A History of Scars

January 8, 2021

Lee debuts with a collection of personal essays, detailing struggles with her family, identity, and mental health. The author earned her MFA in creative writing studying under Roxane Gay at Purdue University, and this book is developed from her dissertation. She writes about numerous aspects of her life, including her mother's life with early Alzheimer's, her use of rock climbing to relieve emotional pressure, and her relationship with her writing. Each essay has its own individual personality, which results in repetition of information in some places, and the feeling of missing something important in others. The narrative is moving and poignant, but often chaotic, similar to the life the author is often portraying. While the format is a solid reflection of the content, it is often difficult to follow; intermixed with meaningful ideas are random asides that distract, rather than add to the narrative. Ultimately, what Laura Lee created is a display of raw humanity that is both powerful and vulnerable. VERDICT Though the writing sometimes appears to be unpolished, Lee offers some interesting commentary on life. These essays may appeal to readers interested in writing and mental health.--Cate Triola, Dakota Cty. Lib., MN

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2021
As the youngest daughter of a mother long suffering from undiagnosed early-onset Alzheimer's and a father living in his native Korea for much of her childhood, Lee was shaped by a youth spent taking care of adults. The effects are multifaceted and fractional, not singular, which is reflected in the structure of Lee's debut memoir in essays, in which later pieces return to the subject matter of earlier ones. Lee is particularly interested in trauma: how it is spoken of, lived with, and written about. The history of physical scars Lee earned in 15 years of rock climbing can be easier to unpack than her emotional scars. Lee entrusts readers with much of her self: a psychotic episode with continuing legal and financial consequences, the brutal stages of her mother's decline, connections and relationships built through cooking, her MFA program and writing, her relationship with a woman and uncertainty inside identity nomenclature like queer, and her efforts to talk to family members about abuse they enacted. Readers will be moved by Lee's honest writing, particularly regarding mental illness.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.