Acne: A Memoir
- Downloads：4844
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-10 11:21:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Laura Chinn
- ISBN：1668617404
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Stacey
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Really great memoir。 I especially love that the author was so brutally honest about everything， including the messy， inappropriate internal monologues that she had during some awful times。
Theresa
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I didn't even know who Laura Chinn was before I read her memoir， "Acne"。 This was such a fun and heartbreaking read。 I don't think there was anything I didn't like about this book。 Memoirs can be a hit or miss for me， but this one was a winner all the way！ This book is more than a girl/woman suffering from cystic acne。 Laura has gone through a lot of personal loss and setbacks in her life。 She also had a very unconventional childhood。 She pretty much raised herself after her parents checked out I didn't even know who Laura Chinn was before I read her memoir， "Acne"。 This was such a fun and heartbreaking read。 I don't think there was anything I didn't like about this book。 Memoirs can be a hit or miss for me， but this one was a winner all the way！ This book is more than a girl/woman suffering from cystic acne。 Laura has gone through a lot of personal loss and setbacks in her life。 She also had a very unconventional childhood。 She pretty much raised herself after her parents checked out mentally after their divorce。 Laura's prose is hilarious， heartfelt， candid， and poignant。 I'm so glad I went into this book with an open mind。 She's very lucky she survived such a chaotic and traumatic upbringing。 Such a down-to-earth and relatable memoir。 Highly recommended！ Thank you， Netgalley and Hachette for the digital ARC。 。。。more
Susan H。 Stofanak
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Aren't we all covered in acne？I love how brave Laura is to put into writing her most painful memories。 Your journey is incredible to say the least。 I am so proud of you for loving yourself enough to crawl out of the bottomless pit that took so many of your friends。 I love that you understand your oarents weaknesses stem from their childhood and you can love and forgive， thank you for sharing， this book is going to help many people 。。。。 Aren't we all covered in acne？I love how brave Laura is to put into writing her most painful memories。 Your journey is incredible to say the least。 I am so proud of you for loving yourself enough to crawl out of the bottomless pit that took so many of your friends。 I love that you understand your oarents weaknesses stem from their childhood and you can love and forgive， thank you for sharing， this book is going to help many people 。。。。 。。。more
Hlyan
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Books had never made me cry before。 But this one did。 When I bought this book， I was expecting a story of a woman who has been struggling with acne all her life， a story which I can relate to and get some comfort from and have some laughs with。 Boy， it was much more than that！ Although I could relate to Chinn's acne， her life was beyond what I could imagine。 I was horrified by her stories， and also surprised by her honesty。 I wasn't expecting that level of honesty。Kym Whitley says， "Chinn shares Books had never made me cry before。 But this one did。 When I bought this book， I was expecting a story of a woman who has been struggling with acne all her life， a story which I can relate to and get some comfort from and have some laughs with。 Boy， it was much more than that！ Although I could relate to Chinn's acne， her life was beyond what I could imagine。 I was horrified by her stories， and also surprised by her honesty。 I wasn't expecting that level of honesty。Kym Whitley says， "Chinn shares deeply personal stories that will make you inappropriately laugh out loud until you're in tears。"Chinn writes about her story with a sense of humour。 I smiled， I laughed out loud， but at the same time， I felt sad and horrified。 At one point， I cried。 I was really into this book that when I finished， it felt like I had just lived a life。 That's what I love about good memoirs and novels。 The final chapters also gave me some insights and realisations and some things to think about。 This is one of the books that I will never forget。 。。。more
Heather
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I didn't know what to expect from this memoir。 I received it from Netgalley and thought it sounded interesting。 It was amazing！ Laura Chinn tells her story in her own way and it is so much more than dealing with cystic acne。 There are a lot of terrible things that happened to her， but she manages to find humor in life。 This was a relatable book and a surprise from what I originally thought。 Definitely check it out if you like memoirs。 I didn't know what to expect from this memoir。 I received it from Netgalley and thought it sounded interesting。 It was amazing！ Laura Chinn tells her story in her own way and it is so much more than dealing with cystic acne。 There are a lot of terrible things that happened to her， but she manages to find humor in life。 This was a relatable book and a surprise from what I originally thought。 Definitely check it out if you like memoirs。 。。。more
Emma-Kate Schaake
