Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi

10 reviews

karingforbooks's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

2.5

I’m sure this resonates for others, but it’s not for me. Not least because the extensive discussion of suicide and self harm was triggering for me, so go into this having read content and trigger warnings. 
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. 

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Content Warnings

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

mscalls's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.5

Powerful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Body horror, Grief, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, and Sexual content

ktkeps's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I can’t do the suicidal ideation right now. I gotta protect my peace. I might come back to this eventually. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Medical content, Sexual content, and Transphobia

elizea's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt

Moderate: Transphobia, Violence, Gore, Body horror, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

laurareads87's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

5.0

Dear Senthuran is beautifully written, extraordinarily intimate, and covers a lot of ground: spiritedness + spiritual life, gender, mental health, childhood, career, fame, interpersonal relationships, navigating life amidst humanity.  Extraordinary & like nothing I've ever read before (though those who've read Freshwater will certainly find some familiar content here); also a very difficult read - I'm sure I've forgotten some relevant content warnings.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia

Moderate: Racism, Blood, Violence, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror

readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.75

This is the most unique, compelling memoir I've read in many years. Through letters to their close friends and family, Akwaeke Emezi discusses their experience of being trans and getting surgery, their mental health, writing, chronic pain, the publishing industry, their identity as a god or ogbanje, and their spiritual connection with this world and with death. This is a fascinating read and one that introduced me to so many new concepts and ideas. Emezi really is a transcendent writer.   

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Content Warnings

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

hogsandwich's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.5

Theyre definitely a genius. Theyre also, I suspect, very difficult to be around.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

Moderate: Self harm

foreverinastory's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring tense

5.0

I have no words.

I've had the pleasure of reading both Freshwater and The Death of Vivek Oji so I knew I would be inhaling Emezi's memoir as soon as I could. Dear Senthuran has solidified Emezi as one of my favorite authors of all time. Any time they come out with something new, I will be reading it immediately.

This memoir is not an easy book to read. Emezi has chronic depression and has lived through several suicide attempts. Reading about their struggles and how being an author on tour only exacerbated their depression is something readers and fans almost never see. We see the shiny, polished author who puts their best face forward during the extent of the tour where as many cities as possible are crammed in.

So much of this book is about pain. But it's also about becoming who you are. The thing I related to the most was Emezi's struggles with gender and defining exactly what their gender was. Plus dealing with dysphoria and taking steps to treat it. They also discuss how this impacted their relationship with their mother.

This book took a knife to my soul and it felt like someone finally understood the thoughts in my head I haven't been able to verbalize. Read this book as soon as you can.

CWs: Death, emotional abuse, homophobia, medical content (gender affirming surgeries), misogyny, racism, religious bigotry, sexism, self harm, sexual content, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, toxic relationship, transphobia, body horror, mental illness (depression). 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Death, Chronic illness, Body horror, Blood, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Ableism, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Bullying, Car accident, Drug use, Misogyny, Outing, Sexism, Transphobia, and Violence

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

 - Per usual, when I try to sit down to write about an Emezi book, I cannot find the words. Their work is simply beyond my ability to discuss. Each book bends my mind and cracks open the world a little differently.
- DEAR SENTHURAN is a look inside their brain, their heart, their soul. It's an extended discussion of how to deal with a world that does not want you, on several levels. It's the pain and joy and revenge of making space for yourself anyway.
- Even beyond the larger ideas explored, the actual writing and words of this book are expansive, visceral, horrifying and elegant. They are truly a master of their craft.
- Also, I've listed content warnings below: please take them seriously. Emezi does not hold back on some graphic descriptions, particularly about suicide and self harm. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, and Violence