Welcome to Litsy!

There‘s seems to be some new something I learn in every immigrant story I read. Scaachi, a Hindu, 1st-gen Indian-Canadian grew up in a Calgary, Alberta community of few brown girls leaving Scaachi feeling she was never enough - never white enough. Interestingly she was the white girl on family trips back to India. Her relationship with her parents is complicated, but I read down her Instagram feed and her posts with her dad are a hoot.

I really enjoyed listening to Koul talk. There were many things I felt I related to, others not as much but I still found them interesting. She touches base on some of what we "aging" millennials are seeing or have seen, sexual assault/abuse, and a lot about her family. Her family was my favorite to listen about. I laughed and cried all the way through the end.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The title alone drew me to this book. This was one of my common phrases in HS and college.😆 The book itself is a collection of #essays so I was bound to read this. Scaachi is an early-twenties-trying-to-figure-it-out type from an Indian family in Canada. Essays about her culture and how it affects her relationship are the bulk of the collection. Her affection for Raisin is super endearing. PS- the title refers to prepping a bride for her wedding!

⭐️⭐️/5

A couple #pinkcovers from my shelves 💗💗💗💗

#ShowSomeLove @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Sometimes hilarious (often including Indian family dynamics); sometimes delving into the horrible (rape culture). In the audio version, the author's dad speaks his own parts.

I first read this for the #botmchallenge back in 2017, and it‘s been in storage. I wanted to do a reread and found it on Scribd.

I thought this was wonderful in 2017, little did I know that it would be the first in a looong line of 80s-born millennial first-person essays. Now, I‘m tired of them.

I can‘t deny this one, most of them really, aren‘t well written and interesting, but it just doesn‘t seem as fresh as it did then. 4⭐️

Several nice gems from this book! :)

Not for me.

I zipped through this one, a great listen. I am surprised I haven't heard of it before.

Feminist book club spread last night; we rotate hosting and it‘s always a feast. Just before leaving my house, I checked the address and noticed at the same time that I had the wrong book in mind—I had been thinking we were going to discuss Too Much and Not the Mood by Durga Chew-Bose, a different collection of essays, also by a South Asian Canadian writer. Fortunately, I had also read the correct collection (tagged).

#booksheenrecommends
A great, feminist book by a non-white author. I wish I‘d had this book a few years ago. This woman‘s insight into the first generation born in America experience as the daughter of Indian immigrants would have been very helpful in a now lost friendship 😔

Found this at the library on day two of my #unemployedadventures which very quickly became #underemployedadventures. Woke up early so reading before my first shift back at work 🙂

A good collection of essays. I enjoyed some more than others, but overall a pick.

Some favorite fiction, and nonfiction by women writers. Happy #internationalwomensday

Day 8 #LiteraryLuck

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vkois88

ODWABDANOTWM is a collection of honest and humorous personal essays by Scaachi Koul. Many of the essays revolve around her experiences as the daughter of Indian immigrants in Canada and I appreciated the glimpse into her culture/family dynamics. In addition to personal stories, her essays explore issues of gender, rape culture, internet harassment, racism, and more. I enjoyed listening to this collection, but it won‘t have a lasting impact on me.

Tonight's jam is this book and an electric blanket turned on high because it is a godforsaken negative thirty-five out there and my kitchen pipes are frozen and I think it's time to just cancel the entire Midwest. #currentlyreading #polarvortex

I love Scaachi‘s writing. It‘s so funny and heartfelt and captivating.

She once told me to start drinking rosé because it‘s a literary drink, which is maybe the best excuse I‘ve ever heard to start drinking something new.

A collection of personal essays about topics like feminism, rape culture, self-image, racism and being a brown-skinned #Canadian born of Kashmiri immigrants. The pieces fit together smoothly, so this reads like one frank and witty memoir. It‘s her relationship with her parents that ties everything together; I like that her father reads the segments between chapters, with Koul narrating the rest of her work in the #audiobook. #diversevoices

Falling in love sounds so passive, but it did feel unintentional, like tripping into a pit that happened to be filled with downy gold.

