Danielle Geller is a gifted writer, and I enjoyed reading Dog Flowers. Rather than a life narrative, it is more a book of word pictures of memories in the life of the author. The thing I liked most about the book was the author's way of coming to terms with the complicated relationship she had with her mother. I found the book to be compelling, as the author writes very honestly about her struggles with not only her mother, but her sister and father as well.

Native American memoir of Navajo girl/woman and her extended family. Wanted to stop about halfway through but forced myself to finish. Depressing. Draggy. Repetitive. Don't really understand high ratings. But obviously not my kind of book.

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers.

I simply found this too dark and couldn’t enjoy it. I understand the connection to Native American roots could be fascinating, but not here...just more dysfunction.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Breathtaking memoir of one woman's return to her Native American roots.

Danielle came from a family marred by alcohol and drug addiction, including her sister and both of her parents who couldn't protect her while destroying their own lives. Despite perpetual instability, the woman became a successful librarian and archivist, although her unhappy childhood continued to haunt her and her siblings. After her mother's death resulting from alcoholism, Danielle realized she didn't know anything about her mother's heritage or family, which lead her on a difficult journey to a Navajo reservation.

I loved this book for so many reasons. First, it is incredibly well written in a way that feels very intimate, and this is what allowed me to be transported whole into the author's world. But the writing is not the only thing that's intimate; more importantly, it is the story itself. Reading about her family's heartbreaking addiction cycle reminded me of Tara Westover's "Educated."

Finally, "Dog Flowers" offers a history lesson on the Navajo culture through a highly personal lens. I've never learned about the Native American culture in this way before, and it's certainly much more memorable than hard facts alone.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for a ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I read a lot of memoirs and was instantly drawn to the description of this book. When I saw that Danielle is also a librarian, I was even more interested. The memoir is extremely well written but a difficult read. It seemed that despair was at every turn but the author was so involved in the lives of her father, sister, etc. that I didn't feel that she saw it that way. While she wanted her family to change, there seemed to be a level of hope each time she thought she could help. She did the mothering her mother was unable to. I thought the description of her trip to Arizona was the best part- the weaving of her visit and the Navajo culture was excellent. The e-book version made seeing the photographs difficult which, I felt, took away an important piece of the memoir. I have already recommended this to several people.

This was a heart wrenchingly honest memoir, recounting the author’s life and her attempts to come to grips with her family and her identity. On each page, her love for her mom, dad, and sister is clear as is her struggle to separate herself from the more toxic elements of these family members. The writing was fantastic and I loved the inclusion of family photos with notes written in the style of an archivist. These notes gave the story even more weight because they seemed like museum pieces - testaments to the past - rather than just random pics from an album. The memoir included some nice symbolism, but I especially loved the weaving chapter at the end, which seemed to usher in a sense of peace and understanding for the author.

Danielle Geller writes the memoir of her life, growing up with alcoholic parents and an addicted sister. That she is alive to tell her story is incredible, with the tragic events, both physical and psychological that filled her existence. Danielle is a Native American woman who was able to overcome her difficult childhood and express herself through her writing. The book, itself, didn't seem completely chronological, and I sometimes got confused about the way events played out. I did especially appreciate the Navajo traditions and superstitions that she learned about in her life's journey, and would loved to have read more about those.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Danielle Geller is a powerful writer and her storytelling skills are wonderful. Learning about her and her family-going back generations-as she discovered her own stories was fascinating and heart opening. I’m incredibly impressed and recommend this to anyone.

Dog Flowers by Danielle Geller is a touching, raw, heartbreaking, and yet fascinating memoir. Here the author presents a beyond challenging, difficult, and rough upbringing. She shows the reader the flaws and faults that her parents both were riddled with and how these issues resulted in the instability, problems, and difficulties she and her siblings experiences in their childhood, and for some, into adulthood.

It was hard to read all the things the author went through, and I cannot even imagine how brave she must have been to be able to address, acknowledge, and face head on during her journey that she wrote of in this book. There are moments of sunshine that occasionally escape through the heavy clouds, but overall it is dark. I truly appreciate the author allowing us to be a part of this personal and raw journey. My heart goes out to her, and she seems stronger now because of her experiences.

I also truly enjoyed reading more about the Navajo culture and reservation. It was fascinating to learn more about this complex and intricate culture.

5/5 stars


Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

Danielle Gellers,memoir is raw open heartbreaking.Abandoned by her mother suffering abuse by her alcoholic father.The life she had to survive bid sad & the discUssion of her Navajo culture was fascinating educational.Highly recommend this memoir Perfrct for bookclub discussions,#netgalley #randomhousebooks

This is a good story, Easy to read. Interesting, taught me a lot I didn’t know. I would definitely recommend this to others.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Danielle Geller is a narrator who is immensely sympathetic. Her story of childhood neglect is staggering in that she had a large extended family and yet no one really supported her.

The high point of this book for me is Danielle's Navajo culture. I found the time she spent in Arizona as the best part of her story. I'm happy that she connected with her culture even if her Aunt was ultimately a disappointment.

I am of two minds about autobiographies and memoirs. They can be riveting or self serving drivel. Geller’s life story is one of those books I just couldn’t put down. Geller had a rough childhood, a mother who walked out on Geller and her sister, and an alcoholic and abusive father, stepmother and step siblings. Years later, she finds herself at her mother’s bedside, just as the woman is about to die. With a small suitcase of paperwork, Geller uses her training as an archivist and librarian to put those pieces of paper together to understand the woman who was her mother. I think this book will be as big as Educated was, it’s full of honesty, hope and despair and the overwhelming desire to connect to our roots

A book of comlplete sadness and failures. Alcohol and drug addiction is such a horrible disease that destroys families and people. This book is filled with tales of how this family is destroyed by abuse.