CARRY is a heart-wrenching, powerful, really brilliant memoir about the realities and complexities of living as an Indigenous woman in this society. It’s scathing at times, devastating at times, absolutely enraging at times, and a nuanced and valuable reflection. BIPOC and other colonially marginalized authors owe white readers nothing, and seeing so many Indigenous readers feeling seen and represented in this book speaks to Jensen’s skill at her craft and also the inherent value of uplifting Indigenous authors. This is not a story I’ll forget any time soon, and I’m really grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance e-copy.

Tori Jensen's Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land is a gripping memoir. I have been making a conscious choice to read more books by indigenous authors over the past year, so I was glad to have the opportunity to read Jensen's book. 

Told in various essays, Jensen explores her various experiences with trauma and violence at the barrel of a gun. Ultimately, this is both a book about a life and a book about violence. And, that doesn't make for an easy read. But, is it an important read? Yes. 

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

4 stars



I received an ARC of this book and I feel bad for how long it took me to finish it and get this review up. This is a good book, but I had to keep walking away from it.
This book is nonfiction. It is real also very real, in the Webster's 1.c(3) sense "behaving or being presented in a way that seems true, honest, or familiar, and without pretense or affectation."
It is the familiarity issue that caused me to take so long to get through this book. There are plenty of triggers in a book about violence, and while this book's summary may lead you to believe its primarily about gun violence, and that is hugely important, it also very much focuses on every day violence done to women, to Natives, to animals, and on and on. It is not an easy read. 

It was well written and I liked how the chapters were set up; it felt poetic at times. The subject matter is serious and dark, and important. I didnt love the constant use of Websters dictionary definitions, but at least they were used consistently.

This was a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful read. I love memoir and personal narratives, and this just... kills it. It's also more than a memoir -- it's about the history of American violence in its many forms. Jensen is an outstanding writer, this was prose and poetry exactly how I like it. 

Carry is a memoir from a Metis, white passing woman. Jensen shares her life story as an Indigenous woman and an academic, weaving in her experiences with domestic and family violence, and various personal and national instances of gun violence on stolen U.S. land. 

The way that Jensen weaves personal stories and historical events is masterful and ambitious, all while going back and forth in time. I think this book had to have been so difficult to do well because of that - it could have gone wrong but never did once for me. 

It's self aware. I love how revealing it is, of her own feelings and personal life, but also those involving her family. I can only be grateful to Jensen for trusting us with her story.

Nothing about it felt like a standard, linear, "ghost written" or phony memoir. It's authentic, unique, with real voice -- a story told with tenderness, love, intelligence, wisdom, and care. I felt completely absorbed in the narrative and the beauty of the writing. I finished the book feeling so strongly connected to the author.

I hope Toni Jensen keeps publishing more for us. I devoured this book and my life is richer for having read it. I don't know why this book isn't getting more attention (maybe it is and I'm missing it) -- but it's pretty damn extraordinary and I think people are missing out.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Ballantine Books for sharing a copy of this book with me in exchange for an honest review.

I read Carry a couple weeks ago but haven't posted anything about it yet because memoirs are just so hard to review. Fortunately, this one was beautiful, if not fun, to read. Toni Jensen goes beyond the traditional memoir. The chapters form a sort of interconnected essay format that splice her personal experiences with the relevant historical and contemporary context. Whether that be American imperialism as a Métis woman, gun violence as a teacher or class inequality as someone from a working class family. Through this lens the legacy of the country loses the tarnish of "oh, that was years ago" and brings it firmly into the immediate; a legacy that touches all inhabitants of America in ways we hardly recognize.⁣

More than just the content, Carry is also lovely to read. The prose is beautiful and the poetic use of repetition brings you back again and again to the most important themes. The writing itself is the sugar that helps the medicine go down.⁣ I'd recommend this to anyone that enjoys memoir. We could all use arming ourselves with more understanding and we must reckon with our legacy in order to move forward and this book is a great step in that direction.

One of my favorite books this year. Jensen artfully blends different types of violence in describing the circumstances of her own life and that of indigenous women across North America: gun violence, domestic violence, fracking. I recommend this book to those who enjoyed Heart Berries, Memorial Drive, and the work of Terry Tempest Williams.

