Can a book be both beautiful and brutal at the same time? I wanted to read this book because my mothers name is Betty and I live in Ohio. But I must say what happens in this book is nothing like what I have ever experienced. It reminded me of the Glass Castle or Educated but so much more magical and intense and violent. So many terrible things happen to the female protagonists that I feel many will have a hard time getting through the book. But the relationship with her father gives hope that she will survive her family hardships. The cover and family photos are exquisite and add so much to the book. Thank your for the opportunity to review and thank god this is not my story because it is almost unbelievable in it’s brutality with just tiny glimmers of hope and beauty

Betty was hard to read. Not because it's bad, but because it's almost disturbingly good. As a white reader, I can only imagine what it would have been like to live in Betty's world. It's harsh, dank, and spoiled constantly by those around her. But it's also a wonderful read that everyone should partake in.



5/5 Stars

I cannot say enough good about this book. This is one of those books that you live and breathe while you read it. I was drawn in and read it in two days. An incredible, rich, vivid tale.

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel is a masterpiece.

“Some blamed God for taking too few. Others accuse the devil of leaving too many.”

“What do you do when the two people who are supposed to protect you the most are the monsters tearing you to pieces?”

“Truth is, we were cursed the moment we were born girls. Cursed by our own sex and sex itself.”

I am left speechless, drained and not able to move. I just want to savor every word and reflect back on every sentence I just read over the past few days. I am hung-over. Tiffany McDaniel there are no words to describe the book I just finished. Betty is a masterpiece written straight from the center of the heart.

Betty is based on the life of the authors mother. Betty Carpenter was born to a Cherokee father and a white mother and was one of eight children raised in the Appalachian Mountains. Betty is brown skinned like her father while her siblings are white skinned like her mother. Betty especially hits home due to the excessive racism that is happening currently in our country. Racism so raw, so horrific that it cuts to your core.

The stories Alka Carpenter tells Betty rip her apart, leaving her tormented, while the stories Landon Carpenter tells Betty are told to build her back up, give her confidence and give her self worth. His stories are poetically beautiful and were my favorite part of the book.

Be warned that this is a very difficult read with topics of rape, racism, sexual abuse, animal abuse, violence, suicide and incest.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for an ARC of Betty in exchange for an honest review. I am looking forward to reading The Summer That Melted Everything her earlier novel.

"She danced like a wolf with a secret."

Every so often a book comes along that grabs ahold of your soul and never lets go. I enjoy a lot of books, I love a lot of books, and, in fact, it takes a lot for me to dislike and even more to downright hate a book. But, rarely, do I come across books that affect me so deeply. Last year, it was The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, and this year it's undoubtedly BETTY by Tiffany McDaniel. 

BETTY is a story, and not just a story but a s-t-o-r-y, based on Tiffany McDaniel's own mother, Betty and her family as she grew up. This book is labeled as fiction/historical fiction so it's obviously quite clear that some of it may be exaggerated. However, if only 20% of what happened in this book happened in real life, that's still way too much for one little girl. And, an even bigger testament is that even if this book is 100% fiction (which it's not), it would still be magnificent. 

Inside? You'll find abuse, love, racism, and magic. You'll come away with very strong feelings about every member of Betty's 10-person family and I can't say for sure, but that seems like a pretty difficult thing to do. 

I was originally drawn to the Appalachian setting of the book being a Tennessee girl. I really enjoyed this part too as well as the deep and rich Cherokee teachings and stories. 

This book is sad, like really sad. But, it is raw. And, those are the best kind of words in my opinion. 

McDaniel is clearly a master of words and a weaver of stories. If the part about Betty being a writer is true then it's clear she passed it on to her daughter. And, I do wonder if there was a purpose behind the title being in all capital letters? From what I can tell, Betty (the person) is a force to be reckoned with and deserves to "take up all the space." I like to think that's why all capital letters, but maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part. 

And, if I haven't sold you yet. I was gifted an ebook copy of BETTY, but will be ordering a physical copy as well as McDaniel's other novel, The Summer That Melted Everything.

This was a compelling read, and I was really invested in following the narrative as we moved though Betty’s life. I did feel the severity of the violence erred on the side of trauma porn, and without perhaps the context as to why that was used (i’ve searched many interviews and the author‘s website for why this specifically was written to no avail) and perhaps my read would have benefited from an author note speaking to this and the way that Cherokee culture and stories are used (and where the line of research versus fiction was drawn).

I really enjoyed the way stories and documenting stories was written—the jars Betty would write her stories in and bury, the “goodnights” that she and her sisters would write each other and save in jars. I also love the way the theme of colorism was explored, and the nuance in the relationship Betty had with her father (particularly in contrast to the brutality in the way her mother treated her).

3.5/5 stars

Betty Carpenter was born to a white mother and a Cherokee father. Soon enough she learned the hard way what it’s like to be different in a society that didn’t appreciate such a thing. And while her family home was a sanctuary, their dark secret could obliterate her childhood before she was ready to face the world.

This book brought out some intense anger in me with how the characters were treated because of their ethnicity or gender. Some scenes were hard to read and unfortunately, these are things that are still happening in the current world.

There were a lot of the life lesson stories imparted and sometimes it just went over my head with the frequency and length. I did love the family bond they had especially between Betty and her dad. And the bond also became the source of heartaches throughout the book.

Betty is a tale of self-identity. It would appeal to readers who enjoy a coming of age family saga.

What an absolute treat! This book will be talked about for years to come! Easily my Top read of 2020, perhaps of all time.

Thank you to the author and her Beautiful Family.

Betty is a coming-of-age story based on Tiffany McDaniel's mother and her upbringing in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. What I loved about Betty was that while McDaniel's mother was woven throughout the entire book, it was also about the Carpenter family as a whole. One thing that intrigued me was the fact that this was the first time I have read a book where interracially the relationship was between a white woman and someone of Cherokee descent.
Tiffany McDaniel covers heavy topics such as incest, rape, sexual abuse, poverty and racism. And while those topics tugged at my heart, I was able to continue reading the story. The way that the theme of magic was written in the book was also a favorite of mine.

While Betty will break your heart, the relationship between Betty and her father will be worth the emotional ride.

Phew. This is one of those books where you need to take a step back and regroup after reading.

It’s incredible. It's a deeply personal, complicated love letter to the authors own mother and reflection on her culture. It's also an own voices indigenous story, a perspective we don't get to hear enough of.

The story examines Betty’s relationship with her Cherokee father and white mother. She grew up in the Appalachian mountains in Ohio amid poverty, violence, and racism during the 50s and 60s. BETTY is a reflection on her life during that time. There’s no way around it- this book was brutal. At the same time, parts were so gorgeously written I had to stop and drink it in. I loved Betty’s relationship with her father and her culture- he shares his view of the world through his stories, which encourages Betty to chronicle her own. The family members go through extreme struggles-poverty, violence, abuse, rape, you name it, yet the characters are so well crafted you can’t help but root for them. This is not for the faint of heart- there are many trigger warnings, including animal abuse that I didn’t see coming. Still, if you liked Educated or The Glass Castle, I would recommend this. It’s fiction, but feels very real. This is a book that will stick with me a long time.

Wow. I'm sitting here struggling to put this review together. The author originally reached out to me inquiring if I would like to review the book. As she put it, it wasn't being billed as horror, but most certainly contains things that horror fans would appreciate, which is why she thought I might enjoy this book. Wow, was she right. Tiffany McDaniel is one hell of a writer and I dug the hell out of this one

First off, let me start by saying I had zero idea what to expect, but what I can tell you, is that i most certainly didn't expect that I'd walk away believing this to be one of the best books I've ever read. Beautiful prose coupled with just awful, awful things that will quite literally have you stopping for a breather. This reminds me alot of a video game series, the last of us. And I don't mean that because of story similarities, I mean it because the things that are happening in this story are absolutely appalling things that make you question how this can be so good, but you don't know if "enjoying it" or "having fun with it" are the right words.

I want to caution anyone who may read this book, it's not an easy read, but what it is for sure, is one of the best books I can ever remember reading. Top of lists change all the time, I've got a feeling that this is a book that will always be at the top of my best books i've ever read list. This was my first Tiffany McDaniel novel, but it most certainly isn't the last.

