Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Los peces no existen by Lulu Miller

43 reviews

emhunsber's review against another edition

challenging dark informative slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Abortion, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: War, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Infertility, Homophobia, Hate crime, Grief, Gore, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Colonisation, Child abuse, Car accident, Body horror, Blood, Biphobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Ableism

empathephant's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Racism, Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Xenophobia, and Confinement

Minor: Self harm, Rape, Abandonment, Animal death, Animal cruelty, War, Child death, and Police brutality

Eugenics

skudiklier's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book was really good! I had kind of weird expectations going in that made me wary of it, but by the time I got about halfway through I couldn't put it down. It goes a lot of places and has so many really important ideas. I'd definitely recommend it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Racism, Murder, Death, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Bullying, Self harm, Child death, Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Homophobia, Body horror, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, and Confinement

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Eugenics, forced sterilization, r slur And mild/moderate people being eaten by animals

slynn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Self harm, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Rape, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, and Murder

anirams's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book is wonderful and beautiful and I love it. Really well done.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Rape and Self harm

eschell's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I thought this book would be a strictly scientific reading on perhaps the failings of Western thinking to encapsulate the natural world, and while it did cover much of that issue, it also was a touching story about a woman dealing with depression through an exploration of a 19th century scientist. The author did an excellent job navigating the oft problematic nature of David Starr Jordan's work, personality, actions, and beliefs while keeping the reader grounded in his humanity by emphasizing her own parallel struggles. As I hoped, she did disavow many of his terrible actions and centered a large section of the book on how he hurt others-- most notably those that were forcibly sterilized due to his lobbying of eugenics that were rooted in his flawed view of a natural hierarchy. I learned about taxonomy, humanity, history, and gained what I believe to be an unusual intimacy with the author. The author also attended UVA and referenced the school several times, which was a fun surprise. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts

valerlance's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I expected a biography full of taxonomy. Surprise! This book contains some of what I expected, but it's also a memoir and a philosophy text and even (for just a chapter or so) a murder mystery! I loved it so much!!! I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, which is read by the author herself and includes a wonderful, tender surprise after the epilogue.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Murder

Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, Child death, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Rape, and Racism

There's a lot of discussion of eugenics

viktorsboy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts

andizor's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

 I snatched this up from Audible, excited to read a full book by a Radiolab writer and editor. Radiolab is one of my all-time favorite podcasts and I love the way they twine stories together. Also science. That being said, it took me a very long time to see how these stories wove together and ultimately I'm not sure how successfully they meshed. I wasn't sure what the appeal of David Star Jordon was initially, nor even at the end, though I was drawn into the narrative more once we found out

he was a eugenicist.

Miller's narration was wonderful - evidence of her radio background. I will read more of her books, as I feel she can only grow as an author. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

kelseyland's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

An incredibly moving and thought-provoking book about the problems with making assumptions and attempting to reduce the complexity of life to neat, orderly narratives. The way in which Miller first introduces and then problematizes the subject of the book (David Starr Jordan, a taxidermist and eugenicist) is fascinating, as is the way she weaves in details about her own existential crisis. This book is intense at times (see content warnings), but also breathtaking. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Racism, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual violence, Self harm, Infertility, Animal death, and Child death

Minor: Rape, Confinement, and Murder