Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

What My Mother and I Don't Talk about: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence by

7 reviews

maddamreads's review against another edition

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

4.0

Brutally honest, funny, inspiring, heartbreaking, and genuine. You can’t go into the book thinking that you’ll find your own mother in the stories. Rather, the stories inspire an  exploration into your own relationship with your mother. Some of the stories were unexpected in the depth of humanizing the figures talked about. Most were brilliantly paced and written. Although almost all of the authors were middle aged/older reflecting on their younger years, the diversity of backgrounds and experiences makes the journey through the stories richer.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Xenophobia, and Sexual content

Minor: Body shaming, Rape, and Drug use

aus10england's review against another edition

fast-paced

4.75

Oh, this was profound. All the stories were engaging and poignant. I only wish they were all longer! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Rape and Alcoholism

Minor: War and Death of parent

adeliab's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Abandonment, Child abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, and Ableism

Minor: Pregnancy

sjanke2's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

2.25

 

This collection started strong and waned from there. The ones I enjoyed are the only ones I remember (Alexander Chee and Alexander Chee). I wonder if each contributor got to pick the narrator who would read their piece, as I didn't care for a couple of the voices.

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Grief, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Mental illness, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Car accident, and Child abuse

dsinocruz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Rape, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Eating disorder, Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Alcohol

meemawreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

4.0

I hesitated to start 2022 with a post about a downer, but that’s not really what this book is. It contains immense pain - warnings for many mentions of suicidal ideation, substance use, and many kinds of abuse - but it also contains immense healing. Each person who contributed to this collection did hard healing work in order to be able to write about these estrangements and catastrophes. There’s also immense love and forgiveness in them. 
We put mothers on this pedestal… we make motherhood nearly compulsory but then dehumanize mothers so that if they’re not perfectly nurturing and perfectly selfless and perfectly content in motherhood, they’re monsters. I love the care many of these writers took to show understanding that their moms are just people, too. 
I don’t recommend this book generally but specifically: read only if you’re experienced holding strangers’ pain without harm to yourself. Four taters 🥔🥔🥔🥔/🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Physical abuse

livciotta's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship