Scan barcode
ivi_reads_books's review
3.75
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
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
abbie_'s review against another edition
4.25
- Loved the essay about diversity being a white word and the new buzzword in publishing. White authors feel threatened by BIPOC authors seemingly monopolising all the publishing deals (lol sure) so they do their best to shoehorn characters of colour into their work - as long as they’re writing with empathy, so the saying goes, no harm done. But Elliott argues that unless you’re writing about a particular community with love, it’ll be glaringly obvious and damaging to said community. White authors like Lionel Shriver immediately go onto the defensive, claiming censorship, criticism turned into censoring free speech.
- There’s a hard-hitting essay about Elliott’s sexual assault. During sexual violence trials, it’s the woman’s innocence that’s put on trial, not the man’s guilt. Before choosing to believe a man is *not* a rapist, people do not subject him to the barrage of questions we demand of women to prove they *are* a victim. We demand a woman put her trauma and pain on display, to watch as we pull it apart, put fingers into open wounds, make her perform her trauma again and again before, more often than not, still choosing not to believe.
- The essay about food deserts in North America was amazing, the way the US and Canada have manufactured them, enabled poorer people to become overweight and then ill. Why do people believe that the answer to what is choking us - capitalism and colonialism - is to shove more of those same things down our throats while we choke?
- Essay on photography, voyeurism, colonialism, consent, power, desire - not as strong as some of the others but I liked how she explored white photographers encroaching on communities they don’t belong to to further their and western white society’s stereotypical views of a community
- Essay on lies and fiction (made me think of something else I read recently) where women writers are often conflated with their characters. Men rarely receive this treatment, but people often treat fiction written by women as autofiction
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Violence, and Domestic abuse
paperbackportals's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Physical abuse, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Rape, Gaslighting, Body shaming, and Pregnancy
aqtbenz's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, and Child abuse
alexxcp's review
4.0
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Rape, Racism, Colonisation, Genocide, and Mental illness
eve81's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Addiction, Child death, Transphobia, Pregnancy, Murder, Domestic abuse, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Misogyny
remimicha's review
4.75
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
raelin's review against another edition
5.0
This book covers so many categories, since each chapter is written almost as a stand alone essay then grouped together to make one book that does tie every chapter together into a cohesive work. It is masterfully done.
All people represented in this work are dimensional humans, with several different facets. Her mother isn’t just a bipolar religious fanatic. Her father isn’t just an alcoholic abuser. They are also caring, loving, supportive parents. This is how real people are, but not often how people are captured in the written word. The beautiful contradictions that fill our relationships with people are so accurately described.
This book is so much more than memoir. It is also history, inspires self reflection (by directly asking the reader to answer hard questions about their perspective), insight into the writing process, commentary on social media, self persecution, and so much more.
A definite must read for everyone that can handle the content warnings.
Moderate: Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Murder, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse
solenodon's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness
Moderate: Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, and Racism
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Physical abuse
megan_bbender's review
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Body shaming, Pregnancy, and Eating disorder