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Forgetting To Be Afraid: A Memoir (2014)

by Wendy Davis(Favorite Author)

3.81 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

039917057X (ISBN13: 9780399170577)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Blue Rider Press

review 1: 4.5 inspirational, enthralling, intelligent, well-writtenI admired how she took responsibility for mistakes made (in her campaigns and her personal life) and seemed to honestly regret them.She did a great job of walking the line between being open about her personal life and telling too much--i didn't feel like she was holding back but i also didn't feel like "ooh someone's going to be mad about that chapter"It was worth 4 stars for the chapter on the filibuster alone. I remember watching the livestream and wishing I was there and she did a great job of making me feel like I was-.5 because it could be slightly repetitive in parts (nearly every chapter had some variation of "and that's why I believe..." and "that's why it's important to me to...")[Also, even though I feel i... moret goes without saying, this book is not recommended for tea-partiers or far right republicans]
review 2: The title of Wendy Davis's memoir comes from a quote of Lady Bird Johnson's: "Become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid." The first time I heard of Wendy Davis was when she made a groundbreaking filibuster in 2013. Her goal: to prevent the passing of bill SB 2, which would have severely limited access to safe and legal abortion in the state of Texas. She is now running for Governor, and wrote a memoir, I'm sure, to help gain publicity and votes.I looked forward to reading Davis's story; I wanted to know what shaped her path to make her the strong woman she is today. It's a tough story--like many people who have come to a position of recognition or power, Wendy rose from adversity. She had a tough childhood, which she spends nearly a third of the book detailing. Frequent moves, poverty, a suicidally-depressed mother and a philandering father, were some of the troubles that shaped her path. Surprisingly, Wendy was a painfully timid youth. But at some point, she pushed past her fears and became a force to be reckoned with in the political arena. Her Harvard Law degree helped.This is a great story, but I had to skim through because the writing lacked eloquence and was frequently repetitive in the way books written by non-writers can be. I felt like every chapter ended with "and this adversity is what shaped who I am today." Yes, Wendy, we know. I respect Wendy tremendously, so it's tough for me to write a less-than-glowing review, but, honestly, the book wasn't very good. After reading about 100 pages, I skipped forward to find her account of the notorious filibuster, looked through the pictures inset, and put the book down for good. For the record, reading the filibuster account IS pretty incredible.Wendy, you get my vote for governor, but not for the book. Great luck.Favorite quote."They saw that we cannot continue to cede our values simply because we may not win every time we speak out" (3). less

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