Singles and Other Singularities (The woman Scientist Trilogy 2- The Italian Saga Book 8) by Gaia B Amman – Review by Kayla Interdonato

Singles: …And Other Singularities by Gaia B Amman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really appreciated reading this book for many reasons. One, being based in Buffalo and being a Buffalonian it was really cool to be able to put myself in the places these students visited. Secondly, I myself was a graduate student. I thought about going for a PhD after completing my masters and this book made me glad I did not go further with my education. The author was able to portray the stress that goes into graduate school perfectly. My older sister completed her PhD in NYC and I now have a better appreciation of what she went through. Yes, every person has a different PI or boss and different experiences, but the stress is still there. What I liked most was reading about the different cultures that formed these relationships/companionships/friendships, what ever word you want to use for them. The different cultures and personalities that came together to create such a tight knit group of people was amazing to read about. Though one of them may have felt alone, they were never truly alone. Having experienced it myself, the author does a fabulous job of demonstrating the complex relationship among competitive friends; the fine line of wanting your friend to succeed but also wanting to do better than them. I loved watching Leda’s rollercoaster of emotions and how she handled each situation with as much maturity and of sound mind as possible. As someone who suffers with anxiety and depression, it was hard to read the pain that she experienced but I loved reading her poetry/music and her emails to Andre back home. I think that every person that reads this book could walk away with some extra knowledge about life and relationships. School is not all about books and classes, it’s so much more than that.

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