Betty Carpenter is one of eight children born to Landon and Alka, a Cherokee man and white woman in the 1950s. Betty is a force to be reckoned with as she grows in Appalachia Ohio, tormented by her classmates as her skin is darker than her siblings and even they tell her she’ll never be beautiful. Betty loves her father and doesn’t understand her mother as she comes of age in this heart wrenching novel, trying to save her siblings from horrors beyond anyone’s comprehension. ⁣
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I was enthralled with this novel from the very first pages and could not believe the lyrical words my eyes flew over. This story is incredibly difficult to read but immensely powerful as you run alongside Betty, helping her father pick herbs for medicine, trying to understand her mother’s depression, and keeping secrets she doesn’t want to for her sisters. This is an amazingly written book that you do not want to sleep on! I seriously can’t recommend this book enough. A family saga like no other, with the feel of books I’ve read and loved before in the background. For lovers of The Glass Castle, Educated, The Immortalists...do not miss out on this one!⁣
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𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝗪𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: there are numerous graphic triggers in this book. I’ve added it to doesthedogdie.com so please refer to that as needed.⁣
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Betty by Tiffany McDaniel is an excellent novel about a poor family who has a Cherokee father and a Caucasian mother. The family faces many horrific challenges . The children that have darker skin in the family, especially Betty, experience prejudice from both classmates and authority figures. He dad calls her his”little Indian” and he wants her to be proud of her heritage. Being a woman during this time period also poses another challenge to Betty. Woman are considered second class citizens. Betty’s sisters are all very unique and much different than her. She has an older brother who is very devious and demanding and a younger brother who appears to be learning disabled along with the possibility of having mental illness. The stories told about Cherokee folklore are very interesting and allow the reader to learn about what some Cherokee ancestors truly believed. I throughly enjoyed this novel. I predict it will be a best seller! There are so many themes delved into in this novel that make it satisfying until the very last page. I would like to thank Tiffany McDaniel, Knopf publishing, a division of Penguin Random House abd netgalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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.

Back in 2016 I read McDaniel's debut novel The Summer That Melted Everything and it is now one of my all time favourite reads. I knew then that I want to read everything she publishes in the future.

This year we were lucky to see her second novel published, Betty, that was in reality the first novel she wrote several years ago.

Betty is based on the life of Tiffany McDaniel's mother, and even though it is fiction, many scenes and most of the story are based on the real life.

Therefore I decided I won't give this book a rating.
I have a rule that I don't rate non fiction, and because this novel is based on someone else's life, I don't feel comfortable to judge the story.

However, I will tell you my feelings and experience with it.

Betty was extremely emotional and heartbreaking story.
I saw people compare it to A Little Life, the book I still haven't read, but it is well known for the sadness, so it makes sense.

I think it is important to say that this is own voices in a way. It talks about the girl who is Cherokee (her father was Cherokee and mother was white).
I know it's not the author's job to teach us but we should all inform ourselves, but I still want to mention that I learned from this book more then I have before from movies (we don't learn American history in Croatian schools).

I still can't believe how racist people were and how awful they treated people just because they had different skin color and came with a different culture.
I still can't believe the cruelty Betty had to go through, and my heart was breaking for her.

There are also some parts in the book that were extremely difficult to read.
I had to stop at some parts and even skipped some because they were triggering for me (suicidal thoughts plus difficult relationship with mother).

This book is very important, but not everyone can handle it, in my opinion.

I read in an article that it took 10+ years for the book to get published, and I believe now it is good time for the Betty to come out, when more people want to read about different cultures and diversity, and when own voices are finally heard.
I also think that Betty should have been promoted more, because it deserves more attention, but I hope as people'll read it they will talk about it more and it will get the recognition.

The last thing I want to praise is McDaniel's voice. Her style is lyrical and beautiful, but also very forward.

I would recommend this book to lovers of literary fiction, but also to readers who'd like to read diverse books.
But guard yourself with some tissues because you'll need them!

