Snippets of SnapDragon

A short critique of Ash Ambirge’s The Middle Finger Project

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I hope this day finds you well: perhaps with an iced coffee before you, a furry friend at your ankles, and the comforting tick-tock of the cuckoo clock on the wall.

Or maybe that’s just me.

Anyway, it’s time for Book-of-the-Month here at Snippets of SnapDragon!

And you’d better hang on to your top knot– ‘cuz this one’s fucking dope.

. . .

The Middle Finger Project by Ash Ambirge (2020)

I find myself not even knowing where to begin, friend.

Because I. love. this. book.

She nails it.

Nails it!

In a masterful blend of humor and humility, wit and wisdom, Ash reminds us that we can do it.

No caveats. No excuses. Just a bucket of ice water to the face, to let us know that life is passing us by. That it’s about damn time we live the life that makes us truly happy.

Her book is brilliantly organized. It’s a pep-talk, sprinkled with anecdotes both hilarious and heart-wrenching.

And oh, Dear Reader! Her analogies are nothing shy of delicious.

You finish this book feeling like she’s your big sister. She’s your oldest friend who shakes you out of your self-pitying wine-buzz cry and makes you believe in yourself.

Because no matter who we are, or where we’ve been, each of us has something beautiful to offer this world.

My favorite passage?

I knew you would ask.

(starts nervously flipping through the dog-eared pages, wondering why she didn’t just have the nerve to use a highlighter on her own goddamn copy of the book)

Okay, here we go:

What if you left the job you hate, despite not knowing what you’ll do next? What if you tried something new, despite not knowing if it’ll work out? What if you explored your interests, despite feeling stupid? What if you sought help from others, despite being embarrassed? And what if you said NOT TODAY, BITCH to anything that doesn’t feel good, despite it feeling like a radical and dangerous decision to make?

Sometimes the most radical and dangerous decisions are the best ones of all (Ambirge).

Well done, Ash. She’s a vibrant, beautiful work of art.

. . .

SnapDragon is a writer and artist who never met a piano she didn’t like.

Follow her Two-Bit Musings and more on Snippets of SnapDragon.

. . .

Want more book reviews?

Snap’s got your back, love.