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Wow。 This made my heart break for her as a teen and I found myself thinking so much about my students。 <3 But， she tells her story in short， biting chapters that are hilarious， unbelievable in their chaos， and incredibly vulnerable。 She touches on race， poverty， sexual assault， drug and alcohol addiction， parenting， self esteem， standards of beauty， tragedy of circumstance， and ultimately hope。 We would howl and bend over， clutching our stomachs， with tears streaming out of our eyes， our bodies Wow。 This made my heart break for her as a teen and I found myself thinking so much about my students。 <3 But， she tells her story in short， biting chapters that are hilarious， unbelievable in their chaos， and incredibly vulnerable。 She touches on race， poverty， sexual assault， drug and alcohol addiction， parenting， self esteem， standards of beauty， tragedy of circumstance， and ultimately hope。 We would howl and bend over， clutching our stomachs， with tears streaming out of our eyes， our bodies covered in sweat。 Wewould look at each other and telepathically say， he's so brain damaged！ Our lives are a waking nightmare！ And for some reason thismade us laugh uncontrollably。 My brother would pick up on our mental messages and telepathically add， I had my whole life ahead of me and now it's a struggle just to walk through the house！ And wewould keep laughing uproariously。Honestly， nothing has ever made me laugh as much as I did in those days。 No comedian or sitcom can come close to the hilarity of real human suffering， the agonizing pain that builds up andcan only be released through maniacal laughter。 Maybe I'm alone in this， or maybe everyone else is also secretly chuckling at their dying grandma or dog with wheels for legs。 I find so much humor in the big and small tragedies of life and that humor has gotten me through all of it。At thetime I thought that sounded so cool， but now I can see clearly thar she was raped。 There was such a fine line between cool and raped in those days。 We had no idea that certain behavior was inappropriate because it was all normal to us。 Every day at my public school， boys would grab my vagina whileI would yell with a smile， "Stop， Tim！ Seriously！" Or a boy would run up， slap my tit， and say， "Breast cancer！" while I would giggle and try to run away。 I have giggled and squealed my way through so much sexual harassment， I had no idea that it was harmful and slowly making me think of myself as a valueless object with nofeelings。 If I had taken a sexual harassment quiz I would've failed miserably。When you are raised by a father who believes women should besubmissive， and you go to school with boys who repeatedly grab you and demand to know if you stuff your bra， how can you possiblY learn that this behavior is not okay？ I wasn't going to learn it from movies or music videos， because entertainment feeds this idea thatwomen are sexual objects and not only is it okay to grab them and talk dirty to them without permission， but they love ir。Honestly， it never crossed my mind that life could be any other way。 I never considered going to school and not having my vaginagrabbed。 That was as much a part of school as Scantron sheets and lockers。 I am so thankful for the recent anti-sexual harassment movernents because they're showing creepy people chat their behuror will no longer be tolerated， and also， they're showing me that a man who asks me about my breasts at work is creepy。 He's not funny， he's not playful， he's not firing， he's creepy。All the people brave enough to come forward and tell the stories of how they have been abused have shown me how much abuse I have allowed and at times welcomed。 When you think very little ofyourself， you can't imagine ever having control over whar happens to your body or having agency over how you are spoken to。 That is something I have had to learn。 I'm very grateful to all the brave humans who have stepped into the light to show che rest of us we have been living in the dark。When I talk about chat suicidal phase， some people nod knowingly and other people seem shocked and say things like。 “YouActually thought about killing yourself？" And my reply is an even more shocked，"You've never thought about killing yourself？！" Those sucidal thoughts were so loud and lasted for so long thar I can't euimagine a world where they had never crossed my mind。 I guarantee those people who are so shocked by even the thoughof suicide have never had cystic acne。MOVING TO A PLACE LIKE FLORIDA FROM A PLACE LIKE CALIFORNIA CAN bea major culture dhock especialy if youte nine years old and your parents never told you that you were mixed race。 Growing up in a household where every single person had a different skin color resulted in me being genuinely color blind。 Not in the offensive “post-racial" way that certain white people claim they are color blind and don't see race， when of course they do and are full of shit。 I was actually color blind。 No one ever explained to me that because so many people on ourplanet are too simpleminded to tolerate differences in each other， and because our governments have exploited this fact to aggressively turn people against each other so they're more easily controlled， skincolor is actually a very big deal。 I never questioned why my dad's skin was brown， why my brother's skin was light brown， or why my mom's skin was pale。When I got home， I told my mom what happened in school looked at me like， Oops， we probably should have told you about this before we moved to the South。 Then she explained the whole damn thing to me…Somehow， with my thoroScientology education， I knew the dictionary definition of the word “the" but I had missed out on basic American history。 Slavery was hard for nine-year-old me to understand。 But the hatred of some based on their skin color was even harder to grasp。And then I sort of decided my momwas wrong。 Because there was just no way that someone could hate someone else based on skin color， a detail that I didn't even really notice until someone forced me to。 In the coming years， I learned my mom was， of course， not wrong at all。 I quickly discovered that almost every person on theplanet is intolerant or prejudiced against some other skin color， gender， sexuality， culture， or religion， but I do not believe that behavior is human nature。 