Well written personal account of being Native American and the erasure of their history and culture. Beautiful told and an enjoyable read.

I was excited to hear this book because Indigenous voices are under represented. The audio was a little hard to listen to because I was not aware until about half way through that it was done in verse. That's on me though. lol. We did not purchase the audio, but did add the print copy of this book, which I plan to talk about to students when I do biographies or underrepresented voices

This is an intense listen, it took me awhile to get through because of how powerful it was. I really enjoyed this, the narration was really well done too, it added many layers to the depth of this poetry. I think anyone interested in hard hitting poetry should give this a read.

Wow - the artistry of this book-in-verse is out of this world. I’ve read Eric Gansworth’s fiction for teens, but there’s something so much more special about APPLE. It is emotional, spare, and a necessary addition to the current conversations of honoring all identities. This is the Native American memoir the YA world needs! I ended up buying this book for my classroom and loved it even more holding the poetry in my hands.

I did not finish this title. I will try again in print. I kept losing interest in a way that is easier to do via audio. I teach a class on coming of age as a Native American, and I hope I can add it to my syllabus in the future.

I’m so glad this book exists. It’s so rare to get a memoir from an Indigenous author within YA. I’m glad Eric was able to read his story though at times the delivery was a little slow for me—but I also think sometimes I struggle with audiobooks in verse. I thought the scope of this book was great, and I will definitely recommend it.

While this book definitely makes you think I don't think it was really YA. I also think it's best to be read while listening to it.

Audiobook Rating: 3/5

SYNOPSIS: The term "Apple" is a slur in Native communities across the country. It's for someone supposedly "red on the outside, white on the inside." Eric Gansworth is telling his story in Apple (Skin to the Core). The story of his family, of Onondaga among Tuscaroras, of Native folks everywhere. From the horrible legacy of the government boarding schools, to a boy watching his siblings leave and return and leave again, to a young man fighting to be an artist who balances multiple worlds. Eric shatters that slur and reclaims it in verse and prose and imagery that truly lives up to the word heartbreaking.

My rating is a bit lower than what I think I would give the book overall if I had read it instead. I actually didn't realize that this memoir was written in verse until reading the full blurb synopsis after listening to the book. I enjoyed this memoir, but I think I would love it if I had a hard copy to read the verse instead of listening to the audiobook, which I just couldn't get into. I love novels and memoirs in verse (I've read 5 this year alone) and feel like I might have connected with the story more in the original format.

Overall, I still think this is a great own voices memoir. It's important to listen to the stories of Indigenous People and learn about what people went through (forcing conversions and assimilations in boarding schools are still so recent that people alive today remember them) and still struggle with today in their own homeland. The title "Apple" is perfect for the book's core meaning and I like the design of the cover as well. This is definitely a book that I will revisit when I can get a physical copy.

Apple:(Skin to the Core) is that rare book that you cannot speed read or speed-listen to. Each segment, told in such precise language, needs to be slowly digested to get an understanding of the author's life. I wanted to read this book because I know so little about lives of contemporary Native Americans. Each part lets the reader in on the author's personal experiences.

I thing this would be an excellent book to read in high school. Each vignette brings an opportunity for discussion.

My only criticism is that you can't see the illustrations in an audiobook! I was able to view some of the illustrations on this books Amazon page.

#AppleDreamscapeMedia #NetGalley

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. Eric Gansworth is a true artist whose interests cross many mediums. This memoir includes a series of poems that tell the story of Gansworth's own life and that of his family. As a Native American, Gansworth chronicles the push and pull between the desire to leave the reservation and all of its difficulties with the desire to hold on to cultural traditions before it is too late, especially within a broader American culture that has often worked to erase them. This is a lovely and compelling look at Native American culture from an artist who has lived it. This is a review of the audio version, which is read by the author. #ericgansworth #netgalley #AppleDreamscapeMedia

Thanks to NetGalley I was able to listen to this book and I appreciate that the author was the narrator. There was a quiet elegance about this book presented in the gently rolling poems. I found that towards the end of the book, the poems seemed to take on a different and perhaps greater rhythm. I am grateful for the glimpse of what growing up on a Tuscarora Reservation must have been like and the greater struggle to maintain your identity in a world that strives to erase it. This is a book that leaves you contemplating much when you finish reading.

Incredible piece of Native American literature that everyone should read. It taught me so much about the different facets of Native American life on a reservation, about the atrocities committed by the US Government and the strong Tuscaroran heritage. It's a must-read for every American teen, and is the perfect microcosm for the modern crisis of Identity.

I finished up this gorgeous memoir in verse last night and loved it! Thanks to @netgalley , @levinequerido for providing me with this audio version.

At first I was skeptical because I’ve never read or listened to a memoir in verse and wasn’t too sure how it would work but I ended up enjoying the read and how the poetry expands on emotions and feelings by drawing attention to those important moments. It was almost like Gansworth wrote his memoir and then wielding poetry like a bright yellow highlighter, drew attention to special parts that stuck out to him or that were laden with meaning.

Gansworth is Onondaga and Tuscarora by birth and this book details the struggle he has had between those two Indigenous identities his entire life. This books also discusses the residential schools his family’s older generation endured and his life growing up on the reservation. This memoir is a beauty and fun-to-read(or listen) recount and ode to Gansworth’s life but also the lives of Indigenous people in general. The hard hitting and poignant aspects of Indigenous life that he brings up and discusses are important for outsiders to read.

Also, he discusses the offensive term “apple” which is sometimes used to describe Indigenous people. I had never heard this slag term before.

A really compelling memoir in verse by Gansworth. I've listened to one of his other books, and like his voice and I appreciated hearing the poems written in or containing Tuscarora. It was interesting to hear some of his personal stories that clearly influenced If I Ever Get Out of Here. There's photographs that he references and his art in the print version, so I would recommend looking at the book if you choose to do the audiobook. A moving and thoughtful memoir, I know this one will stay with me. and I'll be book talking it to classes I'd love to see in a future Battle of the Books list!

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

The word “apple” is a slur to Natives, a term meaning red on the outside, white on the inside. In this book, Eric Gainsworth tells his experience and his family's experience as members of the Onondaga tribe. A Beatles fan, he matches each section of this poetic memoir up to one of their albums.

I listened to the audiobook, read by the author. I would recommend the audiobook, as you can hear exactly how he means his story to be told, his poems to be read. In addition to being a poet, the author is also an artist. The downside to listening to the audiobook is that you don't get to see the artwork that is scattered throughout the physical version of the book or the family pictures that have been included. The book is marketed as YA, but I think this is easily an adult-level book, too. I am not always a fan of poetry, but I loved Gainsworth's. I was aware on a general level of a lot of the discrimination and persecution Natives and Native culture have faced from the white people who invaded the land, but it was heartbreaking to hear how it directly affected his family. I definitely recommend checking out this memoir!

Apple: Skin to the Core by Eric Gansworth is a memoir written in verse and I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook, narrated by the author. We follow Gansworth from childhood into adulthood and the experiences of his Ononadaga family. Gansworth shares that this book was not written to educate others, but for Indigenous Peoples' stories to be represented, which is so powerful. This book was so well written and I really appreciated that it was narrated by the author as it added so much emotion to the listening experience. This is a book I'll be thinking about for a long time and I encourage you to pick it up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the digital audiobook ARC.

I listened to this on audio, and it tested me in a number of (good) ways. Highly recommend you add this to your list anytime, but especially during #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth.

Quick Take: Read for a deeper understanding of a personal take on the Native American experience with a side of the Beatles and superheroes

What Worked For Me:

•I am not meant to and can't understand all of the experiences Gansworth relates in this memoir, and I appreciate that this is acknowledged by the author.
•My eyes were opened to the impact of historical actions and the direct, long lasting impacts - like the attendance at boarding schools by the author's grandparents.
•Apple was a slur I was completely unfamiliar with. I am happy to know it so that I can denounce it.
•I am becoming a convert to writing in verse - it intimidates me, but I always end up drawn in more deeply.

What Didn't Work For Me:

•Guys, I am bad at audiobooks for anything serious or that I haven't previously read. I had to very intentionally focus on this and had to rewind more times than I would like to admit.

3.5 stars!
Apple is a memoir written in the format of verse poetry. It follows Eric as he traces his family’s heritage through generations. From recounting his grandfather’s experiences at a boarding school for Indigenous peoples they were forced to attend by the government to Eric’s poverty growing up, the reader gets a glimpse into the lasting impact colonialism has left on the First Nations people. This work reflects on the suffering endured by the Indigenous peoples and how they have worked to overcome their circumstances.

I did really enjoy the format of verse, it was unique and very creative. I did find it a bit difficult to connect with the stories in some parts due to the short length and quick transitions from one idea to the next. That being said, the brevity is what made some parts so meaningful as his points were really driven home. The plot line was nonlinear which also made it a bit difficult to follow but the ending really wrapped up the book nicely. I feel like I learned a lot listening to this memoir and I am glad I was able to read it thanks to @librofm, @netgalley & @dreamscapemedia.

Apple by Eric Gansworth is a memoir on growing up into Native American culture and dealing with the racism that comes with it. It's written in verse which I love books that are written that way but since this was an audiobook, I wasn't really able to experience it the way it was written. I think I would have preferred reading this rather than listening but that's okay. Gansworth narrates his own book which puts a personal touch on it. Overall, I liked this and thought it was eye-opening as well as interesting.

I'm not sure why this is marketing as YA - I would disagree with this and feel like YA and adults could read/listen to this too.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and to the publisher for an audiobook.