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This is a discussion topic for the February 2025 Book of the Month, "They Love You Until You Start Thinking for Yourself" by Monica Omorodion Swaida.

Does the structure of "They Love You Until You Start Thinking for Yourself" by Monica Omorodion Swaida work well? Why or why not?

After the author tells her initial life story, the order of the chapters do not seem to make sense. It seems like a disorganized patchwork quilt of opinion chapters and more of her life story in later chapters. Some of her life story is not adequately narrated, such as her music career. It needs additional context.

I thought the structure of the book was actually one of the weaker elements of the novel. I thought the order of chapters was rather confusing as the timeline did not continue chronologically but instead jumped around a number of years. While Swaida seemed to have one personal perspective on life before the COVID-19 pandemic, she seemed to have an opposite perspective post-pandemic. If this change was conveyed chronologically, the reader could understand her growth better. Instead, the current structure leaves the reader confused to where in the author's life each chapter is taking place and what frame of mind she is in at the time. I do not think the book would need to be completely in chronological order to make sense, but I think some additional editing of the structure would be beneficial to this story.

For a memoir, especially one that covers a life journey from childhood to adulthood and professional life, having a well-organized structure is crucial. And Monica Swaida really nailed it. The way she structured the book allowed me to easily follow her life story, her development, and her different phases of growth.

The book is well written, but it lacks structure. However, this isn't so bad, as regular readers won't even notice this as the author moves seamlessly within stories and shares experiences that keep you looking forward to the next adventure she has to share. For those who know a bit about structure, they will find it disorganized, as each chain of thoughts and events should be well aligned and integrated.