Half a Life: A Memoir Audiobook

" On the cover, Carrie Fisher says "A story of hope and what it means to be human" and I agree. The author describes his writing as blunt and jumpy chapter and verse and I agree; however, that sometimes made the reading harder. I would recommend the book. "

" Unsentimental,insightful read about surviving a tragic accident in early life and learning to live with it. "

" I thought it was very interesting hearing his side of things, you generally only hear the victim's family and friends side of things. I don't think too many people stop and consider what a tragedy like this can do to someone who didn't really do anything wrong. He wasn't drinking or doing drugs he was just driving his friends and himself to have a day of fun, and then in one single moment his entire life had changed forever through no real fault of his own. Just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I found it to be a good insight into how certain moments can chage your life and who you are forever. "

" The train-of-thought narrative of this book just wasn't my bag. Like another commenter said, I WANTED to like it, I just couldn't get into it. I probably only finished this book because it was short. "

" would give maybe 2.5. Author was longwinded, repetitive and writing style seemed like use of a lot of overly flowerly descriptions that seemed a bit dramatic. Story was interesting and was anxious to find end. end was ok but story could have been told in about 50 pages "

" wonderfully told story of loss, survival and the human condition "

" very readable, and the perfect length; raw but lyrical, poignant, and filled with profound insight. "

" Loved the opening line as it pulls you in. The writing style took a bit to get used to as it is choppy in points but his life seemed to be choppy, which made it work. I liked reading about his discoveries as he learned to deal with this tragedy. "

" Morbid. If your into that kind of thing this is a decent quick read. Haunted me for weeks. "

" I saw Darin read an excerpt from his book in a tiny bookstore in Paris. It was me and a whole bunch of NYU writing students crammed into a little room. I could feel his pain, still very raw. He seems to have written exactly as it is in his mind, without censoring. Brave. "

" Started off with such an interesting premise and was incredibly well-written at the beginning, but lost my attention as the author got more generally introspective and less detailed about his actual experiences after the accident. "

" intense, quick read... very accurate portrayal of grief and guilt. "

" One of the best things I've read...ever. Period. "

" A pretty compelling read. I felt a little of "get over it, it's been 20 years." but things do go on, and on, as they did for this author--the law suit, the personal encounters, the flashbacks, and so on. I'm glad to know the ongoing detail, it gives empathy more to chew on. "

" This book gets four stars simply for being a story I haven't heard before. Whether you like Strauss or not (I did not like him), you have to feel compassion for his circumstances and introspective about how a person can really handle a tragedy like this. "

" I thought the beginning was interesting. I enjoyed Strauss's observations and could relate to his sense of grief and shame. I found the book healing for myself in that sense. I thought the last part of the book had some holes and was a little sparse. "

" Lovely, lovely. lovely, and sad. I would read it again, and will be sharing parts of it with my students for the simple beauty of it! "

" I was 100+ pages in before I realized this wasn't a novel. A remarkable, measured response to a life after trauma. A strong case for the idea that simple self-honesty is hard won and needs no embellishment. Worth it for the bad psychotherapy. "

" All about living w/ guilt, an accident happens to 2 young people and the one really at fault, dies. A true story about growing up and learning to accept things that happen, maybe for no reason at all. "

" I found this to be an awkward read that just wasn't interesting. "

" This book is very plainly written but very good none the less. "

" As I finished the last page, I could only think how an accident can change many lives!! Darin put in words his struggle. I would like to hear how the parents of the victim struggled. "

" I tend to like introspective stories and this certainly was but, to be honest, it was just too depressing to get through. "

" Incredible book. Read it in a day and could not put it down. Loved the writing, the voice, and the honesty of the story. This is on my top picks of books for the year. "

" Amazing memoir of a tragic accident that changes the author's life forever- Really written from the heart and very honest. I loved it. "

" Glad I read it, but sometimes slow. "

" A lot to think about. wonderful prose and description of a traumatic experience,. Book felt a sort of therapy for the author. I look forward to hearing the author speak in October here in Denver! "

" Wow. I'm not sure this is really a whole book; it boils down to maybe 80 pages of text, but man are they a fascinating 80 pages. The rare memoir that's honest without being intentionally, falsely, over-the-top brutal in its honesty. "

" It was just ok. I know this is a memoir but it was a little too much about Strauss. Does that make sense? "