chloé’s memoir “If love is the name of the pursuit of the whole， what is the name given to finding it？ I close my eyes and focus on the feeling of the world getting a little wider。”I had never heard or read any of Chloé’s writing before Easy Beauty， but I think there’s nothing I want more in this moment than to sit with her and talk for hours。 She writes in a way that makes me think I could be her friend， as if reading her memoir has somehow enlightened me to her uncensored， unedited personality。Chloé’s memoir jumps around to different stories and vignettes of her life， some brief glimpses and others detailed adventures or conversations。 Each one offers another piece of the puzzle， another step toward understanding。 Standout passages include her trip to Cambodia， the Richard Serra exhibit， and the magic show in Prospect Park。The beauty of this book is that it while it exposes the rawness of Chloé’s disability， it ultimately whittles us all down to the fears， faults， and beauty we hold inside ourselves。I really think Chloé expresses it perfectly in the final pages， “Beauty helped us be attentive to a world outside ourselves。” In a world where we are all so caught up in ourselves， our anxieties， our inadequacies， our fears… beauty allows us to step outside of that。 Reading Chloé’s words， I could feel my world getting a little wider。 。。。more
littlefoot_books
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I knew this book would be different （in a good way） as soon as I began the prologue:“I am in a bar in Brooklyn listening to two men， my friends， discuss whether or not my life is worth living。”This unique book is so many things all at once: philosophical discussion， travelogue， meditation on parenthood and disability and memoir。 A lot of ground is covered here！ Cooper Jones was born with a sacrum and spends a lot of the book reckoning with her disability。 One realization that stuck out the most I knew this book would be different （in a good way） as soon as I began the prologue:“I am in a bar in Brooklyn listening to two men， my friends， discuss whether or not my life is worth living。”This unique book is so many things all at once: philosophical discussion， travelogue， meditation on parenthood and disability and memoir。 A lot of ground is covered here！ Cooper Jones was born with a sacrum and spends a lot of the book reckoning with her disability。 One realization that stuck out the most for me was the ability of able bodied people to be so cruel， callous and assumptive even without realizing it。 This shouldn’t have been so surprising to me， but I was appalled at some of the things people have said to Cooper Jones。 She is， however， no less hard on herself than those people who are quick to judge her body。 She has no issue with turning the lens inward and reflecting on her own actions。Cooper Jones takes the readers with her as she explores her identity and place in the world through travel。 She goes to a Beyonce concert in Milan， a tennis match in California， museums in Rome and beaches in Cambodia。 Cooper Jones is quite eloquent in her descriptions and I often found myself feeling like I was there with her in the situations described。Personally， I felt some of philosophical sections a bit tedious， but only because I am not particularly interested in it。 It is not written in a linear timeline and jumps around a bit， so at times I had trouble following。 All said， this is a beautifully moving and thought provoking book that will make you rethink how you move through the world。 。。。more
Jenny Lawson
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A gorgeously written memoir about disability， motherhood and finding yourself。
Beth
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Thank you to Chloe Cooper Jones and Avid Reader Press for the Advance Reader's Edition of "Easy Beauty。" I wasn't sure what to expect。 What I experienced while reading this memoir was a no-holds-barred account about marriage， motherhood， and how the author lives a full， vibrant life with a disability。 Chloe Cooper Jones gets real in this memoir。 It was so eye-opening to read about how she experiences life and travels the world on her own。 She goes on a vision quest and travels to countries such Thank you to Chloe Cooper Jones and Avid Reader Press for the Advance Reader's Edition of "Easy Beauty。" I wasn't sure what to expect。 What I experienced while reading this memoir was a no-holds-barred account about marriage， motherhood， and how the author lives a full， vibrant life with a disability。 Chloe Cooper Jones gets real in this memoir。 It was so eye-opening to read about how she experiences life and travels the world on her own。 She goes on a vision quest and travels to countries such as Italy and Cambodia， as well as to a tennis tournament in Palm Springs， CA， to cover the event as a journalist。 This was a very quick read for me。 I would love to read more about her life。 Maybe a sequel is in order？ 。。。more
