How does one review a book when the prose is so strong, the imagery so graphic and vivid, the emotions so raw and real, but the content is simultaneously full of love but also full of violence and hurt and horror? A book where some scenes are seared into my brain because of how disturbing the content is. After hearing me talk about two scenes, my husband refused to hear descriptions of any more scenes from the book. Another reviewer referred to these scenes as "straight-up reader scars", and that is 100% accurate. The same lyrical prose that is used to describe the strong familial bonds and paternal love is also used for stomach churning scenes of rape, racism, and self-harm.

Betty, the titular character of the book is the sixth of eight children. Of all her siblings, she looks most like her Cherokee father while the others take after their white mother. In 1950's America where racism is strong, this is her greatest shame but also her greatest strength. Though the book does show the early relationship between her parents and the birth of her older siblings, the bulk of the book follows Betty through her childhood and her coming of age. Most of it happening when the family moves to Breathed, Ohio. While Betty sees horrific and heartbreaking acts of injustices and abuse both within and outside her family growing up, she also experiences the strengths and weaknesses of familial bonds. This is a story about Betty's resilience. How she is able to survive and overcome so much. She uses writing as an escape, as a way to tell her secrets somewhere, as a way to preserve cherished memories.

This is also a story about generational abuse. There is no doubt that Betty's mother is a perpetrator of unforgivable acts of abuse, but through slowly learning about her mother's life we learn why. It's obviously no excuse for her actions or words, just a painful reminder how abuse can beget more abuse. The book doesn't hesitate to explore how trauma can affect people in various ways in both the long term and short term.

Betty's father uses Cherokee stories, folklore, and traditions to try to keep his family together and if not happy, content. His love for his family and his sacrifices stand in stark contrast to his wife, especially in their treatment of Betty. He tries to not let the racist abuse hurled at him affect his outlook and his behavior towards his family. And he tries to do everything in his power to use Cherokee stories to teach Betty to embrace and love her background rather than shun it. He tries so hard to see the good in situations and make things work for his family, that he misses horrific abuse happening.

The story is captivating with prose so evocative that there will be scenes seared into any reader's brain. I can't say this book is a fun read, but it's worth a read.

Now that I've read a second book from McDaniel, I feel confident in saying that whatever she writes will destroy you. This read exactly like an autobiography, and at times I forgot that what I was reading was fiction. Betty spans decades, all from the titular character's perspective as she tells us the story her life, as well as the lives of her family, living in Ohio in the mid-20th century. The writing is stunning, but I do need to stress: this is a difficult read. If you've read McDaniel's debut, you'll have an idea of what you're getting into. Despite the heartbreaking material, this story is filled with so much beauty- Betty's love for her father and what a kind, sensitive, caring man he was will stay with me for a long, long time.

Grab some tissues because you'll need them.

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for the eARC.

Thank you for the opportunity to read Betty!! I really enjoyed this book. It fit in nicely with my little “staycation” book tour I had planned of Appalachia in July. It’s a region I have rarely read about and I appreciated the chance to learn through the stories. I loved the author’s writing style even though the subject matter was so heavy.

I've had THE SUMMER THAT MELTED EVERYTHING on my to-read list for a long time, so I figured I'd give myself a preview of her writing with this one.

I don't think I can accurately describe how good this book is, but I'll try. Firstly, I've read over 100 books this year so far and this may be the best one. As a matter of fact, this may be the most emotionally challenging book of my entire life, and I pride myself on the quantity of disturbing and heartbreaking that I've read in my life.

It's as if Tiffany McDaniel distilled all of the love, hate, sadness, humiliation, and fear from an entire lifetime and poured it all into a book. That book is BETTY.

Congrats to Tiffany. What a beautiful book. I was happy to have read it.

Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn

What a beautiful novel! I had never read anything by Tiffany McDaniel until BETTY, and clearly I've been missing out. This story is about family, a girl's coming-of-age, and ultimately -- love. There is so much love in this book -- it's evident in McDaniel's lyrical writing, in the authentic relationships between the characters, and even in the level of emotional pain that exudes out of this book. And although it was difficult to read at times, any book that elicits a strong emotional response from the reader is, in my opinion, the marker of an excellent book. I'm officially a fan of McDaniel and will be reading anything she writes in the future (as well as her backlist)!

I received a digital advanced copy of Betty in return for my honest review.
Betty was definitely a unique story which captivated me. Her father, a dark-skinned Cherokee, was an extremely loving, family oriented man. Her mother, a beautiful blond, was mentally ill and hurtful at times, but loved her children. Her brothers and sisters were close growing up, but all held secrets. Some of those secrets were destructive to them and others.
Betty was very bright and learned from those around her. School wasn’t a safe environment while she was growing up, but life taught her how to be strong. Betty is a story that reminded me that family ties are often the strongest, but sometimes the most painful.

