Book Review: Strung Out by Erin Khar

By Tiffany Miller

Erin Khar’s memoir Strung Out: One Last Hit and Other Lies That Nearly Killed Me sucks you in from the very beginning.  Strung Out starts with Erin Khar’s son Atticus asking his mom “if she ever did drugs?”  A loaded question for someone who had been trapped in a cycle of addiction for years. Like any parent, Erin panics to find the words to answer her son’s question. But quickly she finds the courage to tell her son the truth of the perils of her personal drug use.  Not only because he is growing up and will eventually be able to read how his mother publicly and honestly writes and speaks about her own experiences, but also because she doesn’t want to shelter him from the truth that could potentially save his life. This book was appropriately dedicated to “all those who didn’t make it, who left too soon. You are missed. You are loved.” and from page one this book had my undivided attention.

I live in a town like many others that has seen a growing opioid epidemic. An epidemic that has killed more people over the pandemic than COVID-19 itself. As someone who experimented with drugs in my youth, I’ve always wondered what the fine line is between drug experimentation and those that get drawn into addiction. The truth is that there is no line, there are no rules, and everyone is susceptible.  As an adult I have seen it happen to many people and I know that anyone can fall victim, but it wasn’t something I could understand as a young person. When most people think of addiction, they imagine the marginalized, but the truth is addiction touches every corner of society and it affects a variety of people and families.

This book was vivid, eloquent, emotional, intellectually and philosophically engaging, and truthfully, I believe, a gift to humanity. There is something really special about seeing the world through someone else’s eyes.  I think it profoundly helps us as humans to connect, build empathy, and understanding.  I think it’s one of the primary things that draws me to books, connecting to other’s experiences, both real and fictional, and reading their thoughts and feelings as they navigate life’s ups and downs.

Erin Khar’s Strung Out captures you in her personal story of drug use, addiction, recovery, mental health issues, trauma, and unconditional family love. Erin’s family’s commitment to help her recover shows that there is always hope, that often people suffering from addiction are loved by someone, and that offering that supportive hand, whether it be the second, third, or fifteenth chance, could be the one that saves a life.

Thank you to Park Row Publishing for providing a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Will to Murder by Gail Feichtinger with John DeSanto and Gary Waller

By Tiffany Miller

Do you love true crime? Does the process of criminal justice fascinate you? Can you think of no better way to spend a weekend than binge-reading a story that feels like it couldn’t possibly be a true story about small-town America? Have you ever wondered how the University of Minnesota came to own a gorgeous mansion on the Lake Superior lakefront?

If you said yes to any of these statements, then Will to Murder is for you!
Last summer, I took my second tour of Glensheen Mansion. I was anxious to get there again because I had heard that they restored and opened the third floor of the mansion that was previously unopened for viewing. The mansion is not only a piece of art, but it’s also flabbergasting to believe that this place of beauty could be the scene of an insidious crime (a detail I remembered from my first tour of the mansion).

On my second tour of Glensheen, I waited for the guide to mention the murder but before I knew it, the tour was over and there was no mention of it. At the end of the tour, I asked the tour guide, “Wasn’t there a murder that took place here?”. The employee indicated that yes  there was a murder at Glensheen and it was previously part of the tour before the Congdon Family asked that the murder be removed from the mansion tour, but if I wanted more details, I could read about it in a book titled Will to Murder.  Naturally, I needed to pick it up.
The book was gripping, shocking and full of so much interesting history about the city of Duluth, the Glensheen family, and the economy of Northern Minnesota. Written by the lead investigator of the case and a career journalist, this book follows the story of the philanthropic, millionaire Gleensheen family and the shocking murder of the youngest Glensheen daughter Elisabeth Congdon and her night nurse Velma Pietila.