I believe that behavior is learned and my nine-year-old self is proof of that。That was the weirdest part about those people， they all wanted tosay racist things and act super racist， but they couldn't stand to be called racist。 I have never met a proud racist in my entire life。 They have all been sneaky racists who act deeply ashamed as soon as Iinform them of my background。 They all know it is wrong to be racist， but they just aren't capable of not being racist。 The desire to degrade and demean a group of people is too strong。 The feeling ofsuperiority they made up in their heads is too addictive。 My appearing white but being half Black regularly exposed howtruly moronic racism is。 Several times in my life， I would meet a guy and he would want to date me， and then I would tell him I washalf Black and he'd quietly be like， never mind。 He was attracted to my face， my body， and my personality， but the blood that ran through my veins was somehow something he couldn't deal with。 Cats don't care if they're about to mate with an orange cat or a calico cat; they're smart enough to know a cat is a cat。 When are wE going to learn that a person is a person？ When are we going to be a smart as cats？It's remarkable how many similarities public schools have to prisons。 Public schools mirror the prison aesthetic perfectly with their fenced-in， intimidating concrete structures。 Some even going asfar as using barbed wire to cage in the children。 Like prisoners， the students group off into racial categories for safety。 Both institutions have cafeterias， and exercise yards， and police officers。 No one actually wants to be there， but some outside authority is forcing you to stay inside the building。 I know I'm not the first person to make this observation， but that makes it even worse。 The comparison shoulditbe so obvious。All of my anger at my parents came to the surface， but suddenly I could see that all my anger was directed toward scaredlittle children。 Their adult bodies were still dealing with and acting out the terrors of their childhoods。 Suddenly an idea poppedinto my head。 We can only hold on to anger when we view life through a peephole。 I was looking at my parents through a tinyhole。 Through that hole they were two parents who neglected me， left me alone to raise myself， didn't protect me or parent me properly。 When I expanded that hole and looked at their entire story， they were just people， with their own weaknesses and limitations， who loved me beyond measure and did everything for me theypossibly knew how to do。It also occurred to me that if I wanted to hold on to anger at myparents， I would also have to hold on to anger at their parents and their parents' parents。 While I was at it， I would also have to be angry at our broken society that helped shape this Black man andthis white woman all throughout the tumultuous latter half of thetwentieth century。Guilt is probably the most tolerated "negative" emotion because it isn't really that loud or distracting。 People can quietlyexpress their guilt without drawing a bunch of attention to themselves。 But in our quiet， repressed， puritanical society， most emo-tions are too messy and overwhelming。When a child hits， they are told， “No， no， we don't hit our friends。" When a child yells in anger， they are told， “Hey！ That'senough！" When you were a child and you got angry， did your parents say "I understand you are very angry。 And you are allowed to feel that。 Let's go into your room so you can scream， punch somepillows， and let some of this anger out in a safe space"？ If so， I bet you don't have acne。Most of us were told to be quiet， no hitting， and enough with the crying。 This is not our parents' fault; this is our whole damn society。 We no longer light fires and chant and yell into the flames during atribal dance。 We barely dance at all （other than grinding on horny people in nightclubs）。 We never get a chance to let out all the complex feelings and energy burning inside of us。 We medicate thosefeelings with drugs， alcohol， and pills。 We distract those feelings with television and books， but we don't feel them， express them， and let them go。 As soon as I started doing this， my skin started to heal。 It was not easy and it was not instant， but it was working;Even if you were lucky enough to to have super loving， intaenlty present parents， our modern society is pretty lacking in the love department。 Most of us did not grow up in large tribes of people whom we were all deeply and lovingly connected to。 Our teacher's job was to teach us and discipline us， not love us; our coach's job was to en-courage us and make us competitive， not love us。 By the time a lot of us reached our teenage years， we were probably pretty desperate for love and human connection。 If love were like food， most teenagers would look like emaciated famine victims， stumbling around desperately trying to feed their withering bodies with love。 And like a starving person， teenagers will do anything they can to try and get that love。 Some overachieve to please their parents， orsteal to impress their friends， or get tattoos on their face to fit in， or take copious amounts of drugs to medicate the agony of not feeling connected to humanity。 We might look back in shame at some ofour teenage antics， but the truth is we were starving。 If we can have empathy for famine victims， we should have empathy for ourselves。So I worked hard on forgiving my inner teenage， love-starved fam-ine victim and my skin responded。。。 Someday soon my face and my body weregoing to drastically change forever。 Time would strip me of my attachment to the beauty standards， and that experience was going to be quite painful if I didn't let this obsession with the impossible goal of physical perfection go。 I could finally feel what this skin thing had been trying to teachme-_vain， narcissistic， image-obsessed me: I had to find a way to be okay on the inside regardless of what I looked like on the outside。 I had to find a way to feel beautiful no matter what。 Can I still feel beautiful today？ I wondered。 Can I still feel like a beautiful happy person and walk down the aisle with this flawed skin？ Yes， I finallydecided， and I began mentally filling myself up with the feeling of beautiful as best I could。 Maybe my mother was right， maybe my skin is beautiful， maybe every single human being on this planet is beautifuland everything else is a lie。 Then I stood up in front of the mirror and looked myself in the eyes。 I could be completely imperfect and still have a wonderful day。 I can be completely imperfect and still have awonderful life。 。。。more