Roxanne
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This is such a touching book。 The author has some disabilties and I feel some people in general look on others if they do match the mold they think everyone belongs in。 Every person on this planet has a place and should not be looked at as less than。 There are many rich and beautiful people in the world but they are not all good people on the inside。 She writes with such grace， lessons can be learned from this book。
lisa
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This thoughtful book opens with a stunning prologue。 The author， Chloe Cooper Jones is forced to be a bystander in a conversation as two men she refers to as friends discuss whether her life is worth having。 This becomes the catalyst for her journey to Italy where she will ponder the meaning of beauty， and her life as a disabled woman。 She also makes her way to Utah， Miami and Cambodia through the course of her work as a freelance writer， and Ph。 D student。Much of the book talks a lot about how This thoughtful book opens with a stunning prologue。 The author， Chloe Cooper Jones is forced to be a bystander in a conversation as two men she refers to as friends discuss whether her life is worth having。 This becomes the catalyst for her journey to Italy where she will ponder the meaning of beauty， and her life as a disabled woman。 She also makes her way to Utah， Miami and Cambodia through the course of her work as a freelance writer， and Ph。 D student。Much of the book talks a lot about how thoughtless able bodied people are， even when they are trying not be。 Cooper relays her day to day interactions with us as matter of factly as she can， leaving the reader to feel the cruelty she experiences several times a day acutely。 However， this is not the primary source of the book （it's just what struck me the most）。 Cooper reflects a lot on her early life， especially her relationships with her parents。 She writes about her son's ability to feel her pain and discomfort， and the anxiety it causes him。 She writes about becoming interested in tennis， and she writes about crashing a party at the Sundance film festival。 She also writes about philosophy a lot， which I admit didn't interest me。 （I've never been a fan of reading philosophical ideas， although I enjoy hearing people discuss them。） The book ends up being a memoir with some big ideas and whirling theories mixed in。I didn't know much about this book before I started reading it， but it sucked me in， and I enjoyed it a lot。 。。。more
Dana
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Amazing story told very well。 Compelling read。 Thank you for the ARC。
Katie
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This a really lovely memoir about disability， womanhood， motherhood， patriarchy， travel， philosophy and beauty standards that forces us to examine ourselves and our perceptions。 I think this’ll be one of the big memoirs of the year。
meg
，
This is a gorgeously written memoir from Chloé Cooper Jones， telling stories from her life and travels as she builds her identity， as she raises her son and as she develops her career as an academic。 Her journey takes us from NYC to Rome， to Cambodia and beyond。 Her memoir also covers a lot， highlighting the complexity of her life。 She touches upon everything from motherhood to her experience as a disabled person， to academia， to the job she had as a writer for GQ。 Her style is frank and engagin This is a gorgeously written memoir from Chloé Cooper Jones， telling stories from her life and travels as she builds her identity， as she raises her son and as she develops her career as an academic。 Her journey takes us from NYC to Rome， to Cambodia and beyond。 Her memoir also covers a lot， highlighting the complexity of her life。 She touches upon everything from motherhood to her experience as a disabled person， to academia， to the job she had as a writer for GQ。 Her style is frank and engaging， hooking readers from the first chapter。I cannot recommend this book enough， it is a memoir I am sure to revisit。Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Samantha M
