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Book Review of All That Is Bitter and Sweet: A Memoir

All That Is Bitter and Sweet: A Memoir
reviewed on + 350 more book reviews


This was definitely a hard book to get through. Ashley Judd jumps around at times from her current life of advocacy in speaking up for AIDS/HIV victims, those who suffer from hunger and poverty, those who are victims of human trafficking, and then backtracks through her own struggles and upbringing. I will honestly say these should be two separate books or it should just be shortened.

I have no disrespect for Ashley Judd, and believe it or not her story actually made me relate to her more than I thought I would (as someone who was alone a lot feeling "left behind" or "left out" of the lives of those around me as I suffered from childhood and pre-teen/early teen depression). This definitely was something I didn't realize she had endured. I actually forgot that The Judds (singers) were actually related to her (whoops).

This also revealed to me why I can understand why I myself love animals so much as well as love to fight for justice for the same things she does (I too am a part of an organization): When you have so much emptiness from your childhood you don't want to see others have that emptiness so you do whatever you can to help them out. That is truly what I learned from this book.

Therefore, even though the book was a bit boring and a run-on about her life and struggles at times, it showed the beauty of giving God the strings and doing your best to live for him and those around you. I usually read books between 1-7 days depending on the time frame I have alone, but this one took me far too many days to read! I had to take a break to read another book within a day. I hope others are able to get through it faster than I did.