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shewantsthediction's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Somewhere between 2 and 3 stars for me. I expected to like this a lot more from the way everyone gushes about it, but the writing style was extremely random. She'd bring up a topic, go on a tangent about something else, then randomly return to said topic, over and over again for the whole book. Sometimes she'd drop topics completely, which made for a jarring listening experience. I also didn't realize this was supposed to be a book of essays until the first one ended and I found out it wasn't memoir. She said several things I disagree with when it comes to trauma, but all of the indigenous stuff was obviously spot on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Racism, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, and Hate crime
biancafrancisco's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Through a very personal narrative - using herself, her family and her nation as examples - the author touches upon more themes than I can mention, connecting bridges between a myriad of crucial societal issues, always leading back to the macro vision of the effect of capitalism, colonialism and the action of the state on people, while simultaneously making us keep checking our prejudices.
The book teaches you a lot about the issues indigenous communities and individuals struggle with (most that were imposed on them by colonizers), and how not only they are still dealing with and trying to heal from the very real and tangibly present damage this legacy of colonialism and genocide has transfered through generations, but are simultaneously dealing with modern versions of the same violence nowadays.
I was surprised to see, that through the connections she makes between several systemic structures, there was much for me to relate to as well. I'm an immensely priviledged white european, but I'm still a woman, I'm still a daughter, I'm still bound by the constraints of capitalism and the patriarchy as well as witness to intergenerational trauma, to mention a few, and, in the end, you can't accurately assess any structural issue without it intertwining with the others.
All in all, I recommend it to literally everyone, as I think there's learning opportunities in this book for all of us. I'm extremely glad I picked it up.
The book teaches you a lot about the issues indigenous communities and individuals struggle with (most that were imposed on them by colonizers), and how not only they are still dealing with and trying to heal from the very real and tangibly present damage this legacy of colonialism and genocide has transfered through generations, but are simultaneously dealing with modern versions of the same violence nowadays.
I was surprised to see, that through the connections she makes between several systemic structures, there was much for me to relate to as well. I'm an immensely priviledged white european, but I'm still a woman, I'm still a daughter, I'm still bound by the constraints of capitalism and the patriarchy as well as witness to intergenerational trauma, to mention a few, and, in the end, you can't accurately assess any structural issue without it intertwining with the others.
All in all, I recommend it to literally everyone, as I think there's learning opportunities in this book for all of us. I'm extremely glad I picked it up.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Xenophobia
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