What do readers think of Something Like Beautiful by Asha Bandele? Write your own review.

Something Like Beautiful: One Single Mother’s Story by Asha Bandele is a poetically told memoir of the disappointments, joys and challenges of a single mother. Many of us who share that experience can relate to the deep honesty she relates, even though circumstances are different for us all. Her book touches on her struggle for identity, love and, ultimately, the triumph of finding herself and celebrating her daughter. It is well worth the read: book clubs would find it discussable and even some of my high school students would find it to be compelling.

This is overwhelmingly real. She has captured all the emotions, thoughts, suffering of many single mothers. Her story is the story of many women in the world. Even though it her story her words fit in the heart, mind and the mouth of many women of yesterday, today and tomorrow. I will recommend this book to everyone, but especially to the men of this world.

Bandele's book, though beautifully written, struck a somewhat sour note with me at times. Being a single mother myself, I could identify with her frustrations and anxieties, but a lot of her problems were due to her own very bad choices and I did not see this fact adequately acknowledged in the narrative. Still, it is a worthwhile read and will resonate with struggling single mothers..

For a rather short book, it took me awhile to finish it. Not because I was too busy, but because this book just did not engross me at all. The writing is too poetic and dramatic for me to lose myself in the story. I was painfully aware throughout most of the book that I was reading more because I felt I had to than because I wanted to. The writer rambles on in multiple tangents and monologues about wide and far reaching issues that many people could (and do) complain about.

On the plus side, I was able to relate to her in some ways and every time I found myself about to give up reading, the subject matter would get more interesting and I would press on. However, in the end, I had expected more.

This book took me to places that I've never been, and gave me a new understanding of the challenges some people have. The author related her feelings and experiences in an honest, heartfelt way. With a lump in my throat, I kept reading and rooting for this amazing woman.

I will certainly recommend this book to all my friends. Thank you.

Jean Nelson
New Richmond, Ohio

Something Like Beautiful is a poignant story of a single mother that truly captures the difficulties of women everywhere. The language of this book is beautiful and poetic. This book portrays the African American experience as well as the trials of single mothers from all cultures. This is a good read.

I must be fair and state that this is not the type of non-fiction I normally read. I like my books to be engrossing and insightful, as well as well-written. This book reads as an essay, beautifully written and touching, and gives many insights as to love and relationships with an incarcerated husband, as well as the troubles and joys of single motherhood. I think that if you enjoyed the author's earlier work you will enjoy this as well!

I struggled through the first half of this memoir. Going in, I had hoped, most of all, to gain an understanding of why the author made the choice to marry a prisoner. Unfortunately, the story with Rashid is never fully developed, leaving the reader (or me, anyway) unsympathetic about her plight. In fact, I found myself more frustrated with the author than anything. Despite the fact that she comes from a supportive family, with a good education and a great job, the author seems to blame all of her troubles on being a woman of color. The second half of the book, however, is significantly better, as Bandele details her downward spiral into severe depression and the struggle to find herself again. I will likely recommend this book to a friend who is battling depression; however, tell her to skip the first half.