This memoir was so uniquely its own and unlike anything I have ever read. The imagination about the life she may have lived is so poignant and, although speculation, was so much a part of her life that it deserves a place in the forefront of her memoir. The only book that this even mildly reminded me of is Maxine Hong Kingston's The Warrior Woman where the author weaves in the storytelling and fantasy world that was so pivotal to her coming of age. Both books give legitimacy to our inner worlds and imaginations as being fundamental to our identities.

This book in such a unique form that honestly, it was destined for a positive review simply based on Gibney's creativity. I think that listening to her speak about the book, as well, gave me a really good perspective on its power and purpose. I'm paraphrasing, but Gibney made a statement about how, when speaking about TGIAWANWB, people want to categorize it: "so what IS it?" Ultimately, as a mixed-race adoptee, Gibney states, these questions remind her of the times when people wanted to categorize her: "so what ARE you?" The power of this book is that it doesn't have to be one thing: it just is.

I really appreciated Gibney's thoughts on this because, upon reflecting about the book, I found that I wanted to know what specifically was "truth" and what was fictional. Of course, Erin's chapters did not happen in this timeline, but did everything happen in Shannon's version? Again, hearing Gibney speak made me think about this further, as she stated just how important truth is to her. I think that the core of this book is that all of it is truth because it is her lived experience. It is how she is able to understand the realities of her conception, birth, adoption, and life. And if that is not truth, what exactly is truth, then?

It was an interesting book, with an unusual format. However, I found the style of writing to be a bit confusing. Sometimes I found myself having to turn back several pages to clarify in what time and space I was reading. However, I understand what the author was trying to do. She was successful in conveying the message of loss when one is adopted, particularly when it is transracial.

Audio / Read Fascinating, heartbreaking, enlightening. The real and imagined stories of parallel universes. Shannon, a black girl adopted into a white family as a baby relates her search for herself and her bio ancestors. She also relates the imagined life /search she would have had if she had stayed Erin, the name her birth mother gave her. If she had grown up with her bio mom. Shannon, Erin, the white family, Patricia her birth mom, Boisey sr her absent bio father, Boisey Jr, her son…. All crisscross timelines, real memories, hoped for memories, expectations, failures, universes.

Spectacular. A trip.