Katyak79
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I had no idea who Laura Chinn was picking this up， and TBH I still kinda don't but lets just say that I was not shocked when I got to the part where she states that she writes script for comedy shows。 Laura is absolutely hilarious。 There were passages where I literally laughed reading some of her quips。 This isn't a very literary read but her story is relatable and full of insightful moments。 Her family is kinda messed up but she doesn't dwell on the trauma much and ends up walking away with som I had no idea who Laura Chinn was picking this up， and TBH I still kinda don't but lets just say that I was not shocked when I got to the part where she states that she writes script for comedy shows。 Laura is absolutely hilarious。 There were passages where I literally laughed reading some of her quips。 This isn't a very literary read but her story is relatable and full of insightful moments。 Her family is kinda messed up but she doesn't dwell on the trauma much and ends up walking away with some great insight。 Also， I found her eventual cure pretty interesting。 Laura is a cynical person and her experiences with an alt practitioner are similar to my own。 She approaches it from an agnostic， experience based view and you end up being glad she found what works and glad that she escaped the fate of some of the characters she grew up around。 。。。more
Kristen
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Honest， relatable， and hilarious， Chinn manages to stay funny and hopeful even while dealing with really tough topics。 I had a hard time putting this down。
Ali （exercise_read_repeat）
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"I could be completely imperfect and still have a wonderful day。 I can be completely imperfect and still have a wonderful life。" 4。5 stars for Acne， the memoir that will make you feel essentially every emotion at least once while reading/listening。 Laura's story was funny， tragic， captivating， and so much more！ Although the initial premise is about a girl who struggles with profound cystic acne， this memoir is really about self-acceptance。 Her story， at times， was absolutely shocking （particular "I could be completely imperfect and still have a wonderful day。 I can be completely imperfect and still have a wonderful life。" 4。5 stars for Acne， the memoir that will make you feel essentially every emotion at least once while reading/listening。 Laura's story was funny， tragic， captivating， and so much more！ Although the initial premise is about a girl who struggles with profound cystic acne， this memoir is really about self-acceptance。 Her story， at times， was absolutely shocking （particularly some aspects of her childhood）， but it also really made me laugh。 I would absolutely recommend listening to this （and honestly every memoir） because it was great to have Laura tell her story。 Note there is content that involves alcoholism， grief， rape/sexual assault， cancer， etc。 so be sure to check trigger warnings before picking it up！ Thank you Hachette Audio for my audio copy of this memoir！ 。。。more
Lauren Cunningham
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As a former Clearwater resident from around the same age group， this book took me back there vividly。 It also made me laugh， made me cry and sort of made me want to look into alternative healing。
Kari
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This book was a relatable memoir in so many ways; especially anyone who ever had to deal with Acne。 The Author， @laurachinnnn had it bad dealing with a horrible case of cystic acne on top of the rest of the dealings she had to adhere to in everyday life。 She tells it with not all sadness but with uproarious moments of laughter but also jaw dropping moments of the toughness she was made of in order to survive the moments of pain， grief and tragedy。 Her road to healing from the trauma and her abil This book was a relatable memoir in so many ways; especially anyone who ever had to deal with Acne。 The Author， @laurachinnnn had it bad dealing with a horrible case of cystic acne on top of the rest of the dealings she had to adhere to in everyday life。 She tells it with not all sadness but with uproarious moments of laughter but also jaw dropping moments of the toughness she was made of in order to survive the moments of pain， grief and tragedy。 Her road to healing from the trauma and her ability to voice it using wit and humor makes this book one that has you crying one minute but laughing heartily the next。 。。。more
Emi Yoshida
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Author Laura Chinn is a comedy writer professionally， so maybe she exaggerated her excessively lax upbringing story， what with all the pre-teen drinking and smoking， the outright fraudulism on her resume。 I hate when those kinds of situations are made light of， but Chinn redeems herself with the amazing job she does of likening her extreme childhood to something that can be remedied with self-care and self-valuing。 I like that she points out that "entertainment feeds this idea that women are sex Author Laura Chinn is a comedy writer professionally， so maybe she exaggerated her excessively lax upbringing story， what with all the pre-teen drinking and smoking， the outright fraudulism on her resume。 I hate when those kinds of situations are made light of， but Chinn redeems herself with the amazing job she does of likening her extreme childhood to something that can be remedied with self-care and self-valuing。 I like that she points out that "entertainment feeds this idea that women are sexual objects and not only is it okay to grab them and talk dirty to them without permission， but they love it，" because she writes for TV and is in a position to correct that kind of nonsense。 I hope she does that。 I haven't watched a full episode of her new show Florida Girl， and don't see that wrong being righted from the trailers I have seen。 There were plenty of other fallacies that she does address in Acne: superficiality， narcissism， otherness， and paternalism just to name a few。 。。。more
Tasha
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A page-turning memoir filled with brutal openness and ending with lots of hope， inspiration and a message of love。 I loved the bit of humor throughout as well。 All around an engaging read。Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for an ebook in exchange for a fair and honest review。
Erin Stitch Witch Reading
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Wow， so I won this book in a giveaway and without that I probably never would have picked it up but it was amazing。 It was both funny and terribly sad。 When my husband commented on how quickly I was reading I said her teen years were like a car on fire， I couldn’t look away， but despite all the tragedy the book ends with such love and hope and honesty。 I would highly recommend it。
Kathleen Gray
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Not at all what I expected- and so much more。 Chinn's journey through life has been more turbulent than most of ours。 She's biracial with parents who didn't do much parenting， even before they divorced， Her brother dies of brain cancer， She's partied too much and lived a lot。 And through it all she coped with cystic acne。 She's cautious。 I think about Scientology， and she does do a bit of self help in the later pages but this is generally a no holds barred and humorous look at her life。 Thanks t Not at all what I expected- and so much more。 Chinn's journey through life has been more turbulent than most of ours。 She's biracial with parents who didn't do much parenting， even before they divorced， Her brother dies of brain cancer， She's partied too much and lived a lot。 And through it all she coped with cystic acne。 She's cautious。 I think about Scientology， and she does do a bit of self help in the later pages but this is generally a no holds barred and humorous look at her life。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 A good read。 。。。more
Jenny Lawson
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A fascinating memoir about family， happiness， identity， grief and finding yourself。 Also， there is Jell-O wrestling。
maryreadstoomuch
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Thank you to Hachette Books for my NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review！ I heard amazing things about this memoir from my friends， so I had to check it out！Pub date: 7/19/22Genre: memoirIn one sentence: Laura Chinn looks White and her last name sounds Asian， but she's half-Black and half-White， and this is her story of self-discovery and self-acceptance。It's always a good sign when a book makes you audibly laugh。 Unfortunately， I happened to be reading this one on a plane， and I got so Thank you to Hachette Books for my NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review！ I heard amazing things about this memoir from my friends， so I had to check it out！Pub date: 7/19/22Genre: memoirIn one sentence: Laura Chinn looks White and her last name sounds Asian， but she's half-Black and half-White， and this is her story of self-discovery and self-acceptance。It's always a good sign when a book makes you audibly laugh。 Unfortunately， I happened to be reading this one on a plane， and I got some weird looks from my fellow passengers - but it was worth it！ Laura had an unusual childhood essentially raising herself。 She grew up fast， smoking cigarettes at 11 and dropping out of school at 15。 Characterizing these years is her stubborn cystic acne and her varied efforts to get rid of it。 Laura does a great job reflecting on her past in various ways - making fun of her silliness， correcting her past slut-shaming ways， and shaking her head at her many close calls。 Her experiences may not be universal， but she connects them to wider themes of coming of age， femininity， and beauty。 I loved her candidness and humor！One warning before you read: this is not a nonfiction book about acne - the author just uses her acne as a way to discuss her life。 So you should not expect to learn about the biology behind acne beyond her individual experience。If you enjoy memoirs， you should definitely pick this one up！ 。。。more
Drea
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So well written ！ A memoir with moments that are so shocking at times but written in a way that made me chuckle because of the way the author tells their story。 I love anything Scientology and this did not disappoint adding nuttiness to the nutty stuff I already knew。 Despite the author getting into the details of the experiences she lived through， I didn’t feel a depth that I wanted。 It was a lot of stories without the heart to bring it together。 That said， I am glad I read this one and thank H So well written ！ A memoir with moments that are so shocking at times but written in a way that made me chuckle because of the way the author tells their story。 I love anything Scientology and this did not disappoint adding nuttiness to the nutty stuff I already knew。 Despite the author getting into the details of the experiences she lived through， I didn’t feel a depth that I wanted。 It was a lot of stories without the heart to bring it together。 That said， I am glad I read this one and thank Hachette Books for the advanced copy！ 。。。more
Stephanie （abookandadog）
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About a quarter of the way in， I thought to myself “why am I reading this book？” I never had bad acne and my life is nothing like this author’s so I ‘can’t relate’ but for some reason I kept going。 The smooth writing and drive to see what happened kept me engaged and I actually finished this book in just 3 days which is breakneck speed compared to what I’ve been managing lately。 I melted into a puddle of tears at one point at her vivid descriptions of a very specific event that I won’t reveal to About a quarter of the way in， I thought to myself “why am I reading this book？” I never had bad acne and my life is nothing like this author’s so I ‘can’t relate’ but for some reason I kept going。 The smooth writing and drive to see what happened kept me engaged and I actually finished this book in just 3 days which is breakneck speed compared to what I’ve been managing lately。 I melted into a puddle of tears at one point at her vivid descriptions of a very specific event that I won’t reveal to avoid spoilers。 She ends the book on a very positive note about taking care of yourself to the deepest core and I feel very encouraged to give it a try for myself。Thank you to hachette books for sending me a free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
April （whataprilreads）
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5✨GODDAMN what a good memoir！ What I thought would be the life story of a woman living with severe， life-altering cystic acne turned out to be so， so much more than that。 This was funny， tragic， wholly enthralling， and painful， and above all RELATABLE in ways I just wasn't expecting。 And I won't hold you， in the first couple chapters I was a little worried I wasn't going to like this -- fast forward to the last page and I'm blown away。 Somehow Laura Chinn was able to share some of the worst part 5✨GODDAMN what a good memoir！ What I thought would be the life story of a woman living with severe， life-altering cystic acne turned out to be so， so much more than that。 This was funny， tragic， wholly enthralling， and painful， and above all RELATABLE in ways I just wasn't expecting。 And I won't hold you， in the first couple chapters I was a little worried I wasn't going to like this -- fast forward to the last page and I'm blown away。 Somehow Laura Chinn was able to share some of the worst parts of herself， the most god-awful stories and revelations about her life。 The wildly intimate and inappropriate stuff that really makes a person a person， and she did it with biting humor and a big brain。 If you could see my physical arc， you'd probably laugh at the number of sticky tabs I stuffed in there。 Every page unlocked another quip I want to keep forever。 I know this is a big， glowing review and I've made my point， it's really good， but I just want to say one more thing。 I want to give Chinn her kudos for how she presented her journey with emotional healing through spirituality， magic， and physical movement。 She took this concept that generates a lot of eye-rolls and skepticism and not only shared her experience but then followed up with "scrap all that hokey stuff， here's a little science if you're not totally convinced" and I really appreciate that。 Not because I am a hard skeptic of the power of yoga or meditation or reiki or crystal work or hypnotherapy or any of that -- I know that stuff could work and does work and have experienced some of it in on my own way。 I think I just really liked Chinn's real ass way of saying "yeah， it sounds weird and silly， roll your eyes， and try it anyway。" I'm going to try and list out some content warnings that really stand out to me and might help someone decide if they want to pick this book up or not。 This is not an exhaustive list by any means and I'm sorry for that。 CONTENT WARNINGS: alcoholism， drug use， death （hospice care）， death of a loved one/friends， murder， rape/sexual assault， grief， suicidal ideation， depression， infidelity/cheating， racism， sexism/misogyny。 Finally， shoutout to my fellow book friend Molly （@book。ish。bitch on IG） for sending me the arc from Hachette Books。 This officially comes out July 2022， keep your eyes peeled。 --✍🏽 Add me as a friend or follow my Goodreads for more reviews like this！📚 Follow me on IG: @whataprilreads🐝 Keep tabs on me here， so you know when I start a new project！ https://linktr。ee/whataprilreads 。。。more
Victoria
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Cheeky and truthful， Laura kept me laughing the whole time！ While the book definitely has its serious topics， Laura approaches them in a way that is light hearted and relatable。
Lisa Chan
