Am I the only one who crossed over to 2022 with a book I was reading from 2021? Well, I’m not ashamed to say I am glad I finally finished Ingrid Arlington‘s memoir, Kinky Roots. I’ve been carrying it around with me on my trips to the mall, on my trips during the festive break and literally finding stolen moments to get into Ingrid’s journey.
A Cybersecurity professional by day and a mom to 2 Jack Russel terriers whose just discovered her love for writing, Ingrid has lived in three countries. And in Kinky Roots we are taken on a glimpse of her life from her younger years in Zimbabwe, later moving to South Africa up until her adult life in the UK. She shares 22 themes of her experiences in a relaxed manner, which made the book easy to get into. Okay, I did struggle a bit to get through to the 50th page – but once I was over it I just flowed.
I hold the the bow and arrow of my life. I set the aim, the targets and control if, when and how that arrow flies.
I enjoyed the nuggets of wisdom that were scattered throughout the book, that showed growth for Ingrid. I enjoy how some memoirs show this side of the author, the vulnerability and one questioning themselves and their contribution to situations as well. This memoir is peppered with various themes, some of which stood out for me was identity, domestic abuse, body shaming, colourism, father daughter relationships that are broken (Ingrid’s father – aka “Runaway Dad” was a tough one for me), loss, adapting well in new situations like the male-dominated IT space Ingrid was in and blended families. Ingrid made me reflect on my own life and upbringing, there’s so many lessons to be learnt in this book.
I found it interesting how there were song titles mentioned throughout the book. I assumed they were songs that Ingrid remembered whenever she was writing the book or they stood out for her during the time things happened to her. At times I struggled with my reading flow due to the song breaks, but it wasn’t such a big deal. There is a Spotify playlist which Ingrid created. You can find it here.
A good book, and I love the cover so much. Thank you Ingrid for my copy of this book, and wishing you well. The book is available on Amazon, and locally you can purchase your copy from Lotus Bookstore here.