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I received this book as part of a Good Reads Giveaway。Chloe Cooper Jones and I could be friends。 We are about the same age。 We are both mothers， and we both have experienced the Beyonce Experience。 Reading this book was like sitting in the bar with my smart， funny friend， listening to her tell stories of her adventures and adversities。 Cooper Jones's writing is just so beautiful。 I feel like my silly little Good Reads review cannot do justice to Cooper Jones's spunk and wit。 She's both cool and I received this book as part of a Good Reads Giveaway。Chloe Cooper Jones and I could be friends。 We are about the same age。 We are both mothers， and we both have experienced the Beyonce Experience。 Reading this book was like sitting in the bar with my smart， funny friend， listening to her tell stories of her adventures and adversities。 Cooper Jones's writing is just so beautiful。 I feel like my silly little Good Reads review cannot do justice to Cooper Jones's spunk and wit。 She's both cool and relatable。 She writes about her disability in a way where I never felt pity for her， but rather， I wanted to smack the people who treated her cruelly。 This was a great read。 I feel fortunate to have won this book。 。。。more
Tara
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Wonderful; thought-provoking。 The author has a lovely style that is sometimes lyrical， sometimes cutting， but always honest。 Highly recommend reading if you are interested in self-reflection and growth about your own perceptions， experiences， and thoughts on beauty and being in the moment。
Laura Trombley
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Jones makes her voice heard as she describes her journey into being， into academia， into motherhood， into the world of journalism。 Although her atypical body presents its challenges to her， observers often assume what those challenges are and how they， the savior， can help without her agency。 This beautifully written story will allow the non-disabled to hear her voice and apply it to our interactions with other people， affirming them without dismissing their ability to navigate their path。
Derek Callahan， Callahan’s Books
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In my mind is the iconic “Wide World of Sports” opening line， “spanning the globe…” In my gut is the pinch of guilt as I remind myself “Easy Beauty” may include all the phenomenal vistas of a travel log， but it is so much more。 A university professor， Pulitzer finalist and human being， Chloé Cooper Jones’ beautiful mind was sadly preoccupied。 The diagnosis at birth of a rare physical condition wasn’t enough to restrain her talent; but it was enough to alter the way people treated her。 In turn th In my mind is the iconic “Wide World of Sports” opening line， “spanning the globe…” In my gut is the pinch of guilt as I remind myself “Easy Beauty” may include all the phenomenal vistas of a travel log， but it is so much more。 A university professor， Pulitzer finalist and human being， Chloé Cooper Jones’ beautiful mind was sadly preoccupied。 The diagnosis at birth of a rare physical condition wasn’t enough to restrain her talent; but it was enough to alter the way people treated her。 In turn the author reflexively catered to her own “othering” — that is until parenthood changed the game （as that is its expertise）。Cooper Jones rebels against a marginalized existence with a series of epic trips that set her on a transformative path to reconsidering how she relates to the world。 And if they hadn’t， at least she racked up miles。 As she spans the globe， the author’s self-awareness reaches dizzying levels。 Reflections on how she let the behavior of others affect her are brutally honest but not recriminating。 It’s the sign of a particularly strong memoir: grinding to grist the preoccupations of the past， but letting the wind take them。 After internal litigation the dust is blown away and the air ahead is so much clearer。 。。。more
Brian Pham
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I was gripped by the very first sentence of this unsparingly honest and incredibly moving memoir: "I am in a bar in Brooklyn， listening to two men—my friends—discuss whether my life is worth living。 Chloé Cooper Jones， who was born with a rare congenital condition that affects both her stature and gait， invites the reader into her mind as she confronts society's standards of desirability and beauty。 Jones takes the reader along as she watches a Beyoncé concert in Milan， visits the killing fields I was gripped by the very first sentence of this unsparingly honest and incredibly moving memoir: "I am in a bar in Brooklyn， listening to two men—my friends—discuss whether my life is worth living。 Chloé Cooper Jones， who was born with a rare congenital condition that affects both her stature and gait， invites the reader into her mind as she confronts society's standards of desirability and beauty。 Jones takes the reader along as she watches a Beyoncé concert in Milan， visits the killing fields of Phnom Penh， and attends the Sundance Film Festival in Utah， all while weaving aesthetic philosophy with deeply personal reflection to ask the question: "how do we measure human value？" Easy Beauty is deeply sincere， illuminating， and thought-provoking。 This is a book that has made me rethink how I move through the world and makes me wish I could give a copy to everyone I know。 。。。more
