Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World by Kai Cheng Thom

8 reviews

bashsbooks's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

Thom approaches the issues within modern leftism with an understandable frustration and an unparalleled wit; this collection of essays and poems provide much-needed nuance and insight into thorny topics such as suicide (and the related responsibility of the community and agency of the dead) and sexual assault (including breaking down the perp/victim binary that doesn't allow for any grey areas). She also covers transmisogyny, racism, and class in similar depth. Despite these serious topics, Thom ends every essay with her glimmers of hope for the future. My favorite pieces in this collection were Genie, You're Free, if you should start to think forbidden thoughts, Chronical of a Rape Foretold, Complications of Consent, How Neoliberalism is Stealing Trans Liberation, siblings, Rediscovering My Identity at My Grandfather's Funeral, and Dear, Dear Life.

I highly recommend the entire book, and all of Thom's work (but please remember, she is only one imperfect woman, not a vessel for Leftist Truth!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Rape, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Classism, Transphobia, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Racism

Moderate: Police brutality, Toxic relationship, and Stalking

Minor: Colonisation, Hate crime, Murder, Mental illness, and Medical trauma

hawk_just_hawk's review

I don’t exist on the internet and I find that I don’t enjoy pieces that were born as internet think pieces. My queer and trans community looks very different from the one she describes, so I did not find that I related to what she was talking about. It’s well-written and interesting, though!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship

bi_n_large's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Transphobia, and Self harm

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Racism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, and Gun violence

Minor: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Rape

solenodon's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I want everyone to read this book tbh

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Transphobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

Minor: Sexual harassment, Infertility, Drug use, Alcohol, Colonisation, Medical content, Stalking, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse

bobsacoolword's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Reading the reviews for this book makes me realize I don't think anyone really knows who the target audience is and a lot of reviewers who are represented in the marginalized communities mentioned in the books have criticized the content of the books. I don't know if I feel comfortable giving a numerical review because both this book and the reviews have reminded me how much harder I need to work at educating myself on these topics. I am giving this book 4 stars because I found it informative and insightful, but also because it resonated with some of my own experiences. Ordinarily, I'd give any book that gave me as much as it did 5 stars, but I want to acknowledge that other reviewers have mentioned that some of the arguments made missed the mark for them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, and Violence

This book covers a lot of tough topics. I tried to pull from some of the most common content warning on reviews for the book, but I would definitely be prepared for things that can be tough to talk about.

alayamorning's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

skudiklier's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I started and finished this book on the same day, and basically couldn't put it down. I found it so engaging, helpful, thoughtful, and brilliant. Every time I thought the author might fall into a tired trope, she showed how she was really challenging it. I love how she makes clear what the core values of her life and the social justice movement are, and how her critiques have to do with the way the movement operates and forms relationships rather than with those values themselves. I really would recommend this book to anyone who is queer or a leftist, or interested in either of those things. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Grief and Toxic relationship

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

averyfranken's review

challenging emotional hopeful fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Xenophobia