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Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed
20 reviews
iamnita's review against another edition
5.0
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Cursing, Alcoholism, Grief, Infertility, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual assault, Rape, Pregnancy, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, Murder, and Miscarriage
smoladeryn's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warning: abuse
I don’t read “self help” I thought as I grabbed this from a shelf on the way out of my beautiful home that I didn’t want to leave. I was fleeing an abusive relationship of 16 years when this book jumped out at me—no doubt given by his mother that he never read—like so many books of this kind.
I don’t know why I took it. I hadn’t been able to read much in 8 years-- the second half of our relationship. I also really didn’t read “self help” or even memoirs. I never read Sugar’s column, although I did read TheRumpus, I didn’t know that’s where it came from at the time.
I saw the ugly orange cover, read the title that seemed so overwrought (honestly), and picked it up in my already much too full hands with my cat and as many “important” possessions as I could take.
I was terrified that day and I was terrified for weeks, months still. I was homeless for 2 months, but not the kind of homelessness I experienced in my early 20s. It was the kind where I had to stay in a horror story air bnb, a hotel, and then a dank and noisy basement I paid way too much for.
In each place I unpacked this book and put it next to where I slept. I didn’t read it. When I got to my noisy and deeply lonely new rental apartment in the heart of downtown, I put it next to my pillow and didn’t read it.
One day about 4 months into this “new life”, after the homeless period, I started reading it.
I’ve wept at nearly every letter. Before I started reading this collection, that no doubt my ex-mother-in-law gave to her stubborn and abusive son that refuses to look inward, she picked a fight with me. The details aren’t important, but she said some of the most hurtful and painful things anyone has ever said, even more so than my own horribly abusive family.
I don’t know if I finally read this out of stubbornness (spite?) myself but all I know is Tiny Beautiful Things is the thing that started my healing. I’m still healing.
There were times I didn’t read this book, and times I devoured 3 letters at once. There were times I had to process a letter for what seemed like an eternity before I could bare to pick up the weight of it again. Then, there were times where this book sat in a bag on my back, light as a feather, and as warm as a familiar friend.
Tiny Beautiful Things is one of those Things itself. The phrase comes from the description of a sweet purple balloon. It might not be the sweet balloon Sugar describes, but there are times where it is. And she is right—it is something we all deserve.
I kept a journal of endless quotes. I was going to post them as a review which is what I usually do, but those quotes are important mostly to me, probably.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Infertility, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Cancer, Cursing, Dementia, Violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
msagerber's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Infertility, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Grief, and Pedophilia
I'm probably missing trigger warnings - this book has pretty much every trigger warning there is. It is sometimes very difficult to read, yet somehow Cheryl Strayed's responses make it still seem hopeful. Like we can all muddle through the pain called living and find a way to still feel purpose and connection. I have read this, listened to it, and read it again. My physical copy is practically disintegrating. I can't say enough about how much this book has spoke to me.elliebell7's review against another edition
4.25
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
roaaexe's review against another edition
4.5
هذا الكتاب هو مجموعة اجوبة "سكر" ونصائحها بعمود اسئلة لمجلة The Rumpus.
العنوان يذكر ان النصائح هي عن الحب والحياة لكن هي اعطت نصائح لكل شيء. طريقتها بالاجابة وكيف استوحت امثلة من حياتها ومن حياة الاشخاص الي حواليها كانت مؤثرة جدا. كتابتها جميلة للغاية ، استخدمت العديد من التشبيهات التي يكون لها اثر قوي بالقاريء. خلال قرائتي لهذا الكتاب ضحكت وبكيت وبعض الاجوبة كانت بالضبط ما احتجت سماعه.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Suicide
lya_thebananahead's review against another edition
5.0
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Abortion, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Miscarriage, and Mental illness
hettyreads's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Violence, Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Homophobia
raelong12's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
immodestgender's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Infidelity
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Rape
carabones's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia