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Reviews tagging 'Child death'
Black and Blue: A Memoir of Racism and Resilience by Veronica Gorrie
7 reviews
carlytenille's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Racism, Violence, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Physical abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Police brutality, and Racial slurs
wetdirtreads's review against another edition
4.5
Black and Blue was impossible to put down, first and foremost, because of phenomenal storytelling. The language was clear, concise, and accessible, making the book so easy and pleasant to glide through, even though the subject matter was gruelling. The chapters were short and digestible, but also often ended on cliff-hangers – so it would’ve been easy for me to pause wherever without getting overwhelmed, but I also couldn’t bring myself to stop. And I didn’t want to.
Ronnie’s storytelling reads just like a mob yarn. It’s accessible to, but very clearly not written for a non-Blak audience. Ronnie doesn’t waste time coddling the white reader, nor trying to define the incommensurable. Her delivery is direct and unapologetic, with no concern for whether you ‘get’ it – those who do will, and those who won’t aren’t her responsibility to hand-hold.
The other reason I sped through Black and Blue was because of the subject matter. While Ronnie never dwells on horrific scenes for the sake of shock value, speaking her reality necessitates discussion of deeply distressing experiences. I knew that this book would be incredibly triggering for me, so I read it in a day partly to look after myself – to minimise how long I spent in a trauma response state.
You might be wondering why I chose to read a book that I knew would activate a trauma response for me. And it's because I knew that Ronnie's truth-telling would also be equally as healing. I often cried during this book as gruesome details of violence were recounted. But I also bawled my eyes out when Ronnie perfectly articulated mob experiences I'd never been able to put into words before. And because she generously taught me so much about experiences I'll never personally know. And because I was overwhelmed by the gratitude I felt for being permitted to read her story.
l've had some mob ask me if I think Black and Blue would be okay for them to read. Unfortunately, I cannot answer this question. I can only recommend reading up on the trigger warnings before going into it, assessing whether thev're personally manageable for you, and proceeding with great care and caution. But what I can definitively tell you is that, for me, reading Black and Blue made me feel held as much as hurt.
(Review initially posted on instagram)
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Car accident, Drug use, Police brutality, Rape, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Colonisation, Grief, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Blood, Kidnapping, Terminal illness, and Classism
Minor: Islamophobia, Cancer, Infidelity, Torture, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Murder
lucyr21's review
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Racism, Domestic abuse, and Police brutality
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Stalking, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
Minor: Dementia
demo's review
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Rape, Toxic relationship, Racism, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Child death, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Pedophilia, Death, and Grief
Minor: Dementia, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Cancer, and Drug use
stuffinmybrainhole's review
4.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Violence, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
tlaynejones's review
4.75
I wish every Australian would read this brave, compassionate story.
Graphic: Racism and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Alcoholism, and Child abuse
Minor: Child death
georgiarybanks's review
3.75
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Child death, Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, and Racial slurs