Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Pageboy by Elliot Page

371 reviews

inkerly's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

4.0

3.9 ish stars

The memoir broke me. Literally. My heart would break in every chapter or my jaw would drop . Im not an Elliot Page fan but I enjoy movies he’s been in (Juno, Inception), and I like that he is one of the more relatable celebrities. Elliot has been through a lot in his 37 years of living and he was failed multiple times by the adults around him. I thought I would be reading a book about the inspiring journey of a transman  coming into his identity but what I’m left with is the story of a man who is still trying to pick up the pieces of his life and resolve undue childhood trauma while breaking barriers and staying true to himself. I think the fact that Elliot’s journey is still  “to be continued” makes this book raw and real, but at the same time reading it also felt like reading a sequence of disjointed events (all sad) that didn’t provide complete closure. Based on recent articles and photos of him I sense that his journey with his body dysmorphia is not completely over.  I support Elliot and hope that this new chapter of his life makes him stronger and better than he can ever imagine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Homophobia, Transphobia, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Dysphoria, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Body shaming

Minor: Death of parent

amylangdown_'s review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Having followed Elliot’s transition over the last few years, this book gave me a real insight into his life. It manifests perfectly, in a way I’ve never seen before, gender dysphoria and the way transness, and queerness in general, shapes a life. I listened via audiobook and it was hard to listen to at times, but honest. And it’s so clear that he has done a lot of reflection to be able to discuss the past in such a way that is careful and analysed.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Homophobia, and Child abuse

vixenreader's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25

A structure based on the journey towards self-love, this memoir is deeply poignant, unflinching, and vulnerable, and a honest experience about how wilful ignorance and prejudice ultimately perpetrates the bigotry experienced by the trans community. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Lesbophobia, Dysphoria, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, and Sexism

Moderate: Death, Medical content, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Cancer, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Self harm, Drug use, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, Biphobia, Alcoholism, Violence, Blood, Classism, and Drug abuse

Be aware that there are themes of parental neglect, rejecting a trans child, bi-erasure, putting actors in harm’s way, the influence of the internet, tension within unhealthy relationships, unhealthy polyamory, heartbreak, threats towards trans and queer folks, nudity in film, erasure of queer identity, and being forced back into the closet.

melist6's review against another edition

emotional informative sad medium-paced

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Transphobia

Moderate: Biphobia, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Drug use, and Self harm

barefootbetsy's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

4.0

This was a difficult read. What other reviews have mentioned is true, there's not a really clear linear structure. But there is a structure, it's just more circular or spiral-y in nature. The structure seems a little fuzzier than what most of us are used to, which is one reason why this is a memoir, not an autobiography.

There was also more explicit material than I'd been expecting, but it was all relevant, not gratuitous. 

All things considered, I'm glad I read it. If you're interested in Elliot's story then I'd recommend you read it, if you aren't interested in his story then you probably won't enjoy the book very much. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Rape, Bullying, Grief, Transphobia, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual assault, Blood, Body shaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Self harm

crybabybea's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

4.5

This was a really uniquely written memoir told from quite a unique perspective as Elliot Page is currently one of the only openly out trans celebrities in popular culture. I was a bit scared to read this because I had heard it was poorly put together with a non-linear timeline that didn't really land; but I'm happy to say I'm pleasantly surprised and I actually thought the non-linear style worked really well for the point Elliot was trying to make! Queerness is messy and there are so many factors that impact how somebody discovers or pushes away their own queerness, and I think Elliot's writing really sold that feeling well. I also think he is just a great writer in general. You can tell he put a lot of time and heart into making sure the stories he told felt immersive and detailed in just the right way. I think the non-liner timeline helped me as a reader focus on the emotions that Elliot experienced rather than the nitty gritty details of when and where things happened and why. There were also some moments of poetic prose that I think were done quite well also.

I will say this felt a bit unedited, especially near the end. Page repeats himself pretty often (one of the most memorable being his constantly feeling like he needs to "shit blood") which isn't too terrible but was something I noticed. I didn't factor this into my review, but the audiobook also felt a bit lesser quality; there were multiple times that lines were repeated because takes weren't edited properly, and there were random drops in audio quality that weren't awful but definitely noticeable. 

This is overall an inspiring, heartfelt story but there is a healthy mix of heartbreak as well. I was especially moved by the way Elliot told his experience with homophobia, internal and external, and how that kept him from finding his identity for so long. I also found the perspective of trying to navigate queerness while also trying to navigate celebrity culture and his career as an actor super intriguing. 

I think if you go into this knowing it's not going to be a typical memoir with a clear, linear timeline, you will enjoy it, and especially if you are already a fan of Elliot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Bullying, Self harm, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Rape, and Cursing

umibozus's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment

mjhymers's review against another edition

fast-paced

2.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Self harm

alexayres47's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Eating disorder, Transphobia, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Self harm, Stalking, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, and Vomit

nad_books623's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

“It is painful the unraveling, but it leads you to you.”

This book would be 5 stars if the timeline wasn’t so confusing. I had to constantly go back or think about the timeline. Due to Elliot mentioning something where he’s 10 for example and then when he’s 33. If it was in chronological order I think it would be easier to piece together. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Bullying, Eating disorder, Lesbophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Transphobia

Moderate: Misogyny and Mental illness

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Pandemic/Epidemic, Stalking, and Vomit