Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Il caos da cui veniamo by Lucia Olivieri, Tiffany McDaniel

74 reviews

jeannelovesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A story of resilience.

‘

Where I came from was a family of eight children. More than one of us would die in the prize-winning years of youth.’

Written by Tiffany McDaniel, the novel is based on her mother’s childhood in 1960s rural Appalachia. Betty, born to a white mother and Cherokee father, is the only Carpenter child who shares her father’s dark hair and complexion. For this she is relentlessly bullied; at school, in the community, and by her own family. Meanwhile the extent of tragedy - murder, rape, accidents, abuse - that befalls the Carpenter family is nothing short of rampant.

Deeply disturbing, Betty’s an unforgettable read. But both its brilliance and its shortcomings stem from the fact it’s a family memoir. Imagine writing an exposé of your family’s darkest secrets, with dear old Mum as the central protagonist. And she’s still alive, which is remarkable given her upbringing but tricky territory to navigate. The challenge lies in portraying the victims & perpetrators as anything other than heroes & villains and consequently some family members, Betty included, are curiously one-dimensional. Another issue is the freedom, or lack of, to deviate from the family script. Without a narrative arc, we get A Series of Unfortunate Events interspersed with brief moments of respite which typically focus on Betty and her father, Landon. The pattern became so predictable that after every heart-warming exchange I steeled myself for the next onslaught.

The brilliance lies in the author’s descriptive powers. Mum’s accounts of abuse include details so cruel and calculated there’s no doubting their authenticity. The sense of time and place is vividly imagined and the sheer resilience of Betty and her own mother Alka is inspiring. For me this was Alka’s story. Ordeal heaped upon ordeal and somehow she soldiered on.

The author evidently shares the same strength. Apparently the first agents she approached refused to believe that the women in her family had experienced such abuse. Thank goodness she persevered because memoirs as powerful and hard-hitting as this have the potential to break the taboos that force silence on so many girls and women.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Hate crime, Incest, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

georginatomlinson's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

So beautiful but so heartbreaking. So many unexpected twists but such loveable characters. This really showcases the power of writing, I was made to feel anger, shocked and sad. I cried several times reading this so giving everyone a fair warning.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

zoedale's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I'm glad I listened to this book on audible because it was really dense but I really enjoyed the writing and the point of view. This is the type of book that you could read over and over again and uncover new things that you didnt notice the first time. It's an extremely sad story that covers a wide range of important topics including life, love, and family as well as many difficult topics like racism, rape, suicide, etc. I think it was a very well written book and that many people should read it, it kinda reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird a little and I feel like it could be a classic. I just didnt get immersed in the story. It was a devastating story with many twists and turns but I couldnt really identify a plot other than the audience witnessing events as Betty grew up which was as a said very well done but not very captivating. Additionally, the end was very anticlimactic in my opinion as if the author wanted to quickly wrap the story up when I think there could have been more reflection and detail included. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Grief, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, and Abortion

kellyinbookland's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Drug abuse, Child death, Animal death, Death of parent, Racism, and Racial slurs

readingwithally's review against another edition

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Rape, Murder, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Drug use

puzzledbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Drug use, and Drug abuse

a_shearsby's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Abortion, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Incest, and Child abuse

justabooklovingmum's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness and Drug abuse

bookscoffeehayley's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

CW: rape, death of a child, animal cruelty, death of a parent, suicide attempt, pedophilia, racism, addiction, overdose 

 

I really am not sure how to even write a review for Betty by Tiffany McDaniel. I went into this book not really knowing too much about it. I knew it was highly recommended by a few friends and that it was primarily set in the Ohio Appalachian region. 

 

McDaniel’s story is based in part on her mother’s life story and her writing is hauntingly beautiful as she describes every hardship that Betty and the Carpenter family encounters. The members of the Carpenter family come to life throughout these pages and you feel each and every emotion they feel. The pain, the hurt, the laughter, the love. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that has so forcefully tugged at my heartstrings. 

 

This book has destroyed me in the best way possible to rebuild my heart in the end. Thank you Tiffany McDaniel for sharing the story of Betty. And of Landon, Lint, Trustin, Fraya, Flossie, Alka. These characters will stick with me long after finishing this book. Please read this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Drug abuse and Vomit

momentsofmine's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt