Cover Image: Seeing Ghosts (excerpt)

Seeing Ghosts (excerpt)

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Member Reviews

Seeing Ghosts is a moving memoir, a letter to author Kat Chow's mother remember her life and life after her death. I highly recommend this book!

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The first four chapters of this book, as provided in the excerpt, are beautifully and uniquely written. Kat Chow has a very distinct voice that makes for a great reading experience. The historical context she gives her family, both in her childhood in the U.S., and her mother and grandmother's experiences in China, is deeply interesting. My only qualm is it's initially a little hard to ground yourself in the narrative, as the first four chapters don't really have a clear "thesis statement," that is, an explanation of exactly why she wrote this book as an ode to her mother and what she hopes to accomplish with it. However, I'd definitely recommend this to people who enjoy reading memoirs, I think this one will bring a lot to the table.

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From the first page of this excerpt I was gripped. Ms. Chow understands and knows the incredible power of memory. It's almost as of she knows exactly how I mentallyprocess my grief over my mom's death. I immediately bought the book.

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The excerpt was great. Excited to read the rest. This author has so much talent, she will do great things.

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I am a fan of Kat Chow from hearing her on the Pop Culture Happy Hour (I know she does a lot more than that, that's just where I know her best). And when I saw that she had a book coming out, I wanted to know more. Reading this excerpt was an amazing experience. This book is personal and powerful, and I think that reading it in its entirety will be heart-wrenching. I'm so glad I got a peek, and knowing more about it, and knowing that she reads the audio book herself, I will probably have to buy that by the end of the year. I really look forward to listening to the whole book. Thank you!

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I received an excerpt of this book, and I have to say that I was very impressed with the first four chapters! I'm definitely interesting in reading this book and will be searching out a copy soon!

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Didn’t realize this was an excerpt (whoops) but what a read so far! I’ve been a Kat Chow fan for a while, and it’s no surprise that this journalist is also a great print storyteller. Can’t wait to read the rest!

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I have heard Kat Chow on NPR and enjoyed this glimpse into her family life and background—she has an assured writing style and did a great job of blending the Chinese traditions and past of her family with her own life in America. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

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Wow, Seeing Ghosts by Kat Chow was gripping from the first line. Chow writes in a beautifully poetic manner. This chapter excerpt definitely piques my interest to read this haunting, multifamily memoir.

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

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I have always appreciated Kat Chow's insights on NPR, so when I saw that an excerpt of her book was available, I was eager to read it. Her writing and the way she captures the complexity of grief were both very thoughtful. It's hard to give a real review to four chapters of what is likely a much longer book, but what I read definitely made me want to continue reading to learn more about the author and her mother.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read this excerpt.

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Knowing Kat Chow from her frequent appearances on the NPR podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour does not prepare you for how close you will feel to her after reading this memoir. The intergenerational story provides insight and context into Chow’s perspective losing her mother and how that loss impacted her life and how she moved through it. In any story about death, you encounter the processing of grief by the author. I think Chow does a good job of representing the potpourri of emotions that death of loved ones brings. It changes you, and it changes others. Looking forward to finishing the story when it’s released in August.

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It’s hard to tell from just an excerpt, but this book reminds me of Crying in H Mart. I like Kat Chow from hearing her on some podcasts, so I will probably read this entire book when it releases.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance sample.

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I would definitely be very interested in reading this book after taking a look at this excerpt! Very clever.

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Read an excerpt. Was not moved to read the entire book. The writing seemed depressive and disjointed.

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This is a very small sample of what looks to be an interesting read. Unfortunately, I can’t make a true judgement due to the length. I do think, however, that it might be a difficult read for those of us who struggle with the inevitability of death, so there is that to consider.

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This really seemed like a book I would enjoy reading but unfortunately I can't give a full review to just a small sample.

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