In 1971, an intruder entered Glensheen mansion, stole a basketful of jewellery, smothered heiress Elisabeth Congdon to death with a satin pillow, and bludgeoned her night nurse Velma Pietila. The prime suspects were Marjorie Congdon, the adopted daughter of Elizabeth—a charismatic sociopath, narcissist, and arsonist—and her husband, Roger Caldwell.

Will to Murder brings readers behind the scenes of Minnesota’s infamous double murder. Written by the lead investigator, Duluth Police Detective Gary Waller, St. Louis County Prosecutor John DeSanto, and former Duluth News Tribune crime reporter Gail Feichtinger, this book captures the decade-long investigation, legal proceedings, and court trials to bring justice to the Glensheen family. You won’t believe this story is true, and you will grow such a deep admiration for the police detectives and prosecutors who committed decades of their lives to serve justice and protect society from two pathological criminals—you won’t be able to stop reading.

Book Review: Jade Is a Twisted Green by Tanya Turton

By Tiffany Miller

The beautiful, bold, green cover art of this book caught my attention immediately. The cover blurb described it as a book about an immigrant Jamaican Torontonian overcoming the grief of losing her twin sister, but this novel was about way more than grief: it was about sisterly love, family, womanhood, becoming, and the complexity of finding yourself in a world full of expectations.

The protagonist, Jade, finds herself trapped in a rut of grief following the untimely death of her sister. Underneath Jade’s grief is a layer of internalized oppression and a track record of “safe,” risk averse relationships and behaviour. While in the beginning Jade is paralyzed by the anxiety of navigating life without her sister, this story is truly about learning to overcome your fears and discover your true self.

What I loved most about this book was following Jade along on her emotional journey. It was a pleasure to watch her find the courage to be vulnerable, to reconnect with a past love, to explore new relationships, and to learn to love travelling alone.  I also enjoyed the secondary characters in this book. They were real and hilarious, and this story left me with a pleasant vibe of having just come home from a life-changing weekend with my bestest friends. I appreciated all of the 90s pop culture references and enjoyed the nostalgia of revisiting TV shows, movies, and song lyrics from my own coming of age. 

Finally, I loved reading a book that took place in Toronto, a city that I’m familiar with but have never lived in.  It gave me a new view of the city from the lens of a person with a different experience of Canada than my own. 

I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys stories about women empowering other women. It was an easy read about real-life problems, and you will enjoy every moment of watching Jade emerge and find strength, confidence, and her community and friendships.

Thank you to Dundurn Press for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Noopiming by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

By Tiffany Miller

I didn’t know what a trade nonfiction piece of work by Leanne Betasamosake would be like, having been introduced to her in academic literature, but it blew my expectations out of the water and has become a treasured, transformative piece of art that will remain on my shelf. I’m not really a person who likes to read anything more than once and likewise, I also don’t collect books—I like to read them and then give them away. However, there is always an exception to every rule and Noopiming is a book that will eternally have a place on my bookshelf, and I plan to read it this fall for the 3rd time. 

This story is circular, which means it can be started at any point in the book, not just read traditionally from page one to the end. This book is about seven characters/spirits/entities navigating life in seven various colonized spaces. Noopiming challenges settler society in every way, especially in the way we tell and interpret stories; the ones we tell ourselves and about others. As a philosopher, lifelong learner, anti-racist, Indigenous woman this book warms my heart in so many ways. I love the way this book humorously pokes fun and the ridiculousness of colonialism and settler society. I love the way it shows kindness, humility, and community in the characters. But most of all, I like that every time I read this book I see a new perspective, learn something about the world I’m living in, and learn something about myself.

I think it’s also important to note that Leanne has a spoken word album called Theory of Ice that accompanies the book and one-stop motion video titled “How to Steal a Canoe” and animation born and bred out of parts of this story. I recommend this book to anyone with an inquiring mind and open heart. Furthermore, I would encourage any readers to listen to this Noopiming lecture on YouTube by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson talking about the book, because I guarantee after you listen to her speak, you will want to read it again and again and again.