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Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'
How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler
30 reviews
bibliomich's review against another edition
5.0
How Far the Light Reaches is not only a favorite of this year, but possibly one of my favorites *ever*. At the end of each chapter, I'd think to myself, "Oh, okay, that was the best one. That was my favorite chapter so far." And then I'd listen to the next and be blown away once again.
In each chapter, Sabrina Imbler (they/them) juxtaposes autobiographical anecdotes with scientific facts about different marine species. For example, in "Beware the Sand Striker," Imbler alternates between discussing their experiences with sexual autonomy and assault, and then draws parallels with the sand striker's predatory behaviors. They discuss a range of topics (some quite heavy), including race and racism, body image and disordered eating, mother-child relationships, identity, sexuality, and bigotry (to name a few), and they write with so much honesty and vulnerability. I also learned A LOT about marine life, and even though I often shy away from nonfiction, these were some of my favorite sections of the book.
Imbler also narrates the audiobook, and their narration is exceptional. While I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, I would also love to own a physical copy (and will likely purchase one) just to return to it over and over again.
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Transphobia, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Racial slurs, Racism, Fatphobia, and Homophobia
skbat's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, War, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Racism, Rape, Violence, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, and Body horror
megnut's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed these metaphorical journeys... and will definitely listen again.
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Dysphoria, Alcohol, Homophobia, Racism, and Eating disorder
Minor: Drug use
bookbrig's review against another edition
Graphic: Rape, Racism, Body shaming, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Racial slurs, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Animal death
phathaway's review against another edition
4.5
I also love how she really put her struggles about her body out there.
Moderate: Racial slurs, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Hate crime, Misogyny, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Grief, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Rape, Racism, Xenophobia, and Fatphobia
dreareads_'s review against another edition
4.5
The only reason I do not give this book 5 stars is because there were a couple of essays where the chosen sea creatures and scientific discussions did not easily blend with the story that Sabrina was presenting at the time.
Regardless, I cannot help but love a book where I learn a lot and feel even more.
Graphic: Animal death, Eating disorder, Racial slurs, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Sexual content, Blood, Dysphoria, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Grief, Racism, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
elmabu118's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Rape
annemaries_shelves's review against another edition
4.5
I really loved this collection - it's a blend of nature writing and memoir. The author relates the lives and science behind 10 different creatures to a particular aspect of their life and experiences. For example, their gender explorations, their grandparents' stories in WW2 China, and the eating disorder they experienced as a teen. I appreciated how Imbler made those connections and used metaphor to expand on both sides of the concept - it's not always easy to balance the nature with the personal in an engaging and accurate way.
The writing itself was straightforward and lacking that lyrical, more poetic writing a lot of nature and memoir writing can have and that I tend to prefer (less Braiding Sweetgrass style, if that's a helpful reference). However, the authorial voice and the occasional joke or sarcastic aside worked for me. It's also very much a collection of essay chapters, so there's less of a connecting thread (aside from the high-level concept) across chapters.
In terms of the animals themselves, I either learned a lot about them or got a refresher on ones I’m more familiar with. The sand striker, octopus, cuttlefish, and whales were some of my favourites but honestly all 10 creatures were fascinating in their own way. And the chapter art was so good - it’s hand drawn line art (the artist is listed in the acknowledgments) and compensated for the lack of full colour photo inserts that I wish the book had had a budget for.
Overall, if you like blends of nature and memoir - and especially if you're looking for more queer and/or BIPOC (specifically mixed race Chinese-white) representation in your science/memoir writing - I recommend checking this book out. (Which the author so aptly points out is a hyperfocus of people in the chapter about hybrid animals).
CW: discussions of eating disorders and attempts to lose weight unhealthily as a teen, sexual assault and substance-induced blackout periods of sexual activity where consent cannot be given, brief discussions of war and the Japanese invasion of China in WW2
Moderate: Alcohol, Eating disorder, War, Body shaming, and Sexual assault
Minor: Racial slurs
bronteberry's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Eating disorder, and Sexual assault
bavisca's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual assault