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I REALLY enjoyed this one。 Laura does NOT beat around the bush。 She doesn’t mince words or sugarcoat things。 It’s the honesty & the humor for me！ The ending felt like a shift in tone， but she was realizing what she’s learned & how she’s grown as a person， so that’s understandable。✍🏽Some random thoughts:Such an engaging story teller。 🔮Says we should be as smart as cats when it comes to love。 🐈Identity- I understand feeling “other” - growing up， before “other” was even an option， & I could only se I REALLY enjoyed this one。 Laura does NOT beat around the bush。 She doesn’t mince words or sugarcoat things。 It’s the honesty & the humor for me！ The ending felt like a shift in tone， but she was realizing what she’s learned & how she’s grown as a person， so that’s understandable。✍🏽Some random thoughts:Such an engaging story teller。 🔮Says we should be as smart as cats when it comes to love。 🐈Identity- I understand feeling “other” - growing up， before “other” was even an option， & I could only select one choice- sometimes I was white， sometimes I was Asian， sometimes I was Native American。 The first time I remember just staring at it like “why can I only pick one？？？？ What do I do？！” 🍭Laura has a unique ability to make you feel pain & make you laugh in the span of a few sentences。 🙂🙃She pretends to be related to all the amazing Chinns & I pretend to be related to Jackie Chan lol （I have my reasons！！ More than just last name！）🥋“I’ve always envied people who fit into a specific cultural or ethnic group”。 Same。 💯“Chimpanzees also pretty much only eat raw fruit， so if you have evolved enough to eat pepperoni pizza， maybe you’ve evolved enough not to cheat on your wife？”I will end this review with: face-raccoon🦝If you’re a memoir person 👉🏽add this to your TBR。 If you’re not， this might be one to give a try！Thank you， Partner @bibliolifestyle @hachetteus for my ARC！On shelves: July 19， 2022！ 。。。more
Reads By Rachael
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ACNE is a raw， heart-breaking， relatable and laugh-out-loud funny memoir of Laura Chinn （@laurachinnnn）。 We grew up around the same time and I also had free-spirited， somewhat uninvolved parents。 I also had a family member struggle with the ups and downs of cancer， remission and eventually the slow death accompanied by the relief mixed with grief after an anticipated loss。 Ms。 Chinn has been through A LOT and is able to convey so many themes of wealth disparity， racism， identity， self-image and ACNE is a raw， heart-breaking， relatable and laugh-out-loud funny memoir of Laura Chinn （@laurachinnnn）。 We grew up around the same time and I also had free-spirited， somewhat uninvolved parents。 I also had a family member struggle with the ups and downs of cancer， remission and eventually the slow death accompanied by the relief mixed with grief after an anticipated loss。 Ms。 Chinn has been through A LOT and is able to convey so many themes of wealth disparity， racism， identity， self-image and so much more with her beautiful writing and self-deprecating humor。 This is a memoir you don’t want to miss！ Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy。 。。。more
Jane Dennish
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Get ready for a wild ride in this memoir！ It is called Acne and throughout the book it traces the author's extreme acne problems throughout her childhood and into adulthood。 However， that is not the full focus of the book。 It acts cyclical in nature and brings it all back around。 The crazy part of the story is her experiences， most of which would knock someone down， but she keeps getting back up。 The author deals with divorce， her parents extreme belief in scientology as the answer to everything Get ready for a wild ride in this memoir！ It is called Acne and throughout the book it traces the author's extreme acne problems throughout her childhood and into adulthood。 However， that is not the full focus of the book。 It acts cyclical in nature and brings it all back around。 The crazy part of the story is her experiences， most of which would knock someone down， but she keeps getting back up。 The author deals with divorce， her parents extreme belief in scientology as the answer to everything， her brother's cancer diagnosis， death from multiple friends and family。 The writing style does not feel depressing or sad， but man， I feel for this woman。 She has been through a lot and has come out the other side。 When you hear the word trauma in today's world， I can't imagine her ACES score。 I applaud her for her candid writing style and her ability to open herself up when she has been exposed for so long。 Thanks so much to Bibliolifestyle and Hachette Books for a gifted copy of this book。 It will be published on July 19， 2022！ 。。。more
Bailey
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Somehow Chinn made me laugh even when discussing some seriously dark things she went through during her childhood。 Chinn's escapades as a child were truly so funny， even when there were sad undertones。I really enjoyed this book and all of the different topics Chinn touched on。 I loved the growth that she has gone through as an adult。 I really feel like we'd be friends。Thank you to Biblio Lifestyle US and Hatchette US for a copy of this book！Read this book if you liked This Will Be Funny Later by Somehow Chinn made me laugh even when discussing some seriously dark things she went through during her childhood。 Chinn's escapades as a child were truly so funny， even when there were sad undertones。I really enjoyed this book and all of the different topics Chinn touched on。 I loved the growth that she has gone through as an adult。 I really feel like we'd be friends。Thank you to Biblio Lifestyle US and Hatchette US for a copy of this book！Read this book if you liked This Will Be Funny Later by Jenny Pentland。TW: Sexual Harrassment， Sexual Assault， Suicidal Ideations， Rape， Death， Drug Use， Overdose 。。。more
Liz
