Ripe

"What seems bright and shiny and filled with promise on the surface is really soaked through with misery, misfortune and pain ... Taking in Etter's explosive, often grotesque prose in one sitting isn't for the faint of heart. In a weird way, reading Ripe feels like being hit over the head with a cast-iron frying pan, then willingly going back for more ... Etter's true-to-life depiction of Cassie's abortion and its aftermath is worth a gander, too. Her clear-eyed portrayal of the harrowing ordeal serves as a powerful reminder of yet another right we Americans have given up in this post-Roe world — the freedom of choice and equal access to necessary, life-affirming resources."