When I was 12 or 13 and started to notice boys, and they started to notice me, but more like you notice a pelican is eating your lunch on the beach…

(Internet photo)

My first computer was a 47-pound Dell desktop, the monitor the size of a filing cabinet and a tower tall enough to (theoretically) prop your leg up on when masturbating.

Bravery is for parents or people who get tattoos in another language.

(Internet photos)

Mom talks about moving to Canada as if my father had requested she start wearing fun hats. ‘Why not try it?‘ she thought, instead of, ‘This fucking lunatic wants me to go to a country made of ice and casual racism.‘

Many of these essays were interesting enough, but ultimately kind of forgettable? I didn't feel like any of them really moved me or made any really insightful points about the topics she discusses (internet harassment, race/racism in Canada, second generation experiences, shadism and sexism in Indian communitites). I also didn't really find them funny either. I think I just wanted some more substance or reflection on the stories she shares?

^-^ absolute delight!!

Putting this nicely, this book was awful. The character was not relatable and I ended up hating her at the end. This author had such an amazing opportunity to express how amazing Indian culture is and she just raged on the culture the whole book, which to me, was a little dis-tastful. I would not recomend.

> Ms. Honey from Matilda
> I can't think of any off the top of my head
> Of Mice and Men
> No, I'm not in school anymore and don't have any kiddos

#2018ReadingChallenge @CSeydel

Been putting it off. Think I'm ready to read it now.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Solid collection of personal essays. Strongest when Koul spoke about her parents immigration from India to Canada and her experience growing up brown in a largely white neighborhood. Her essays about an Indian wedding and online trolls were particularly strong. Other essays meandered without really reaching their point. I was skimming near the end, but still think it‘s worth picking up.

Interesting and funny book.

My #25infive update! I finished Crenshaw and Invisible. Read Citizen. Started One Day We‘ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter on audio.

The beauty of this book besides it‘s hilarity is how relatable Scaachi Koul is. She‘s a thirty something single girl of Indian descent, I‘m a 50 something Jewish wife & mother and yet, Scaachi‘s family could easily be mine 😊Her parents, Indian immigrants were my favorite part of this collection as I recognized so much of my own parents in their overwhelming love and sense of family & tradition. Easy to read with some real insight❣️❣️❣️

#DontShootTheMessanger #NoSnowForMe I did a #BOTM exchange with @2BR02B and received this book and an awesome bookmark 💗LOVING this collection...really funny...

A great book to read after a long day.

Thank you @guinsgirlreads for the beautiful, warm blanket! I love it!! This book looks so interesting, I‘m so glad you picked it from my TBR. #bookandablanketswap

I've been in a real reading slump the past couple of weeks--probably helped along by some traveling and then some post-travel illness.

But I've still got Scaachi Koul's essay collection in my bedside bookshelf, so I'm seeing if I can chip away at it and get back on track.

This book was a beautiful, funny collection of stories from the author's life looking at love, relationships to one's body, parental relationships, a connection to the homeland of her parents and more through the eyes of a child of immigrants. #bookclubreads

Hilarious and excellent. My first five star read of the year. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Started reading this book in the morning after opening my #cupidgoespostal box 📦 and I am loving it! It is perfect for long, busy days like today to kick back with something light. Thank you again @UwannaPublishme 😆

⭐️⭐️ I‘m almost leaning towards a ‘Pan‘ review but can‘t bring myself to do it. The writing was lovely and the author‘s narration was ok but I just couldn‘t connect with the author. She annoyed me more often than not. And the mood/tone of the book was not in line with my current frame of mind. I hate that I didn‘t like this more given the great reviews it received. #unpopularopinion

#currentlylistening to this #audiobook #essays #goodreadschallenge (3FEB18)

I really liked this! Great on audio too, she does a beautiful job reading it. Definitely recommend.

This is a 5 ⭐️ read for me, but it won‘t be for everyone. I can deeply relate to being a child of immigrant parents whose expectations suffocate you on a daily basis and whose anger makes your world spin. I can also relate to having so many fears...so many. I can also relate to the many ways those fears make your life so small until you realize you‘re not living. And then you can make changes to that. If you can relate any of this, read it.