Shona Tiger
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Thank you to NetGalley and to Simon & Schuster for this eARC。First of all， this will not be to everyone’s taste （partly because no book ever is）。 To locate it: it sits at the intersection of living with a disability and Western philosophy， expressed as a study of beauty。 Not everyone cares about （Western） philosophy， or wants to read pages and pages of it。 I don’t。 However， I connected with the author’s struggles because I’ve lived a lot of them， too; I found this book triggering， and so read it Thank you to NetGalley and to Simon & Schuster for this eARC。First of all， this will not be to everyone’s taste （partly because no book ever is）。 To locate it: it sits at the intersection of living with a disability and Western philosophy， expressed as a study of beauty。 Not everyone cares about （Western） philosophy， or wants to read pages and pages of it。 I don’t。 However， I connected with the author’s struggles because I’ve lived a lot of them， too; I found this book triggering， and so read it very slowly。 I can’t imagine what those who don’t connect with the living with a disability might make of it: will it mean anything？ Will it be educational？ Will it get tiresome？The strongest parts for me were when she related her own story — and， correspondingly， the weakest were the philosophical bits， which I understood as Ms Cooper making logical sense of her lived experience （as is her right， of course， but I didn’t connect with that）。In short， this is a difficult book to review， recommend， or rate， as it will either be deeply meaningful to you （as it was to me）， or not。 It is， however， an excellent addition to memoirs， to memoirs by women， and to memoirs about living with a disability。 。。。more
Carly Bohach
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3。75 I won the ARC copy and found the writing solid and Chloe's story interesting。 I enjoyed the travel aspect and was horrified by how often people projected their insecurities onto her。 3。75 I won the ARC copy and found the writing solid and Chloe's story interesting。 I enjoyed the travel aspect and was horrified by how often people projected their insecurities onto her。 。。。more
Rachel Adams
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This one is going to take the reading world by storm - I can't wait to watch others read and learn from this one like I did。Easy Beauty is an exceptional memoir - following Chloe Cooper Jones through her experiences as a dreamer， writer， professor， mother， wife， while living with a rare congenital condition called sacral agenesis。 Cooper Jones is an incredible writer and the way she has been seen—or not seen—has informed her lens on the world her entire life。 Chloe embarks on a journey across th This one is going to take the reading world by storm - I can't wait to watch others read and learn from this one like I did。Easy Beauty is an exceptional memoir - following Chloe Cooper Jones through her experiences as a dreamer， writer， professor， mother， wife， while living with a rare congenital condition called sacral agenesis。 Cooper Jones is an incredible writer and the way she has been seen—or not seen—has informed her lens on the world her entire life。 Chloe embarks on a journey across the world - to museums in Rome， beaches in Cambodia， bars in Brooklyn and tennis tournaments in the desert - sharing formative moments from her life that shape her identity。 This book felt like a discovery - of both the writer， and the confines of the definitions placed on us - be that in beauty， ability， or societal expectations。 This book made me pause multiple times， deconstructing perceptions， reflecting on my own assumptions about others。 This is deep， spiky， and so damn smart。 PLEASE put this on your list to read this year！ 。。。more
Cat Fithian
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Beautifully lyrical prose that paints full technicolor scenes in your head， this "own voice" memoir is about a singular person and simultaneously about universal experiences and feelings。 I never want to finish reading this book。 Beautifully lyrical prose that paints full technicolor scenes in your head， this "own voice" memoir is about a singular person and simultaneously about universal experiences and feelings。 I never want to finish reading this book。 。。。more
Karissa Devore
