Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

47 reviews

laurenkimoto's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Dysphoria, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Ableism, Blood, Bullying, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Biphobia, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Self harm, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

amyford's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Gore, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Alcoholism, Rape, Eating disorder, Medical content, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Violence

thebookdragon_taylorsversion's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Classism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Addiction, Sexism, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Sexual harassment

steele_your_username's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Sexual assault

quiet_vulture's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Bullying, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

tetrootz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Body shaming, Self harm, Grief, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Fatphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Rape, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Drug use, Ableism, Classism, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Vomit, Physical abuse, and Medical content

Moderate: Police brutality and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Dementia

lucyroberts's review

dark emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Bullying and Sexual assault

evelyn_parkhouse_reads's review against another edition

2.75

This is a memoir about a very angry woman, who unconsciously exhibits immense internalised misogyny and biphobia whilst claiming that her actions are beyond her control because of her autism. I appreciated the honesty, enjoyed her writing style immensely, and connected with the strong rage she often felt. However, her hatred of those around her, and her often violent actioning of this hatred, being tied almost entirely to her autism was a hard pill to swallow. There are many autistic women who might feel similar, but also many who don’t feel the same vitriolic hatred of others that Fern does. I hope that readers understand that her violence is an expression of her experiences/other mental illnesses worsened by her autism, and not that autism makes women hateful, mean bullies and physically aggressive like this book implies… 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Self harm, and Bullying

hanne_chummy's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Grief, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Drug use, Eating disorder, Violence, Sexual violence, Self harm, Misogyny, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Addiction, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

emmajuned's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I can’t say I enjoyed the book, even though I preordered the paperback through my love of Fern and her openness about her autism in interviews, but it was interesting and informative about autism. I’m self diagnosed (my father was diagnosed late in life and I have a lot in common with him) and this both confirmed my diagnosis and informed me of a wealth of things which I didn’t realise were autistic but I’d been doing all my life: clawing, planning conversations, replaying scenarios, hating being touched, loud noises, over enthusiasm for my passions, etc. I read it as a medical encyclopaedia with an endearing protagonist. She’s lead an eventful life for sure, and I’m glad the book could end on a slightly hopeful, inspiring note but something I’d already concluded myself. It’s nice to have confirmation, especially from someone who seems to have been through more extremes than me to get there.

At times, reading the book was difficult. I felt Fern was being punished a lot and unnecessarily, and how it was described lacked the humorous twists that could have made the book more entertaining, but I think then we wouldn’t have taken it seriously. The gaping hole in society and the medical support available to people with autism, especially adults, especially women, is glaring and ridiculous. The book felt gloomy and depressing in a very personal, private way that will be familiar to other autistics. Strangely, it gave me comfort for that very reason.

I applaud Fern for writing this. Having only discovered her after her appearance on Taskmaster, it’s strangely fitting that the story ends there, like catching up with a new friend. She’s so brave and inspiring, and I want her to know that she has succeeded. I feel better for knowing what she has been through, I feel heard, she has pushed society on to understanding a little bit more (perhaps a big bit).

I wish 8 was better at expressing my feelings for this…. But you know, autistic!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Classism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Bullying

While there is a lot of topics to give contents warnings for nothing in the book is described in a way that is distressing, graphic, or unnecessary. Fern is just very honest about her life