Reviewed by annieb123 on

4.5 of 5 stars

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Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Everything I Never Dreamed is an emotionally raw and vulnerable memoir written by Ruth M. Glenn. Released 4th Oct 2022 by Simon & Schuster on their Atria imprint, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. 

This is a simply, honestly, and compassionately written memoir. It certainly is the story of one woman's childhood and experiences with domestic instability and generational poverty and violence, but it is also (and possibly more importantly), the story of societal and structural inequity and a wider tapestry of the millions of children and adults who are living with trauma and instability from domestic violence. 

She is an important voice for the voiceless and has used her intelligence and articulation to both illuminate and map out some potential solutions for the myriad complex problems which DV causes and perpetuates. 

It's *not* an easy read. It is unquestionably and important one. This would make a good selection for public or post-secondary library acquisition, personal reading, or more formal academic/classroom reading and discussion. It would also be a great choice for book club or buddy read.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

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Reading updates

  • 16 April, 2023: Started reading
  • 16 April, 2023: Finished reading
  • 16 April, 2023: Reviewed