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In “Easy Beauty” Chloe Cooper Jones shows us she has a gift for finding the words for the feelings and experiences in life that are usually indescribable。 The way she writes about postpartum depression。 Yes。 The way she writes about the sizzling mystery of encountering an attractive stranger。 Yes。 The way she writes about the odd and uncomfortable status that comes from having struggled among people who haven’t。 Yes。 She describes every scene with a specificity that brings us to her side。 The pa In “Easy Beauty” Chloe Cooper Jones shows us she has a gift for finding the words for the feelings and experiences in life that are usually indescribable。 The way she writes about postpartum depression。 Yes。 The way she writes about the sizzling mystery of encountering an attractive stranger。 Yes。 The way she writes about the odd and uncomfortable status that comes from having struggled among people who haven’t。 Yes。 She describes every scene with a specificity that brings us to her side。 The pain isn’t just hers- we feel it too。 We can smell the aromas， feel the dripping sweat， see the fires appearing one by one in the dark。 Jones opens her soul to us- she is honest， witty， vulnerable， clever and thoughtful。 I closed this book feeling like I knew her。 I have never read a book so completely full of exceptionally crafted sentences and profound commentary on the human existence。 As I was making notes to review later I found myself putting sticky notes on almost every page。I would recommend this book to everyone。 Everyone。 Read it。 *My review is based on an Advance Reader’s Edition。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Ellen Natalia
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I loved this memoir！ Comes out in April， highly recommend it。
Tim Gormly
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Jones has a way with words that always leaves me feeling deep places inside of myself。 Easy Beauty is no exception。
Katelyn
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One of those books that makes you think。 There were several times reading this book where a line would hit me and I had to pause take a moment and let myself process my thoughts and the feelings the line evoked。 I really enjoyed reading this one。 Thank you for the early review copy！ *All thoughts are my own。 This is a honest review in exchange for an advanced review copy。*
Whitney
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"Easy Beauty" is a vital book about the casual and dismissive way the disabled are overlooked - and stared at too viciously - by the able-bodied。 While Cooper-Jones writes with great feeling， her prose leans hard on purple， and the book is not told linearly but in essays that dart around to other times， imagined happenings， past grievances。 This made "Easy Beauty" difficult to parse。 In some moments， the digging around was worth it， as Cooper-Jones's writing style was beautiful and heartbreaking "Easy Beauty" is a vital book about the casual and dismissive way the disabled are overlooked - and stared at too viciously - by the able-bodied。 While Cooper-Jones writes with great feeling， her prose leans hard on purple， and the book is not told linearly but in essays that dart around to other times， imagined happenings， past grievances。 This made "Easy Beauty" difficult to parse。 In some moments， the digging around was worth it， as Cooper-Jones's writing style was beautiful and heartbreaking and bitter and smart。 Other times， it was difficult to discern her meaning。 I enjoyed this book， but I would not recommend it to many people。 。。。more
Leah
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Good read。
Madeline
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Too philosophical for me。 Gave it to Gracie， hopefully she’ll enjoy it。
Christina
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The writing is grandiose and the beginning of the book is quite boring （a me problem， but when someone starts going on and onabout Ovid's Metamorphosis， it's a red flag I'm not going to be into a book at all）。 It's also beautiful at the sentence level every couple pages。 Not enough to hold me。 The writing is grandiose and the beginning of the book is quite boring （a me problem， but when someone starts going on and onabout Ovid's Metamorphosis， it's a red flag I'm not going to be into a book at all）。 It's also beautiful at the sentence level every couple pages。 Not enough to hold me。 。。。more
Moriah
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This was a very interesting and self reflecting read。 I found the author to be raw and honest and I appreciated the way she experiences the world around her and filtered those thoughts through her philosophical background。 I appreciated the honesty she writes when talking about motherhood。 Being able to compartmentalize and process the immense thoughts and feeling associated with motherhood and being able to do it with such reflection as she does is a gift。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Easy Beauty: A Memoir
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Easy Beauty: A Memoir&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Easy Beauty: A Memoir&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0