Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

8 reviews

obvious_lia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Laymon writes about the anti blackness of life in America under white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. He tells us of violence done to bodies, whether by systems, self, or those who love us most.  I felt seen in his relationships with food, family, and addiction. I was altered by his words on teaching, writing, and revision. Uniquely compelling and emotional. I didn't have time to stop reading and cry, I had to keep going. Deep gratitude for this book; I can see why it's one of my partner's favorites.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Racism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Islamophobia, Grief, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Alcohol

lindsayvale's review against another edition

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Drug use, Cursing, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Fatphobia, Classism, Body shaming, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

savvylit's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Every now and then, a title truly sums up a book's contents. This is one of the heaviest memoirs I have ever read. Laymon writes with a searing honesty that spares no detail, revealing all of his own flaws and traumatic experiences. Beyond Laymon's unparalleled honesty, this book is also a beautiful tribute to the oft-rocky yet incredibly close relationship that he has with his mother. Despite their difficulties, Laymon's love and gratitude for his mother and her teachings is incredibly apparent throughout Heavy.

Heavy is a beautiful and brutal book that deftly covers so much: life, violence, hunger, poverty, unconditional love, self-destructive behavior, second chances, and - most of all - Black abundance.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Racism, Body shaming, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Racial slurs

lowbrowhighart's review against another edition

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Child abuse, Racism, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Addiction, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Islamophobia, Alcoholism, Grief, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Alcohol, Medical content, Sexism, Self harm, Police brutality, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Pedophilia, Death, Pregnancy, Transphobia, Car accident, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Cursing, Dementia, and Medical trauma

solenodon's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Addiction, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Racism

Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Cursing, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Xenophobia, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, and Police brutality

taratearex's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

First read 2019, physical book: 
An incredible book, a must read.

Reread 2023, audiobook:
This is a beautiful and heart wrenching memoir. This remains a necessary read about racism and it's effects on Black people, particularly in how it effects the body and mental health. Rereading this book makes me want to reread Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da’Shaun Harrison. 

The first time I read this book I could not put it down, this time I took my time with the audiobook. The prose is stunning and the vulnerability draws you in, I found both ways of reading it to be deeply engaging, but it is always an experience to hear an author read their own memoir. Kiese Laymon's writing is so poetic that hearing him read it added a sort of slam poetry performance to many parts of it, making it even more emotional and visceral of an experience. 

I read his debut novel last year, which I hadn't read when I first read this memoir so that also brought a different experience to hearing him talk about it here, but also just really emphasized what I love about his writing- the poetic rhythm and play on words and just love for language. So going back to his memoir to how he developed as a writer was an interesting perspective. 

There are too many lines that I could quote, but given this was a reread and I've gotten very into rereading recently, this really stuck out to me:
"I learned you haven't really read anything unless you've only read anything once or twice. Reading things more than twice was the reader version of revision"

I reread this on almost the exact dates as I first did in 2019


TW: Eating disorder, Child abuse, Racism, Fatphobia, Addiction, Sexual violence

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Addiction, Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Racism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Alcohol

stevie's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia

thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

4.0

I had originally heard of this book and Kiese through a recent episode of This American Life, and heard of his struggles with weight which intrigued me.
  
As someone with weight issues myself, I found this memoir to be eye opening on not just Kiese's weight but also on a number of POC issues, more than what I've experienced as mixed race.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder

Moderate: Mental illness and Racism

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Bullying