This story, set in the Ohio Appalachians, will drag you to the depths of despair, and will lift you with hope. How and author can tell one story so full of sadness that can in the end be uplifting is a wonder. Tiffany McDaniel has done it, though. I rooted for Betty from page one.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

    As with most stories about families, you know you are in for some heavy blows. Despite our ethnicity or the number of members, no human family is immune to tragedy or oppressive authority, racist, neighbors and classmates, and the aftershocks of untreated or suppressed mental illness.

From the first phrase, McDaniel takes you on a multifaceted journey of the Carpenter family. You gather that they are Native American and people who feel at one with nature but human nature is not immune no matter the family to sad and tragic occurences.

The reader witnesses everything through the eyes of our early feminist icon and hero Betty Carpenter which lends to the emotions of how deep family ties really go.

Anyone who read McDaniel's other works will fall in love once again with her poetic and lyrical writing style despite the melancholy content. And those who have yet to read a work by McDaniel will find themselves enraptured by the way she tells a story.

Betty is timeless yet timely and perfect for a world full of cries for injustice and plagued by an ongoing global pandemic.

Betty Carpenter is no weak woman and her story is not for weak stomached readers. In order to fully see Betty in all her anti-heroine glory, you must seek to step into the shoes of the underdog,  the footprints of those who don't blindly follow the crowd, and upon paths only previously seen as uncharted by those crazy enough to see them beneath the shadows of history and the bright red blood of ancestral heritage.

Stunning prose -I've never saved so many quotes from one book. Every page is gorgeous. Landon Carpenter has instantly become one my favorite literary fathers, a god to Betty and to me. McDaniel's The Summer That Melted everything was exceptional, and this follow up is phenomenal and worth the wait.

Tiffany McDaniel uses her mother's life as inspiration in her novel about Betty, a young girl born in 1954 to a white mother and a Cherokee father. A cycle of poverty and violence underscores Betty's family life growing up in rural Southwest Ohio as the sixth of eight children. McDaniel is an excellent writer, describing scenes from Betty's life in movingly gorgeous prose. Yet, the weight of the violence was too much for me, and I only got a quarter of the way through the book. In just that small portion, I read about rape, incest, physical abuse, verbal abuse, bigotry, racism, and suicide.  I just want to cry that this is based on someone's real life.

Quite a ambitious tale. Not having read the author’s first work, I was confused at times about were there Betty was biographical? Completely fiction? A blend of the two? I often thought little Betty was not written as a cup hold, but an adult writing through a child. I also found myself skipping through her fathers long stories, (and I like slow, lyrical books) I think this story will finds fans who’ve devoured Where the Crawdad’s Sing and are looking for more.

There is a level of emotional pain that I find almost unbearable—usually evoked by stories of animal or child abuse. The only remedy for me, other than shutting down completely, is vacuuming. Suffice it to say that the experience reading Betty left me with the cleanest carpet and wood floor I've ever had.

The book was at times so excruciating that I had to stop reading and not only clean but lie on the couch and pant in pain. Nevertheless, this is a very good novel—a story based on the author's mother's childhood. A story of the abuse white culture heaps on Native people. That men heap on women and children. That crazy people heap on every living thing. It is well written, very different from Tiffany McDaniel's first published novel, The Summer that Melted Everything, but birthed way earlier (and its ending make seem like a prequel to the first novel). Betty starts out as a child's story, and had it stayed that way, I might have lost interest. But the writer's mature skill moved it into the adult fiction category, with one of the lovingest father characters I've ever read.

This book was not for me. Between the repeated sexual violence, the animal abuse, and literally killing kittens, I was totally put off. The author handles some subject matter well; race, childhood bully, intergenerational trauma, and family bonds and dysfunctions among them. Some of the prose felt very unique and powerful. But the violence on violence on violence felt suffocating, and some of the wisdom and language (especially in the dialogue of children) was too written and on the nose to be believable.

A survivor story, beautifully written. A story of a family and the damage that can pervade generations. Betty is a novel that feels very real at times, and mythological at times. The intertwining of traditional Appalachian culture with native American culture is unique, and the prose is effortless. Tough, heartrending situations are handled with care and real feeling. This novel gives insight into how prejudice and abuse can damage a child yet can be survivable. I loved the impact that Betty’s father has on her life. Their rich relationship and connection forms the basis of Betty’s strength. Betty is a heroine to cheer for and admire.