This was a very difficult to read memoir probably because of the wide range of topics it covers and also because of its slow pace.
It took me quite some time to get into it but I will recommend it because the stories of Native women have already been overlooked for far too long and it’s time they become mainstream.

Also, I don’t really like to rate memoirs because nobody gets to rate anyone’s life based on their opinions.

The pacing felt off on this to me. At times I couldn't put it down. At times I would go weeks without reading it. I do think that Toni is a gifted storyteller. I also sorts wish she relied on fewer dictionary definitions of words.

Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land is , of course, non-fiction.
It is the story of Toni Jensen, an indigenous woman.
It is about violence in contemporary times, as well as in the past.
It is about places where guns are "carried" as standard procedure.
I tried very hard to get into this book. Her style is jumping forward and backward in time.
There are several locations involved.
It got incredibly confusing.
I hung on for about 30% of the book (according to Kindle).
Then, I realized that not only was I not looking forward to reading the rest of this book, but I didn't care either.
This book was highly rated and acclaimed. So, I was disappointed.
I do believe that this "memoir" would have been better as a long essay. She makes her point over and over again in different times and places, but after a while, I just didn't want to hear it again.

This amazing book goes on sale tomorrow and I’m so excited I can’t sleep. Not only is Toni Jensen’s memoir incredibly touching and discerning, it’s also beautifully written. I underlined half the manuscript when I read it the first time, and I’m pretty sure I underlined the rest when I read it a second time. About the intersection of gun violence and existing as an Indigenous woman in America, CARRY is one of the most important memoirs I’ve ever read. Combining personal experience and historical, CARRY is an essential reminder that living in one’s country is not the same as surviving it. This memoir is powerful, poetic and forensic, and the kind of book that reminds me exactly how powerful storytelling can be. I think it’s perfect for fans of Carmen Maria Machado, Jesmyn Ward, and Therese Marie Mailhot. It’s been an honor to work on the marketing campaign for CARRY, and I hope you’ll all consider buying a copy!

It is difficult when it comes to a memoir- someone's personal experiences. It's hard to rate such a book. This book was intriguing- Toni Jensen is an indigenous woman and in this book she shares her experiences in friendship, family, sisterhood and parenting. She also address social justice issues including gun violence, racism and police brutality. At times it's hard because it feels too technical, as if she is giving definitions straight from the dictionary. And the style of telling her story in a series of essays is unique but also a little disjointed at times. Overall a very interesting read and I definitely learned some new things. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This memoir is one of the most interesting memoirs that I've read because it covers a vast range of super important topics, including gun violence, Native rights, environmental issues (especially as it relates to Native land), domestic violence, traumatic experiences, and racism.  To think that one person has personally experienced and encountered all of these facets of our society is almost unfathomable.  And she writes about these topics intimately but also includes astounding statistics and data.  However, the book was very hard to follow because it wasn't in chronological order and also because the style of writing was very chaotic, sometimes almost like a stream of consciousness.  Part of it was probably because of how much the author is trying to pack into each chapter, but part of it was likely because it does convey the myriad of emotions that can arise with these issues, which made the memoir very powerful and impossible to look away.  Nonetheless, I had to be in the right mindset to wade through the book although it is certainly worth reading because of the pervasive nature of these issues in our society today.

I dont like to rate memoirs because its their stories so Im rating this based on the messages included and the writing. 

The experiences of being an Indigenous woman in America were written in a lyrical prose. I found myself highlighting quite of bit of stuff. It read like poetry, but the experiences were not in chronological order which got confusing and it seemed a little disjointed. 

She talked about white passing, guns, police brutality, and more. I do think this book was a bit too long as the same messages were repeated even though it was written well and the experience are important to read about. I liked how she mentioned the cops feelings about going home and tucking their kids into bed in full gear and what their kids are feeling. I think it really does go down to our kids on how we feel about things because they are shaped by that and their opinions derive from that. 

I think its important that we read our voices novels, because only by taking the time to hear them can things start to change. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine publishing for the e-arc access for my honest review.

I am disappointed.  I just couldn't latch on to this book.  Too morose. Too one sided for my taste.  I really gave it a chance.

Carry by Toni Jensen is a powerful collection of essays that takes a critical look at gun violence in the US and how it intersects with domestic violence, Indigenous women's lives, and the land we occupy. I really appreciated the way that Jensen was able to connect the personal and the political through the autobiographical aspects of this book. I also personally enjoyed her etymology break downs of certain words that created the themes of her essays. I know some people weren't really into that, but I'm a word nerd and I found those parts fascinating.

Some parts of the book were a bit meandering and could have used some concise editing. But, there were truly powerful moments sprinkled throughout, and I overall find this a valuable read.

While I did not finish this book, I was fascinated by what I read. Growing up as a Native American/Indigenous person without the benefit of the tribal family must be very difficult. Add to that having a substance abusing parent and life becomes awful. The author does a good job explaining -- in beautiful language -- what her experiences were. I hope that our patrons will discover this book and read it.

When I first picked up <b>Carry</b> I thought it was going to be about Jensen's experience as an indigenous woman with gun violence.  To some extent that is what it is, but <b>Carry</b> is also about violence against women, children, animals and as she discusses fracking, the raping and pillaging of the land. Through these essays Jensen correlates different forms of violence and provides evidence of how one type of violence breeds another.  We have seen on the news how peaceful protests at the Dakota Access pipeline have turned violent when police entered in riot gear to remove the protesters.  Water cannons fired. Attack dogs were sicced.  Tear gas was sprayed.  Rubber bullets were shot. Tasers stunned.  

But this was not the beginning nor the end of the violence at Standing Rock.  Jensen discusses how these construction projects serve as a hub for human trafficking with native bodies being reduced to commerce.

She also drives this message home using statistics about abuse.  People found guilty of animal cruelty tend to be domestic abusers as well.  None of their loved ones are untouched.  Whether they are a witness or victim, violence leaves its scars.  To which Jensen addresses violence against oneself in the form of chemical addiction.  Drugs, in this sense, can be used as a means to get through pain but also to inflict pain. 

<b>Carry</b> was a heavy load to bear (pun intended).  Because of my own anxiety I had to put it down at times.  I couldn't let myself steep in the book and all of the emotions it wrought.   Yet I have to say it is very well written.  Despite all the violence and triggers, there is a sort of poetry to Jensen's words.  As we navigate through these spaces and the fear that is perpetuated through the systemic violence against brown and black people, the lesson is realizing that the cycle of abuse is not just something that can be applied to dysfunctional households.  Violence permeates our society and trickles down.  It's a disease that we need to be more vigilant about finding a cure.

There's nothing I love more than a brave, female truthteller. Tori Jensen is a new fave. What a voice! She also taps into the sensory-rich settings and draws the reader into the complicated post-trauma, Native experience. Raw. Honest. Unique. This is the kind of story that strips away the pretty pretenses and lays a soul bare, offering a core of truth to all who are strong enough to receive it.

<i>Carry</i>

This is language focused writing. The writing is dense but has a flow that shows her skill. She often breaks definitions down for us like "to worry" as a form of both choking/tearing something slowly and to be distressed and anxious. She is so crafty with her parallels. She is cognizant of the words she is using, writing that she is aware of the connotations of 'boy' and 'man' when it comes to Black victims of violent crimes, for instance. Because language matters. The way the author situates herself around the original peoples of the lands she lives on which helps to frame the memoir in a decolonised way. The various cities she's been a resident of are contextualised by both their American location (Minneapolis) and the nation that are the first people of the land (Dakota and Anishinaabe). Her care is only rivaled by her writing skill. For fans of <i>A Mind Spread Out on the Ground</i> and <i>The Undocumented Americans </i>.

I appreciated that this book gave a lot of insight into the indigenous experience in America. It's something I enjoyed learning more about. The stories in this book were impactful, and I'll be thinking about them for a while. However, I found this book to be a little bit disorganized - not in terms of the chapters, but the actual stories themselves. It felt very stream-of-consciousness, which didn't personally work for me.