Such a Pretty Face by Cathy Lamb and When Broken Glass Floats by Chanrithy Him

Stevie Barrett went through weight loss surgery and lost 170 pounds after she had a heart attack. She's in her 30's now and is having to learn to be a whole new person in some ways. By being thin, she's learning more about herself and how the people she knows interact with her in a whole new light. This book is an exploration of Stevie's self now, her past self and how she can learn and change herself in the future.

The book starts out in the present but then reverts back to Stevie's past and then jumps back to present day. Each alternating chapter is chronological in nature. So the chapters that start out in the past start at one point in her childhood and continue on from there. But the way Cathy Lamb writes the novel makes it pretty continuous and it flows naturally. So it doesn't seem too choppy and it's still easy to follow what's going on. 

After you start getting into her past (and her present actually) you wonder why she's not more messed up in the first place besides her being overweight. Without getting too much into the actual plot, her mother is a paranoid schizophrenic and her uncle (married to her mother's sister) is extremely emotionally abusive to his entire family. So from when Stevie was very young, she started to use food as a coping mechanism for the stress in her life.

This book is compelling honest in it's nature. I would not recommend it if you're looking for a happy-go-lucky story. And it doesn't necessarily contain a typical plot but more focuses on Stevie as a character herself. The overall mood of the novel is on the sadder side but it still contains several funny parts. I especially like Stevie's co-worker that calls her Steve and some of the crazy things Stevie's mother says. But while I was reading I found myself really relating to Stevie and felt that if she were a real person we'd be kindred spirits of sorts. Hopefully Cathy Lamb's other works are as gripping as this one.
General rating for this book: A-

An autobiography, Chanrithy Him recounts her trek through Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge took over. She writes from a child's point of view of her struggles through the labor camps she lived in where modern technology no longer exists and basic medication like antibiotics are rare or nonexistent. Death and illness are common. But throughout her struggles, Chanrithy and her family stay loyal to each other and eventually escape to America. 

Obviously not a very happy story. I don't usually read non-fiction but I found myself gravitating towards this book for several reasons. My father was Cambodian and was given permission to stay in the United States when the Khmer Rouge took over. Though I never really knew him and therefore never got to understand that part of myself and the Cambodian culture, I still think it's important to know where you came from and what those people went through. I know I'm ignorant and unknowing about so many things when it comes to my father's side of the family but after I read this book I felt that I had taken at least one step towards awareness.

I will also warn people that this book isn't for the faint of heart. If you're the type of person who is sensitive to violence, there may be some portions of her story that are difficult to read. I won't go into details but the author describes her witnessing a soldier kill a pregnant woman. And there are other aspects of her story where she sees things like that. People literally being killed in front of her. They are pretty difficult to take in but I think it also makes you respect her and her story that she witnessed violence like that and isn't completely crazy. This book was published in 2000 but I'll still bring it out and read it every few years. My husband also got me a signed copy from the author several years ago. Thanks Andrew! Overall an extremely compelling, honest and gut-wrenching memoir.
General rating for this book: A