BETTY is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It’s a coming of age tale that explores so many painful things— racism, incest, death, and the subjugation of women, but does so with such powerfully lyrical language that makes you want to write down sentences so you can keep them forever. BETTY is also about the power of stories, and the deep love between a father and his children. It’s about learning to find and accept the beauty within yourself, and realizing that even people who may seem “unimportant” leave indelible footprints in this world.

"I am a princess. I matter. I am important."

I loved The Summer That Melted Everything, and I'm beyond grateful that Tiffany McDaniel reached out to me to review her newest book, Betty. Receiving the free e-ARC did not affect my rating—McDaniel has a way with words that I fall for instantly, simple as that!

Just as she did in Summer, McDaniel takes you on a luscious and lyrical journey with Betty, but it is not an easy one. The fact that the story is inspired by McDaniel's own mother makes it that much more real and raw.

Growing up in a large family, Betty looks more like her Cherokee father than her mother or siblings. As a girl with Cherokee blood and features that mirror her father's, she faces harsh realities of both racism and sexism, while also witnessing violence and abuse against those she loves. Many of these things were difficult to read, but important to face. I appreciated the juxtaposition of these realities against Betty's father's stories—very often full of whimsy and light—and that Betty wants to be a storyteller, herself.

It will take me a while to fully digest this one, and won't soon be forgotten!

Betty was born in a bathtub to a white mother and a Cherokee father. She grew up in abject poverty in rural Ohio, her family's history steeped in tragedy would come to overshadow her and her siblings lives.

What I enjoyed most about this book was Betty's dad, Landon, he was her one constant. I loved how he passed down all of his wisdom about the Cherokee traditions to her and told these beautifully meaningful stories that, I think helped her become a writer and a story teller in her own right. The story broke my heart more than once, but Betty's perseverance and good heart kept me wanting to read on.

It has been a long time since a book left me this emotionally drained!

Betty Carpenter is a young girl who is part Cherokee. She and her family move around the country before settling in Ohio in the 1960's. Along with her father and mother, she has several siblings. Her father who is part Cherokee takes whatever work he can find but the family just gets by. Betty takes after her father in coloring and is subjected to racism and name calling as she grows up. Each of the family members is faced with challenges and secrets. The father teaches Betty and the others about their heritage and nature by weaving wonderful stories. Betty learns to turn her heartaches into writing in order to survive.

A complex novel about family, prejudice, secrets and what it means to be a woman. There is a love of nature in the world as well as a questioning of the nature of people. What it takes to be a good man and father and how a daughter comes to realize it.

This is a beautiful and brutal read but one that should not be missed, The writing is gorgeous and on point but without being over the top. It says what needs to be said. This is a book that will stay with you for a long time if not for always.

A lyrical novel about a young girl uncovering horrific truths about her own family in the rolling hills of the Appalachians.

MY STORY

As someone whose great grandmother was half Cherokee - and a young woman of color growing up in the 1950s - this novel couldn't have been more perfect for me. I gladly accepted the chance to read an ARC of this book, only to be pleasantly delighted at how close it hit home for me.

It was a story about a young girl born to a Cherokee father and a white mother - the same as my great grandmother. The similarities were eerie, in the best way! This novel made me ache to know more of my heritage in a way that I never have before.

Because my grandmother passed away long before I could ever become old enough to be curious, I was never taught the culture and traditions of my own family, due to years of early colonists diluting the Cherokee ways, and simply never talking about our own heritage. To see what it must have been like for my grandmother and her family - it was like a portal into the past for me.

THE WRITING

"A girl comes of age against the knife."


The writing and prose were virtually stunning. Seriously, you should see my Kindle highlights. The whole book is practically covered in yellow. The writing deserves all the stars. Each line was drenched with feeling and poetry and beauty. Betty's father was definitely my favorite character.

THE STORY

This is where it gets a bit dicey for me. Because of my mental health, I have to be super careful with what I read, so as not to trigger my brain. The abuse mentioned in the book was very hard for me to get through, though it was an essential part of the plot. However, I loved how strong Betty was, and only wanted to give all of the women in this story a big hug.

Overall, this story made me fall in love with my Cherokee heritage all over again. I found my great grandmother within the pages of Betty's story. If you're looking for a gripping historical fiction about the strength of women and family, I'd suggest picking this one up!

Betty comes out August 18th. You can pre-order your copy now!

A big thank you to Random House & Knopf, and a bigger one to Tiffany, for personally reaching out to me about her book!

Moving heart wrenching dark sad. beautifully written .A book that haunts at times it grew too emotional and Inhad to put it down take a break but that never lasted long..I was immediately drawn back to the story the writing a book I will not forget.#netgalley#knopf doubleday