I found Samuel's story really interesting, and was grateful that he was so open about his struggles with his confidence and self-esteem, after experiencing burns at a formative time in his life when self-confidence would already have been such a struggle. He is frank and honest throughout this, the only reason I rated three stars is because this account did drag a fair amount and at times there were superfluous details.

At the age of 15, Sam is badly injured with sulfuric acid resulting in burns to his face and arms, what follows is a telling of how Sam recovers physically and mentally from this accident.
This is an emotional and inspiring read. The chapters are quite short and start each one with a quote which I liked.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

As I read the book, I feel equivalent feelings of closeness yet distances in the way the book is written. It feels as if the writer wanted to put us into his position but remained reserved because there is no such thing as having similar experience.


I noticed that the book mainly focus about his positive side — how he handled all those shifts after. The book did addressed his emotional struggles. It heart-wretching but it also give this sense of hope. It is an easy write despite talking about such traumatic event. I haven't read that much about real-life event, but this one is exceptional and I can only imagine how far have the writer move forward since the traumatic event.

"Difficult things take a long time. Impossible things a little longer. - Unknown

"there is nothing permanent except change. - Heraclitus

I am so glad I was given the opportunity to read Samuel Moore-Sobel's memoir #canyouseemyscars. It is his recollection of how he managed to recover from third degree sulphuric acid burns to his face and neck, at the age of 15. The book is organized into relatively short chapters, and each one begins with an inspirational quote, each and every quote was well thought out and applicable to anybody, as we face life and the challenges it brings for everyone, (no one is spared in this world). Samuel's recovery involved multiple surgeries, overcoming depression, and challenges in his faith. Miraculously, his eye sight was spared. From this miracle, Samuel managed to hold on to his faith in G-d, and from his parents' and family's love, Samuel found a reason to continue living his life. Thank you @netgalley and Mascot Books for my e-ARC in return for my honest review. This is a quick but very inspiring read.

"I love you for all that you are, all that you have been, and all that you will be."- Unknown.

‘Can you see my scars?’ is the author’s own story of a harrowing accident that left him with visible scars all over his face and all the struggles that came with it in the following years. Samuel talks about other people’s reaction to his new appearance - the good and the bad -, about the different operations and procedures he had to endure after the accident, but also his own path to finding acceptance within himself when it comes to his appearance, but also his life in general.
Going into this book I wasn’t expecting to relate so much to Samuel’s story. Having scars of my own, that I’m currently about 93% proud of (I’m working on it, I promise), it was easy for me to understand the thoughts that manifested in his mind, but the sheer amount of similarities in the way he and I deal(t) with them, made me almost burst into tears every single time I picked up my phone to keep reading.
Moore-Sobels writing almost reminded me of a work of fiction, as it’s told in a very storytelling-y way that keeps you interested throughout the book and sucks you into the story despite it being a full-on rollercoaster of emotions. It made me feel and understand every feeling he described he had, made me relate to every thought that was brought up and just overall made the whole experience very entertaining in its own way.
One thing that I personally didn’t enjoy too much was the sometimes very short chapters, especially at the beginning of the book. While it’s not something I see as significant enough to take a star from my rating, some chapters could have been made into one single chapter, for the reading flow’s sake.
But nonetheless: a well-deserved 5-star-read for me.

Based on a true story this is the harrowing tale of how Sam was badly injured when he was 15. Explaining in great detail the day leading up to the incident and he overcame adversity to live as normal life as possible.
The book is split into easy readable chapters and I really enjoyed reading all the quotes that lead into the chapter. The quote was always linked to what was in the chapter and I found this a great way to describe what was coming without giving the game away.
Sam writes with true humility and never blames anyone for his accident. This is a great book for someone going through a similar trauma to see they are not alone and that although people may not show their emotions on the outside, what they are feeling on the inside is often very different.
I read Can you see my scars? In one sitting. I needed to get to the end to see how he overcame his scars. It was really worth the late night :)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I had a lot of emotions going through me while I read this book. It's very well written although at times tough to read because of the trauma. I can relate to a lot of how the author felt after being burned. I had an allergic reaction to a medication that caused burns from head to toe. So reading about the pain of the burns to the debridement of the dead skin, to dealing with stares and questions from people about why I look like I do, I really felt like I was not alone in my circumstances.
The strength and inspiration the author has is admirable. From going back to school to finding a spouse, I could relate to much of what he experienced.