Betty tells the story of the Carpenter family and all of their trials and tribulations as a mixed-race family - Betty's mother is white and her father is Cherokee - in Breathed, Ohio during the 1950s and 1960s. It is a story of pain and suffering and growth, as told through the narrator, Betty, as she writes and buries the secrets of her family. This novel was inspired by the author's mother.

"Our fathers all give us somethin', but so, too, do our mothers."

This book was ugly & beautiful, devastating & uplifting all at once. Love permeated throughout this story, despite the dysfunction, despite the depression. It reminded me of a mash up of Where the Crawdads Sing & Educated. The characters, for the most part, were beautiful and forlorn, and I know their stories will haunt me for some time. Please note that this book will not be for the faint of heart. It was, by no means, an easy, light-hearted read. In fact, there were many parts of the book that physically hurt to read. But it physically hurt more, knowing events in this book were inspired by the author's mother's life. I'd love to know where the story delineates fact and fiction... but maybe it's better not to know. I was enraptured by Betty's father's stories and teachings, and, if those are true to the actual Betty's life, she is incredibly lucky to remember them all. This was a painful read, but a great read as well.

"I remember the fierce love and devotion as much as I remember the violence."

I almost put off reading this book. I started it, read a few pages, and decided I wasn't in the mood to read it right then. I then read a review on Goodreads that spoke of the impact the book had the reader and how it was one of the best books he's ever read. I respect this reviewer (don't always agree with him) but decided it was worth giving this book another chance. I am so glad I did.

To me this book consists of two separate themes. The first is the love of nature and its bounty. The second is the horror one human can do against another.

When I was a young girl and woman I read quite a few books by Gene Stratton-Porter and fell in love with the world she wrote about which was the Limberlost Swamp country of Indiana. Her books were almost poetic as they described the beauty and magic of that country.

That is what author McDaniel brings to BETTY as she writes about the foothills of the Ohio Appalachians.

Betty is a girl born to a Cherokee father and a white mother during a time that just wasn't done. The story covers the years 1909 through the early 1970s. She has many siblings and the family moves around a lot at first, finally settling back outside Breathed, Ohio. They live in impoverished circumstances but their father draws the family close with his stories of nature and plants and family. I especially loved his story of the glass heart and the bird that lives within.

But the other side of this story is horrific with sexual abuse and madness and tragedy. The story doesn't shy away from the horrors but turns them to the light for all to see. In that way it reminds me of the book PUSH by Sapphire that I read a few years ago.

Yes, this is one of the best books I've read but it was deeply unsettling and I had to take a break once in awhile to catch my breath or just ponder the beauty of certain passages.

I highly recommend this book but be forewarned - it is a terrible mix of beauty and darkness of the soul.

I received this book from A.A. Knopf through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

4.5★★★★Stars

Genre: Historical Fiction
Type: Standalone
POV: First Person - Female

Betty Carpenter was born in a time where parents with mixed ethnicity was almost a sin. With a white mother and a Cherokee as a father her life was super hard. Even though she had a big family of sisters and brothers she was the only one that looked more like her father so the bullying never ended even in her own home.

“ I had my father’s eyes, but now my mother’s pain. I could feel his pain becoming a solid thing I feared would always be there.”

This book was raw, was deep and I felt all the anger and emotions that made this book almost unforgettable to me. The injustices of the world and everything Betty had to see at such a young age truly made me feel for her. I absolutely love her character though, she was so strong for her age and smart. Her father was truly an inspiration, I loved the relationship he had with Betty.

“My people are Cherokee,” I said, standing taller. “And if we were still livin’ today as my ancestors did in the past before everything was taken away from us, women would be in charge and you would have to listen to me.”

Overall; I highly recommend Betty to anyone looking for a Historical tale of family, secrets and overcoming racist. If you are looking for book with deep feels you have found the right story.

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel is a beautifully written and absolutely gut-wrenching story about a family that goes through far more than any family should ever have to. But even through the darkness, the main character, Betty, was still able to be a guiding light for this family.

For me, this book felt like a never-ending series of gut punches. The number of things that this poor girl dealt with while growing up was so intense. From racism to some very violent acts she witnessed within her family, it’s amazing to me that she was able to still stay positive.

