telling the story of her kidnapping (and subsequent escape) to iraq, as well as abuse throughout her tumultuous childhood, "kissing asphalt" is an incredibly brave and honest memoir about resilience, queerness and family.

rating memoirs and autobiographies always feels weird because that's someone's life but for the arc review i decided to give this book 3 stars because i liked it but it didn't blow me away, not with the conclusions it came to or the writing style.

delicia niami is a good writer and i'm so incredibly glad she's doing better now but i'm not sure if i'll be reading the second part to this memoir series.

3.5 Stars
Kudos to this author for writing such a brave and honest memoir. She experienced a great deal of turmoil in her young life that would have been difficult for most people to endure. I found parts of the book a bit difficult to read despite the initial warning of the content, however, the book was well-written.

"... Despite the challenges life continuously throws my way, I keep working my way through the muck of it all."

"Fun is something we don't get enough of in this lifetime, and most people take it for granted."

Ohmy I hope to soon read the second book of this memoir and find out the girl is sober now 😮‍💨

I was a hundred percent invested in this book. Since I started it I was all in. The topics are hard to get into but they're actually important to read and sadly a reality for many girls around the world. The girl suffered a lot as a child and that took her to make really bad decisions as a teenager using drugs and staying around other teens who were really bad influence. There were many things wrong but this is someone's life so I will just focus on saying that no kid/teenager should experience any of that and not having an adult caring for them. I'm a mom of a 15 yo boy and a 9 yo girl and this book broke my heart and motivated me to protect my kids even more.

Now, my problem is that this is a memoir and when I found out I will need to wait for another book to know more I was a bit disappointed and just a bit annoyed. Sorry Delicia Niami, but this could have been one book. Personal opinion, there's no need to make a memoir more than one book. I also had trouble because it jumps a lot from one age to the other and from one moving and one experience to the other and it was hard to know sometimes when something was happening.

I recommended the book but be aware that all you read won't have an ending and you'll need to wait for the next book. I hope to remember that I'll need to request it on netgalley when it comes out. The blurb attracted me a lot, as it's the kind of book I know I'll feel deeply, and it didn't disappoint. I was worried, disgusted, mad, sad... it was a ride!!!!

⭐️ my rate isn't a rate for the story told but more for the writing and the fact that it ended up divided into two books.

This story is heart breaking. I cannot imagine going through any of this. From being kidnapped to the years of molestation and then rape. How much can one person go through? I am amazed on how strong and resilient Delicia is. I am looking forward to her next book.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Kissing Asphalt by Delicia Niami is unlike any memoir I have ever read. Capturing her life, Niami recounts the horrific tragedies of her youth, all of which have made her into the resilient, inspiring woman she is today.

Niami’s story begins with every parent’s worst nightmare. Recently separated, her mother allows their father to take four-year-old Delicia and her older brother Nile for five days on his own. Not having seen their father for a year, they are ecstatic, especially when he mentions he is taking them to Disneyland. However, Delicia and Nile notice as they begin to drive that nothing looks like the journey to this magical kingdom. Little do Delicia and Nile know, he is kidnapping them, taking them to Iraq as a slap to their mother.

Already, Delicia’s life is off to a terrifying start. Whisked into a foreign country separated from everything she has ever known, the two are forced to live here until they can be rescued. Not understanding a word of Arabic or anything about the culture, I find it a miracle that the two survived as they did, given their father’s clear incompetency. Finally, miraculously, their mother is able to locate them and fight for her children to return to the States.

Do not be fooled; although Delicia is saved from her captor, her life in no way gets any easier. She spends much of her childhood trying to fill the void of a father figure, putting her in extremely dangerous and life-endangering circumstances. Per the trigger warning, readers should be aware that Niami divulges into some very hard topics, including child molestation, sexual assault, and abuse, as well as suicide. Some passages were a very difficult read as she describes in detail the absolutely devasting events that occur. I cannot even fathom the horrors she had to face, and I was sick to my stomach hearing how abuse was such a heavy theme in her life. If readers themselves struggle with hearing recounts or stories of these difficult topics—please beware this is NOT the book for you.

The fact that Niami can write of these events shows her incredible strength. To have survived so many odds and lived to tell the tale is truly breathtaking. I aspire to have the kind of courage she must possess to tell this story. If you are a reader who has struggled with any of the topics discussed, I would recommend this book to you. Niami’s story may help you manage your own grief and find light even in the darkest of times.


Reviewed By: Theresa Kadair/San Francisco Book Review

I couldn't put this book down. I was captivated by Delicia's story. Her descriptive writing and dialogue exchanges with her mom and brother were so interesting. I loved reading about her life. What a brave author! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.