Reviews tagging 'Grief'

A History of My Brief Body by Billy-Ray Belcourt

16 reviews

williamgideon's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective tense

4.5

It's taken me a while to be able to articulate my thoughts on this book. It's so unlike anything I've ever read, so unique in its form and subject matter. This book definitely is a lot to digest, despite only being 128 pages it took me 8 days to read. It is challenging, both in the subjects it deals with but also the way it is written.
This book deeply touched me, and there are passages that made me cry. Some of the essays are worthy of 5 stars, but others didn't hit as hard. My favorites were 'Please keep loving: Reflections on unlivability', 'Robert' and 'To hang our grief up to dry'.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Genocide, Suicide, Racism, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Murder

pawpaw's review

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

To call Belcourt's memoir "inspiring" or "emotional" feels like an insult; the level of his writing is indescribably rich, refreshing, complex, and needed. I would quote some of his most poignant lines, but that'd ruin the experience of coming across them naturally. 

Don't get me wrong: sometimes I rolled my eyes because of how much he used the word "ontological," and he can come off as pretentious, but so be it. With everything that he's been forced to deal with, with everything he's achieved? He's allowed to come off as a bit arrogant at times.

If you're triggered by suicide, sexual assault, murder, and the institutionalized destruction of Indigenous peoples, please tread carefully. That being said, this book is vital, and well beyond worth it. 

Please remember that there are many other Indigenous and queer voices. If you choose to listen to this one, don't stop there. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual content, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, and Genocide

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, Racism, Murder, Cursing, and Grief

Minor: Sexual assault

vigil's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.75

this is a very personal book, deeply entrenched in his own experience that makes it difficult to rate.

billy-ray belcourt has a very strong and specific command of language, (in a way that likely intentional, judging by a later entry) that is enticing but also difficult to comprehend due its strong roots in academia. he has a very immersive writing style that transports you directly into his brain, for better or for worse. 

for personal enjoyment, it’s a 3 star, but i respect the author and what he’s doing with this collection that i bumped it up to a 4.75.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Genocide, Medical content, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

deadpoetsam's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Homophobia, Grief, Colonisation, Murder, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Child death, Suicide attempt, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Sexism, and Suicide

Minor: Death

hannaheiserman's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Homophobia, and Grief

Moderate: Genocide, Colonisation, and Addiction

callmeamelia's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual content, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Mental illness, Mass/school shootings, Grief, and Gaslighting