To say I was disappointed is an understatement. This is frankly disturbing, disdainful of people on the ground, people who ran for their lives, people who have died.

I really enjoyed the first few chapters of this book which made it harder to let it go once it started dragging. I've seen other people loving it so it could definitely be me but once the author started going in depth about the cooking, I kinda got lost.

Great cover and really enjoyed the language aspects!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

4.5 stars.
This was a terrific collection of essays! The author's prose drew me in immediately as I read her thoughts about being Myanmar, being a woman, being Asian and how that's perceived next to Westernness, long distance relationships, names, and citizenship, among other things.

She has a keen eye for hypocrisy and injustice, while also finding humour in the many inconsistencies and seeming incompatible ideas one has as one makes ones way through the
world as a woman and a non-Western person.

This is an intimate, thoughtful and sometimes humourous book, and I greatly enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Catapult Counterpoint Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you to Catapult and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

You've Changed by Pyae Moe Thet War is a lovely memoir from a self-described "Myanmar millennial" who immigrated to the US and the UK before returning to Myanmar. This collection includes various essays on identity, race, feminism, colonialism, and other topics. Although the topics are heavy, the author writes about each topic with humor.

Here is a captivating excerpt from Chapter 1, "A Me by Any Other Name":

"I have two names, which is one whole name more than most people have. I've been asked about it all my life. Usually I just smile and say, "It's a long story." My legal name - that is, the one on my birth certificate and passport and other bureaucratic documentation - is Moe Thet War, but everyone calls me Pyae Pyae (or Pyae, depending on how close we are). I guess technically the lattr is a nickname, but it feels wrong to call it so. After all, my parents picked it out with as much careful consideration as they did Moe Thet War. Despite the number of times I've had this conversation, it's always a strange experience for me to explain the whole story to someone who doesn't get it. What's there to get?"

Overall, You've Changed is an amazing collection of essays that should be required reading for everyone. One highlight of this book is the first essay on names. I want to assign the first essay to my students right away. I'm sure they will learn a lot from it. As a person of Asian descent, there were moments that I identified with in her essays. As someone who unfortunately knows next to nothing about Myanmar, I learned a lot from reading this book. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of nonfiction essays, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!

So well w so engaging .Learning about the culture the traditions in Myanmar the way people are named.The author trying to fit in to America.Her voice her writing style is very engaging willbe recommending.#netgalleyj#you’vechanged.

I don't usually read (or enjoy reading) non-fiction titles but this collection of essays in You've Changed by Pyae Moe Thet War was so enjoyable, relateable, and I absolutely loved it. Which I was obviously hoping I would when I requested this title from Catapult but it was truly so wonderful to read these essays, find myself nodding along, sympathizing with the writer's experiences, and even laughing out loud at some of the anecdotes. I would tell myself, "Okay, I'll just read one more essay and then go to sleep" but then one essay would lead to the next and before I knew it, I was done and found myself wanting more from Pyae Moe Thet War!

While I enjoyed each essay a lot, I've decided to choose and comment on the 2 essays that continue to linger on my mind afterwards.

1. A Me by Any Other Name - as with any other non-White individual in a very Westernized society, we share the experience of having had to teach others our first and/or last names that are not quite common to the English-speaking world. The microaggressions that result from these experiences - the acceptance as a young child that this is our reality - all of this is laid out in Pyae Moe Thet War's very first essay in You've Changed.

2. Htamin sar chin tae - in this essay, Pyae Moe Thet War explains that asking someone if they've eaten in Myanmar is literally asking them "Have you eaten rice?" And this is so relateable for me as this is exactly the same in Chinese. That's just how important rice is in our diet. As Pyae Moe Thet War writes, "It's unthinkable that you would have a meal that wasn't primarily made up of, or at the very least included, rice." While I can have meals without rice, I cannot imagine going for days without eating it at all. My best friend and I went to Italy for almost 2 weeks and a few days in, I was looking for a Chinese restaurant that served fried rice. We found it, it wasn't quite as good as what I'm used to, but honestly it satisfied my need of rice on that trip filled with pasta, pizza, and caprese (as delicious as all that was).

In each essay, Poe Moe Thet War explores themes of identity, family, love, racism, sexism, international borders, and mental illness. In each, I found her voice to be so honest, funny, open, and easy to read. She drew me in from the very first essay and left me wanting more at the end. She is a writer that I am looking forward to reading more from. And with this, I can say that I do enjoy non-fiction essay collections - I guess I just needed to find the right writer writing them.

Really great writing and a good range of examination on a different topics. The author is funny and her voice is engaging and a joy to read.

Pyae Moe Thet War is in the unique position of being able to serve as a modern spokesperson for Myanmar women, and yet she is reluctant to take on that label. This collection of essays is nothing but introspective and transparent in the issues she faces at the intersection of her many identities. One of the major aspects of her identity is, of course, that she is Myanmar. But even declaring that is fraught with added or implied meaning that she questions, because what does it mean if she isn't fully fluent in the language? Or that she doesn't subscribe and even rejects some of the cultural norms? What does it mean to embrace your culture of origin while also critiquing aspects of it and wanting to make it make sense for your own? Some of these questions could be seen as universal parts of identity exploration, and this is what made this a fascinating, informative, and likable read for me. I could both identify with the author while learning from her when she addressed something entirely foreign to me. The way she involves the reader in turning over thoughts and mulling over experiences feels intimate, yet friendly. Her voice comes through as young, but I think that's appropriate given the fact that she is, well, young. I look forward to seeing where her writing takes her in the future.

Although I've read a lot of memoirs that dissect the Asian-American identity, I found Pyae Moe Thet War's unique in that you could really sense that she is trying to figure it out as she goes. I think a lot of times, it feels like the authors who are writing their stories seem to have themselves figured out before they write about it. In that sense, you can see where they're headed in their memoirs. In Pyae Moe Thet War's case, you could really feel her exploring her identity right on the page as a woman in her mid-twenties. I think there's something special about this as she asks the reader the same questions that she is grappling with. And she doesn't quite have the answer herself. This is a book I wish I had in my mid-twenties, and I think anyone who is also exploring their Asian-American identity might relate and find company in Pyae Moe Thet War's story.

Thank you to Catapult Press and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available May 3rd 2022

Like a millennial Socrates, Pyae Moe Thet War sets out to question modern life in her debut nonfiction collection, "You've Changed." The book covers everything from periods to baking to class and gender roles and of course, colonialism and its modern spawn, capitalism. What I love most is how Mynmar plays a complicated role throughout the book. At parts, Myanmar is an outdated villain that holds the narrator back from achieving her full potential with its stringent gender roles. In other parts, Myanmar is a much beloved and comforting home. The complexities and nuances of what we call home, what we love and what we must reckon with are approached with care and attention. I loved this book!

A woman from Myanmar who spends her life attempting to fit into the template of America. And eventually realizing the worth of her culture. And sharing that culture with us readers. I really enjoyed reading all of this and was so educational. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.