Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino

94 reviews

camoo3032's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

3.75

The first half was a bit of a struggle to get through but I thoroughly enjoyed the second half. My biggest criticism would be that she often recounts information or includes personal tales that are tangential to the point that she's trying to make. I also fear that aspects of this book will lose their relevance the further away we get from the Trump Administrative 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, and Sexism

Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Violence

Minor: Body shaming, Genocide, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Abortion, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Sexual content, Transphobia, Classism, Slavery, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Infidelity, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, War, and Fire/Fire injury

lilysueparker's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is the quickest recommendation I’ve ever had for a book. I was continuously challenged, delighted, frustrated, and moved to tears. Tolentino has  created an astoundingly congruent series of reflections on what it means to be a woman, to be American, to be alive. I see myself returning to this book again and again. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexism, and Sexual assault

hello_lovely13's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

studydniowka's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

Świetne rozdziały „Pure heroines” i „We come from old Virginia”, pozostałe raczej mocno średnie. Książka z 2019 pisana przez dość dobrze sytuowaną dziennikarkę, to trzeba mieć na uwadze, bo niektóre rzeczy się w niej zdezaktualizowały. Można przeczytać, ale nie trzeba.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape

linguini18's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault

amyvl93's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

Essay collections are a tricky beast - as with any collection of writing there will be some that resonate, and some that hit a little less closer to home.

Jia Tolentino is a super talented writer, whose work I've read numerous times over the years, and I was excited to finally become the last millennial on earth to pick up this book. Trick Mirror has essays that cover reality TV, scamming, thoughts on weddings and broader internet culture.

Strangely enough as someone who loves a bit of pop culture criticism, Tolentino's essays on pop culture were less engaging for me, perhaps as this collection is a few years old, many of her thoughts have been reflected, shared and adapted elsewhere.

The two essays that were highlights for me were 'Ecstasy' - about Tolentino's relationship with religion and drug use and in particular, 'We Come from Old Virginia' - an essay that looks at the aftermath of the infamous Rolling Stone article about the young woman who claimed she was gang raped, a story that was later found to be false, but Tolentino's sensitive telling of a culture of covering up and/or acceptance of sexual harassment and assault is excellent. It is probably worth reading the collection for those two essays alone - and for the very honest & cringey reflections on Tolentino's brief moment of teenage reality TV stardom.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Xenophobia

pamnesty's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape

jlye's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Rape

fkshg8465's review against another edition

funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

This was witty and enlightening. There are considerations I'd never thought of before and will remain pondering on for a while. I will definitely re-read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

I listened to this pretty quickly. Liked some parts much more than others. Some of the writing got a little drag-y, and I noticed I zoned out in some parts because of it. I don't think I would've liked it if I physically read it instead of listening to it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, Alcohol, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment