Reviews tagging 'Racism'

What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo

112 reviews

carriepond's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

A beautiful memoir exploring Foo's childhood trauma and her ongoing relationship with her complex PTSD diagnosis, this book is a gift from Foo to all of us. What a marvel. Highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Colonisation

abfark's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Abandonment

Minor: Racism

keelyellenmarie's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Self harm, and Mental illness

Moderate: Racism, War, and Xenophobia

Author includes details of her own abuse that could be triggering, as well as details of her mental illness that are intense. However, the overall arc of the book is hopeful and focuses on the author’s growth and healing from intense trauma.

skillwithaquill's review

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Racism

smolgalaxybrain's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad

5.0

If I could give this book a 10/5, I would.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Suicide, War, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Colonisation

Minor: Racism and Sexual assault

clemclems's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism

antistic's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

The start of the book where she describes the trauma she went through growing up was difficult for me to get through. But I'm glad I did because reading her journey through her trauma and healing was something I absolutely needed at this time. The book touches on trauma, mostly parental abuse but also touches on generational, racial, and workplace trauma. I like how honest she is on what healing feels like — from the difficulties of finding a good therapist, to trying all kinds of different therapies (some of which work for her and some which don't), to including her therapy transcripts within the book. It makes it feel tangible and real, and she wonderfully weaves in some of the current science and theory about trauma to to make a book that feels both personal and broad. I leave the book feeling glad that her life is looking up and hopeful for my own.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Child abuse, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Rape

scrubsandbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

This book was so rough and still so important. Stephanie Foo writes a heart-breaking memoir of her traumatic upbringing and abusive parents and how she dealt with the resulting C-PTSD. There are mentions of racism and inter-generational trauma, as well as a dive into the current pandemic, and how her mental illness affected her through it. I felt so much for her and I'm relieved she has a better support system as an adult.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Violence, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Racism

pookiee's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

really enlightening and pretty relatable.

started this months ago and put it down cuz it was too upsetting at that time, but i’m so glad i finished it. it’s hopeful, and the work the author put in to get better is admirable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Grief and Racism

Minor: Body shaming

exhaustedreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

The first 20% was rough, and I almost DNF. So glad I pushed through as it turned out to be a beautiful and moving story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment, and Violence

Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia

Minor: War and Sexual assault