Apple: Skin to the Core

This is beautiful and sad and funny and well deserving of a Printz honor! My absolute favorite poem is “I gain a ribbon shirt in bloodlines” and I cried reading it. It's just perfect.

Recommended for all readers everywhere especially for those who feel out of place.

Hmm. I really love Eric Gansworth's YA fiction, so I was excited to pick up his memoir in verse. I'm maybe not sure who the audience here is? It's published as a YA memoir but to me, I feel like it would have more appeal to older people who can relate more directly to Gansworth's love of the Beatles? There are a lot of Beatles references woven throughout this book. But the Beatles aren't exactly obscure?Also like, poetry isn't super my thing but this didn't exactly feel like poems to me, for the most part? Not the way for example [b:Brown Girl Dreaming 20821284 Brown Girl Dreaming Jacqueline Woodson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1424308405l/20821284.SY75.jpg 39959105] or [b:How I Discovered Poetry 18079805 How I Discovered Poetry Marilyn Nelson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372047920l/18079805.SY75.jpg 25387103] did. This, and it makes me feel like an asshole to say this but I will speak my truth, this felt more like some essays with extra line breaks? T B H?? That said I think this would be a valuable mirror for some Native readers since Native stories are definitely underrepresented, and also an interesting window into one particular experience of reservation life. This might appeal also to young artists (there are included photos and paintings making this kind of a multimedia experience) and musicians, just to see the way all of these elements are incorporated, even if it wasn't totally successful for me as a reader personally.

A really compelling memoir in verse by Gansworth. I listened to most of it, because I like his voice and I appreciated hearing the poems written in or containing Tuscarora. It was interesting to hear some of his personal stories that clearly influenced If I Ever Get Out of Here. There's photographs that he references and his art in the print version, so I would recommend looking at them even if you choose to do the audiobook. A moving and thoughtful memoir, I know this one will stay with me. I'd love to see in a future BOB list!