Amanda

Got this from the library, but ordered my own copy before I'd even finished. As a victim of 7th grade Texas history, I only learned recently just how wrong (and honestly, racist) the traditional story of the Alamo really is - the authors refer to it here as the Heroic Anglo Narrative, which is a perfect description. I remember watching the movie where Alec Baldwin plays William Travis and reading Texas History Movies (though thankfully not the version with racial slurs) in middle school, and it's ridiculous that was what I was taught in the mid-90's, and even more so that it could still be the case today. I think one of the best things about well-written history is that it makes you want to read more, and this book definitely does. There's so much history we never learn.

I thought the second half, about the modern history of the Alamo's history, was a little bit weaker, but it also has some unexpected resonance with current events and the BS controversy about “critical race theory” (aka teaching honest American history) that's going on now. This was a fascinating book (with WAY more Phil Collins than you'd probably guess for a book about Texas history) and you should read it because it's excellent. If you need another reason, though, reading it will really upset Dan Patrick, and anything that pisses him off makes me happy.

(4.5, rounding up.) Super intense but so good - I need to reread it because the chapters are so short I found myself reading the book faster than I wanted to, almost by accident. It's hard to say I “enjoyed” a memoir about growing up with an abusive mom, but Jennette's voice is so strong and direct and strangely funny, even when talking about horrible things. I was a few years too old for her generation of Nickelodeon shows, so I wasn't familiar with Jennette before reading this, but I'm definitely rooting for her and keeping an eye out for what she does next.

A note: if parental abuse/mental illness/substance abuse/eating disorders are triggers or difficult topics for you, please take care of yourself. This book is very good and very smart about those things, but it is also very intense.