Betty: The International Bestseller

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Trigger warning: this book talks about racism, have graphic scenes about bullying and violence, talks about child loss, abuse, suicide, and also has homophobic lines that are part of the story. When I was a mere 5% into this book, I fretted about not wanting it to end. This book is THAT good. The characters are living, breathing, loving, and endearing. They go through the darkest and most unsettling of times, and I was with them for every bit of this journey I never wanted to end.

Someone important. You know why I call you Little Indian? So that you know you’re already someone important.” A stunning, lyrical novel set in the rolling foothills of the Appalachians in which a young girl discovers stark truths that will haunt her for the rest of her life. This book was equally hard to read and magical at the same time. The first thing that swept me away was the writing. It was enchanting and lyricle. Poetic and mesmerising.

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McDaniel: Mom raised us in the garden. She taught us gardening techniques that Landon passed on to her. We always had three sister gardens—corn, maize, and beans—because, as fate would have it, Mom had three daughters so I’m one of three sisters. We’re still carrying forth Landon’s passion for plants, and that’s how I think I feel most connected with him today: through gardening, trying to look after the ecosystem, and trying to be as mindful of that as I can. We have some pretty huge gardens of berries, figs, grapes, and vegetables. We incorporated Landon’s techniques and keep it very natural and organic. Betty herself was also such an amazing character. Her resilience in the face all she witnessed at such a young age had me astounded. This small girl, had to bear the burden of others and still she was so pure and brave.

Or, in the case of ‘Betty,’ the author has reached out to a fellow reviewer due to geographical similarities. In this instance, Tiffany had reached out to my friend and fellow Team KR member Miranda Crites, as Miranda lives in Appalachia. Unfortunately, Miranda was unable to get to it by release date, so she offered it to the KR team. I’d seen ‘Betty’ mentioned a few times, but when I read Edward Lorn’s review, and then saw Laurie’s (aka Barks) I knew I needed to review this. somehow be beautiful and with good enough knees to take the sponge of the kitchen floor every Saturday...

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel – Highly recommended

This novel broke my brain. The lush, hypnotic prose, the voice, so authentic and compelling, as Betty Carpenter holds your hand and leads you through a world filled with familial tragedy. Each more haunting than the last, until you’re left holding your breath, with a tourniquet on your heart. This is powerful, relentless storytelling at its best.” Eowyn Ivey, New York Timesbestselling author of To the Bright Edge of the Worldand the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Snow Child

Even more heartbreaking was realizing that she actually did understand, and perhaps on a deeper level than anyone could have realized. A heartbreaking yet magical story, Betty is a punch-in-the-gut of a novel – full of the crushing cruelty of human nature and the redemptive power of words. A stunning, lyrical novel set in the rolling foothills of the Appalachians about a young girl and the family truths that will haunt her for the rest of her life. Am I saying anything specific about this book right now? Yes and no. This is a book that is very hard to review with specifics, as it is a book told through a perspective like the game of dominoes. Once the first piece falls, everything comes tumbling after. In this atmospheric Appalachian Gothic, a poet and novelist draws on a string of actual unsolved murders in her native Ohio to capture what goes horribly wrong when women don’t fit a customary victim profile... McDaniel artfully evokes each facet of their common humanity, the sinuous landscape, and defiant community in the face of evil."Guernica: I love how nature and the human spirit are intertwined throughout the story. The description and comparisons are so rich and lush.

This is a story about family. Betty is the daughter of a white mother and Cherokee father. Of all her siblings, Betty develops the most physical traits of her Cherokee heritage. Betty’s father takes pride in teaching his children the stories of his ancestors and passing down his family traditions involving the healing powers of plants and herbs. Betty’s family struggles to fit in no matter where they live, but her family unit keeps her grounded and confident that things will get better. Based on the authors’ mothers’ life, this story is brutally honest, haunting and exceptionally well written. But despite the hardship she faces, Betty is resilient. Her curiosity about the natural world, her fierce love for her sisters, and her father's brilliant stories are kindling for the fire of her own imagination, and in the face of all she bears witness to, Betty discovers an escape: she begins to write. She recounts the horrors of her family's past and present with pen and paper and buries them deep in the dirt--moments that has stung her so deeply, she could not tell them, until now. Inspired by the life of her own mother, Tiffany McDaniel sets out to free the past by telling this heartbreaking yet magical story--a remarkable novel that establishes her as one of the freshest and most important voices in American fiction. Tiffany McDaniel's astounding novel Bettyis a richly evocative coming-of-age tale steeped in the Cherokee heritage that is a fundamental part of its author's DNA. In this intensely intimate and deeply fascinating piece, Tiffany explores the upbringing of her mother - the inspiration for Betty herself - as well as discussing her wider family and the traditional culture of her childhood. Featuring beloved photographs from Tiffany's personal collection alongside haunting poetry written by the author, this is a truly unique insight into a powerful story. BettyIn fact, teen girls are four times more likely to be victims of rape or assault than the general population and those in poverty likelier still. In a place and time that demonized women’s role in their own sexual assault, it’s quite easy to imagine several women in the same family staying quiet about their experiences. McDaniel believes the #MeToo movement helped make space for a novel like “Betty” by bringing to light just how common abuse really is, creating “a more welcoming and supportive environment for individuals to feel they can share their stories.”