Reviews tagging 'Cultural appropriation'

A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott

7 reviews

ivi_reads_books's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

This book is a good mix of memoir and history and stats on indigenous people in Canada and the US. The author describes growing up with a bipolar mother in precarious environments and how their suroundings influenced their behavior.
The author doesn't tell the reader what to do or think. She rather observes what happens and what doesn't happen. What gets said and what doesn't and thus encourages readers to self-reflect on their own behavior

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Abandonment, Addiction, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Violence, Death, Deportation, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Vomit, Alcoholism, Cultural appropriation, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Police brutality

remimicha's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Alcoholism, Classism, Police brutality, Body shaming, Child abuse, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Violence, Cultural appropriation, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Cancer, and Death

ltulisiak's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This was a fascinating and heartbreaking essay about discrimination, abuse, mental health, racism, and family dynamics. There were several sections of this essay that were incredibly educational for me, a cis, hetero, white woman who grew up in a very safe, wealthy, and supported environment. Other sections of this book- especially those tackling mental health- resonated with me and helped me to look introspectively about my relationship with myself and with others and how it impacts my mental health. I would highly recommend this essay! 

Additionally, the author is originally from Buffalo, NY, and was partially raised in the greater Cleveland, OH, area, so I felt a geographical connection with her, as well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Classism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Violence, Cultural appropriation, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Sexual violence

Minor: Suicide attempt

sofiareadings's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation

Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

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. 

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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

lilia's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Mental illness

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, and Genocide

Minor: Cultural appropriation

coralie_michon's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

wow. pendant l'espace de 24h, je me suis immergée dans la culture d'Alicia Elliott, une femme avec une plume impressionnante ayant un père autochtone et une mère catholique. elle raconte sa vie, celle de sa famille, mais surtout, celle d'une communauté qui a été forcée de garder le silence pendant beaucoup trop longtemps... 

elle est une femme si courageuse pour avoir trouvé la force d'écrire et publier cette collection d'essais et j'en suis particulièrement reconnaissante. elle donne au lecteur la chance de réfléchir sur plusieurs éléments de la culture nord américaine basée sur le colonialisme et l'effacement du passé. elle met en lumière plusieurs conséquences de l'arrivée des européens sur les territoires autochtones que nous voyons pas du premier regard. elle le fait à travers d'anecdotes de sa propre vie, ce qui a un effet immense sur notre perception de la situation. 

elle raconte la vérité sur le racisme, le colonisation, le génocide, l'arrachement de culture, la violence, les injustices, la pauvreté, les réserves, les tentatives d'assimilation, la santé mentale, les abus sexuels et plusieurs autres éléments qui l'ont touchées, elle et sa communauté. elle parle de façon crue, directe, certaine. elle n'a pas peur d'exprimer ses opinions et raconter son expérience. elle s'en est sortie, elle en est très reconnaissante. elle connait sa chance, chance qu'une grande majorité des siens n'ont pas eu par le passé, n'ont pas en ce moment et n'auront jamais dans le futur. 

lire cette oeuvre a changé ma vie. étudiant en histoire, j'ai eu plusieurs cours de l'histoire nord-américaine. jamais, au grand jamais, je n'ai eu l'opportunité d'en apprendre autant sur la culture indigène et jamais, je n'ai appris toutes ses injustices. le curriculum canadien cache beaucoup de secret par rapport au passé ( quoique le présent n'est pas transparent non plus ) et je me sens reconnaissante d'avoir eu la chance de lire ce livre et de me renseigner sur les enjeux actuels en lien avec le passé paternaliste canadien.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Racism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, and Sexism