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hannah_and_her_stories's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Dysphoria, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Drug use, and Self harm
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Rape
Minor: Cancer
robodu's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Grief and Dysphoria
karingforbooks's review against another edition
2.5
Otherwise I can’t tell if it’s just that I’m uncomfortable with someone being so confident or if I genuinely think they’re delusional in a harmless way. But none of it hit with me and I didn’t enjoy the writing style either.
Graphic: Transphobia, Self harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Chronic illness, Grief, Death, Dysphoria, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Blood, Car accident, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Infertility, Sexual harassment, and Body horror
takarakei's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Dysphoria, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Transphobia, Sexual assault, Rape, and Mental illness
Minor: Chronic illness, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity
ambero's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
peachani's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Dysphoria, Transphobia, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Blood, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Sexism
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Racism
northernzephyr's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Dysphoria
Moderate: Medical content, Transphobia, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Animal cruelty
starrysteph's review against another edition
4.5
Having already read most of Emezi's work, this memoir gave me a lot of clarity around the concepts explored in their books (specifically Freshwater).
CW: suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts, transphobia, rape, sexual assault, mental illness, medical content, dysphoria, grief, infidelity, toxic relationship, chronic illness, self harm
Graphic: Chronic illness, Transphobia, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual violence, Rape, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, and Dysphoria
Minor: Car accident and Cannibalism
criticalgayze's review against another edition
5.0
Even more affecting here for the artist and art-inclined among us, Emezi gives a sense of transparency that is often lacking in the business of the arts that can feel so intimidating, especially to historically marginalized creators. To that end, Emezi weaves in a level of knowledge and advice that is reminiscent of such workbook memoirs as You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero and Minority Leader by Stacey Abrams.
This work also bolsters what I have come to find about my own reading life. What seems to leave the greatest impact on me as a reader are works of memoir, auto-, and experimental fiction by Queer creators. Works that Queer the space of writing while being Queer themselves, and works that peel back the exterior and interior process of creation that help me access that space within myself. (Now to take Emezi's advice and start letting that inspire, instead of intimidate!)
Quotes:
I tell him that my search for somewhere to be is really a search for self, and the only self I feel at home with is one that doesn't exist, not anymore, one that's bee taken apart, whipped into dust. (2)
The magician tells me that other people can't do what I do, and maybe I believe him a little, but that's not the point. People can do such spectacular things if you forget to tell them it's impossible. I want them to try. (22)
Illusions are the best things to burn, I think, but some people consider such fires to be threats, and those who start them even worse. (24)
People would read Freshwater and speculate about what my career would have looked like after starting with a book so bold. I would be less of a threat, they wouldn't hesitate to call the book what it was - not the way they do when you're alive and young, Black and pretty and fucking talented, and you don't pretend like you don't know all of this. (30)
I am, at once, the person most bent on my death and the person most successful at keeping me alive; even the devil won't take me. (44)
So, you could just show a terrible thing and let the showing be the strength of it? I thought it was brilliant. (77)
'I stood at the border, stood at the edge, and claimed it as central,' you said, your voice weighted with intent. 'Claimed it as central and let the rest of the world move over to where I was.' (77)
You should see my centers, Ms. Morrison. They're glorious. They pull with the force of a planet and I'm patient; it's only a matter of time. (80)
The rules are clear, no matter the stakes: when anyone fucks with the work, burn them to the ground. (87)
Everything advances, mutates, we are in new worlds constantly (154)
It gets so ugly, this thing of punishing other for prioritizing their well-being over reassuring insecurities. (206)
It's never too late - that's a human lie of time, there is no late, there is mostly now because now is so flexible, I find. You can change a whole life, a whole world, inside of a now. (213)
'You write when you are most fragile, because you're changing from one form to another. These transformations and transmutations that take place - it has to be painful.' (227)
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Medical content, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, Transphobia, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, and Cursing
Minor: Excrement
readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Blood, Body horror, and Medical content
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Homophobia, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Infidelity