One of the most difficult parts for me was seeing something really dark happen, to be immediately followed by something lighter as Betty tried to get the darkness out of her head. Of course, some of the darkness stuck around, deeply ingrained in her mind and in her stories that she buried. But it was heartbreaking to me that she had to go through a lot of this, let alone that most of it happened when she was so young and didn’t get understand the full extent of what was happening.

Even more heartbreaking was realizing that she actually did understand, and perhaps on a deeper level than anyone could have realized.

So a heads up to anyone who picks this one up, it needs a whole slew of trigger warnings. There are elements of homophobia, incest, suicide, self-harm, murder, rape, child abuse, abortion, child death, a dog death, and more.

But the darkness was only part of it!

There were so many beautiful scenes too. Like Betty offering to help Lint whenever he feels a storm brewing in his mind. Trustin working on his art or painting eyes on Lint’s rocks. Betty and Flossie putting their goodnights in a jar for Fraya. All of the kids working in the garden with their dad. And so much more!

The elements that were shared about the Cherokee culture was absolutely wonderful to read about. This certainly made me want to get back in touch with nature again. The father in the story also really reminded me of my Papa, who believe in plant-based things over western world medicines.

So yes, while there was a lot of darkness, there was also a lot of love, loyalty, and hope! The writing style was absolutely beautiful, and flowed like poetry in some areas.

Betty is a story inspired by Tiffany McDaniel's mother, Betty and her family secrets. It's a story of abuse, racism and poverty but a story of love through the strong connections Betty has with her father Landon and her siblings. It's also an Appalachian story with Cherokee stories and history. It's not an easy read at times and might not be for the lighter more gentle minded reader; however, it's one of those stories that shows us the dark to see the light in the world around us.

It is remarkable, stunningly and shockingly sad and heartbreaking, filled with as much love as it is devasting. It's the beautiful way it's written that made it impressive to me. We see the horrors of Betty's family past and present and my emotions ran wild with the cruelty inflicted on the characters. With Tiffany's use of words, I could see the beauty she and Betty found in love, family, Betty's father's stories and their connection to the Appalachian land. I could feel Tiffany's passion for telling Betty's family's story with all its beauty and ugliness.

"I remember the fierce love and devotion as much as I remember the violence." "our family tree grew with rotten, broken branches and fungus on the leaves."

Tiffany McDaniel takes her time here as she paints us a vivid picture of the stories Landan shares with Betty and his ways. The story is rich in the everyday life of the characters that is as bold as it is normal. At times it did feel a bit much for me, making the book feel longer than it needed to be and at times, I lost some focus.

At times the violence might feel relentless because it's so horrifying but I thought Tiffany McDaniel balanced it with the love, connections and stories she shared with us through Landon. I kept imagining how relentless the violence might have felt for Tiffany and Betty and how much courage they both had in telling their stories.

This is a story that is as beautiful as it is ugly!

HOW MUCH DOES A FAMILY NEED TO ENDURE?! Phew! Y'all know I'm a binge reader but I took my sweet time with this one. Granted, I had things going on in my life that needed attending to that also slowed down my reading process but this is a book you want to eat one word at a time.

Betty is a biracial, White/Cherokee, girl growing up in times were people were *less* accepting and we see her POV throughout this read. It's heart breaking, vivid, beautiful, creative and you are instantly drawn into her world. Equally horrified, happy, worried, feeling all the feelings that she does. This was certainly a roller coaster for my heart to go through. The bullying and prejudice her and her family faced was hard to read for sure, but that's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what also happened internally within her own family. PHEW. Readers, I am not one that is easily triggered.... but if you are, prepare yourself for this read because it basically hits on about every trigger out there.

What I loved best about this read is how beautifully it was written, learning so much about the Cherokee culture and feeling more at one with nature than I ever have! The way the author captures just about every tragedy that can happen within a family is honestly nothing like anything I've read before. But there is the undercurrent of hope. Of family strife, grief, hardship.... but also filled with loyalty and love.

Now, I read a ton of fucked up books and enjoy them tremendously. But knowing the premise behind why the author wrote this story and the beautiful way she captured everything in its lyrical beauty is truly impressive. Don't let the unassuming cover fool you. This book is chock full of beauty ... even in its most horrific form.