Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land Paperback – September 21, 2021

Well written and interesting. As a boringly heterosexual cis gendered white male, I know very little of the lives most women and minorities lead. I found this book to be eye opening and entertaining. The only thing I have in common with the author is a family history of gun violence and domestic abuse. It is through those topics that she shares the story of her life, her family, and her community. I strongly recommend.

This memoir is beautifully written and and an important narrative to familiarize yourself with. I was moved to read these life experiences that are so similar to my own as an indigenous woman living in the midwest.

This is a well-written memoir by a Metis (mixed-race) woman, born into brusque authoritarian poverty who went on to get her Ph.D. in writing. One focus of the book is the routinized violence of America. Another focus is the routinized demeaning of women. Some of the writing is lyrical. There is no question that the author has travelled far. I learned a great deal about native American history and life that simply was not part of my school curriculum. I finished the book wanting to know more about the Great Removal of native Americans in the Jacksonian period. (I wish for a good reference to that period.)

I have learned so much from this book. I am very glad that I read it. I am from South Dakota and now live in Iowa. I have recommended this book to my sister.

Wonderful, poetic depiction of life on the wrong side of repression and prejudice.

This was a very hard book for me to read. And I’m not talking about difficult in the sense of not being able to get through it - on the contrary, Carry is a beautifully written collection of essays and memoir, and I didn’t want to put it down. But I recognized a lot of myself and my own life and traumas in Toni Jensen’s, and for that reason I had to set it aside from time to time, and read it slowly. I also don’t know how on earth I am going to be able to do this book justice in a review…There are so many layers to Carry. It is the author’s personal journey in life, living as an Indigenous woman on land that has been stolen over and over again from Indigenous people. It is also the author’s personal journey of growing up in an abusive home, with an abusive father, and, later on, a fractured family. Carry is also a memoir of gun violence in the US, both the author’s own encounters with gun violence, as well as gun violence in general.Toni Jensen does an amazing job of weaving the personal with the more general, painting a difficult image of how entrenched violence is in this country, especially violence against women and children, especially violence against Native American women and children. But there is also so much more embedded within the author’s words: her travels around the US, her amazing descriptions of the land that she travels over, that she has lived on, and that was stolen from so many different tribes. The violence and indifference that women of color confront so often in healthcare, education, housing, and so on. The trauma passed through generations due to displacement, violence, and systemic racism, and how this trauma affects our children. (The latter is something that I have personally lived with and I am glad that I grew up in a country where obtaining a firearm isn’t an easy feat as I have no idea what that would have meant for us if it had been).There is even more to Carry, such as the way the author uses the dictionary to define words, and then portrays what they are used to mean and what they really mean. This is one of those books that you can read multiple times, and every single time you will discover something new. One of the best memoirs and collections of essays that you can read this year in my opinion! And the cover is just gorgeous!

I feel a bit at a loss for words for this review. The author places such a weight on the importance of words and the power of them. I hope I use my power well in this review.This is a beautiful and terrible book. She tells the story in such a beautiful way. She tells terrible truths about America. These truths are hard to look right at. It is so much easier not to face these truths. But, we must face these truths and we must make change so that the truth about America is less terrible.Toni explores so many topics in this book and, although the chapters can be viewed as separate essays, they are interconnected. She tells truths about guns, racism, police brutality, abuse, sex trafficking & more. She explores the intersections between these topics. This book is painful because the truth is painful.Toni is a master writer. She makes reading about these truths fast-paced. She tells us her own story within and around these truths. She makes the terrible truth engaging.You should read this book.You may not like this book for one or both of the following reasons:1. You don't like books that change back and forth between multiple POVs. This book starts in 2nd person but spends most of its time in 1st person. I believe there is third person in there too. I know some people don't like this. The author deploys these point of views very intentionally and impactfully. If you choose not to read this book for that reason you will be missing out.2. You are not ready for the truth. The truth can hurt. You might not be ready for this hurt. You might want to argue that her truths about guns & racism & sex trafficking & abuse &,&,& are untruths. If you choose not to read this book because you are not ready for the truth you will be missing out on a great book and some good lessons.This book was very impactful for me & I hope I have done it justice in my review. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I may not have read this book otherwise. You don't have to make the mistake I might have made. Read this book.Thank you to Toni Jensen for the beautiful book & for being brave enough to look truth in the eye.