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Laura Chinn grew up mostly in Florida to a very dysfunctional family。 During her childhood her Black father and white mom divorce sending her life into a tailspin。 Meanwhile， her school life suffers while she acts out， hangs out with the “bad girls” and gets herself into all kinds of both funny and freaky situations， all while suffering bouts of terrible acne。 While there are a lot of really sad（death of loved ones） and disturbing parts of this memoir（very young kids on drugs， drinking or having Laura Chinn grew up mostly in Florida to a very dysfunctional family。 During her childhood her Black father and white mom divorce sending her life into a tailspin。 Meanwhile， her school life suffers while she acts out， hangs out with the “bad girls” and gets herself into all kinds of both funny and freaky situations， all while suffering bouts of terrible acne。 While there are a lot of really sad（death of loved ones） and disturbing parts of this memoir（very young kids on drugs， drinking or having sex）， I also laughed out loud multiple times。 This is a laugh through the tragedy memoir and I loved every moment of it。 Laura really picks herself out of multiple terrible situations and entertains along the way。 I definitely recommend this one if you like memoirs and coming of age stories and can handle a bit of grit。 。。。more
Christine
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[Copy gifted by publisher]READ IF YOU LIKE。。。• Confronting problematic pasts• Self deprecating humor• Authors with a strong voiceI THOUGHT IT WAS。。。A fast-paced memoir that shows the importance of unpacking old trauma。 Laura's early life was plagued with terrible acne， but also more than that -- a broken family， a big brother with a debilitating brain tumor， poverty， lack of supervision， and alcohol at 13。 She shares intimate details of the sadness and pain in her life and also how she luckily f [Copy gifted by publisher]READ IF YOU LIKE。。。• Confronting problematic pasts• Self deprecating humor• Authors with a strong voiceI THOUGHT IT WAS。。。A fast-paced memoir that shows the importance of unpacking old trauma。 Laura's early life was plagued with terrible acne， but also more than that -- a broken family， a big brother with a debilitating brain tumor， poverty， lack of supervision， and alcohol at 13。 She shares intimate details of the sadness and pain in her life and also how she luckily found a way forward， a way to heal。Despite the title， this memoir isn't about acne。 The acne， while a presence， serves as a springboard and symbol of the tumult Laura experienced。 It's a reminder of her young selfishness -- while her teenage brother starts losing his vision due to his brain tumor， she's worrying about her skin。 It's a representation of her self worth -- she's sexually harassed by boys and yet there's certain pride in it as long as it means she's desirable。 Chinn unflinchingly asserts that in the past， she simply wasn't a good person。While I found the ending a little trite， it also made me question my own reaction。 Above all， this memoir teaches us that each person on this earth carries their own burdens and scars， so who are we to judge them？ There are many ways to process trauma and heal the mind。 If you find something healthy that works for you， it's no one's place to tell you that it's wrong。 。。。more
Literary Redhead
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ACNE: A MEMOIRby Laura ChinnHachetteOut Jul 19Laura Chinn's memoir will grip you from the first page as she describes a tough childhood bouncing between her divorced parents in Florida and L。A。 Comedy writer and creator/star of the sitcom Florida Girls， Chinn experienced racism as a biracial child， the tragic loss of family members， and the alcoholism of her stepfather。 She often had to raise herself， turning to drink and cigarettes at eleven and dropping out of school at 15， all the while deali ACNE: A MEMOIRby Laura ChinnHachetteOut Jul 19Laura Chinn's memoir will grip you from the first page as she describes a tough childhood bouncing between her divorced parents in Florida and L。A。 Comedy writer and creator/star of the sitcom Florida Girls， Chinn experienced racism as a biracial child， the tragic loss of family members， and the alcoholism of her stepfather。 She often had to raise herself， turning to drink and cigarettes at eleven and dropping out of school at 15， all the while dealing with severe chronic scarring acne。 It's a hard story to read but beautifully told， even redemptive and funny as Chinn eventually finds love and healing and creates a full satisfying life。 Highly recommended！Thanks to the author， Hachette， and NetGalley for the ARC。 Opinions are mine。#AcneAMemoir #LauraChinn #Hachette #NetGalley #toughchildhoodmemoir #growingupbiracial #biograpicalstories #memoirnonfiction #severechronicacne #survivingatraumaticchildhood #humorandtears #CreatorStarFloridaGirls #bookstagramcommunity 。。。more
Judy
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Laura Chinn is a Champion！！！！ She manages to be funny， heartfelt， revelatory and enlightening all at once。 You do not have to be a member of the sisterhood of cystic acne to find greatness here， but if you are （as I am）， it is your story too。 Although the pain of acne is certainly not the only painful experience Laura has to navigate， the way she writes about this ordeal is so original yet familiar to others with the same experiences。 Thank you for sharing your life， your ordeals， your triumphs Laura Chinn is a Champion！！！！ She manages to be funny， heartfelt， revelatory and enlightening all at once。 You do not have to be a member of the sisterhood of cystic acne to find greatness here， but if you are （as I am）， it is your story too。 Although the pain of acne is certainly not the only painful experience Laura has to navigate， the way she writes about this ordeal is so original yet familiar to others with the same experiences。 Thank you for sharing your life， your ordeals， your triumphs with such humanity， clarity and humor。 Thank you to Hachette Books， Goodreads and Laura Chinn for the opportunity to read the Advance Copy。Top 3 things to do now that you have Acne。。。。 Read it！ Tell a friend！ Give yourself a hug！ You deserve it。 。。。more
Kendall
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