Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Il caos da cui veniamo by Lucia Olivieri, Tiffany McDaniel

93 reviews

shelby1994's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

“Some people are as beautiful and soft as peonies, others as hard as a mountain. You’ll come across those who are so unforgettable, they’ll leave a rash on your memory as poison ivy does your skin.” 

Everyone told me that I would weep when I read this, but it was only in the last few chapters that the dam broke. McDaniel’s Betty scribbles down the life of the women and men in her family in between soothing the fears and insecurities of her living siblings and trying to hold onto the memories of her dead ones. Throughout, the Ohio hills watch over her. The people within them may hurt her, but the hills protect the legends and the spirit of the children who are darker than their white neighbors would like and who are struggling to understand their connection to the natural world of their Cherokee ancestors. 
The only reason this wasn’t an immediate 5 stars from me is that I didn’t love the occasional news-clippings that broke up the chapters. I can see why some liked the payoff of that structural device at the end, but it wasn't for me. McDaniel’s is such a beautiful writer, that inserting even a page of newsprint writing in a voice other than her own made me want to skip it and get to the start of her next sentence. 

Read If:
You looked forward to bedtime stories with your dad every night 
You felt betrayed by Hillbilly Elegy
You’re just jaded enough to know that this type of family trauma is not a fantasy 

TW: Abuse, rape, animal death, racism

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Physical abuse, and Animal death

ohshellz's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

So many trigger warnings

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Incest, Miscarriage, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, and Sexual assault

hippiequeen's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Abortion, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Murder, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Blood, and Vomit

laureen_lamzc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Physical abuse, Incest, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Murder, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Self harm, Abortion, Racism, and Sexual violence

athenabirch's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Suicide attempt, Incest, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Sexism, and Rape

kimba13's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt

rosies_book_shelf's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Suicide, Vomit, Violence, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Misogyny, Gun violence, Gore, Blood, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Child death

melanierigden's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Racism, Homophobia, Death, Rape, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Abortion

layton93's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Incest

Moderate: Self harm, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Abortion, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Grief, Mental illness, and Murder

abbyb23's review against another edition

emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Betty is a beautiful book that I rushed through, because I loved the story so much that I wanted to read it as quickly as possible. It’s also a book I would be very hesitant to recommend, because of the many sections of triggering content. 

The trigger warnings for this book are very extensive, which makes it a very emotionally heavy read. To my understanding, Betty is to some degree a biographical work, telling the life stories of the author’s family, through the perspective of her mother, Betty. The upsetting aspects of this book are told in a way that fleshes out the characters and shows the nuances of a real family. I think that this book works because, despite the violence that the book deals with at many points, it also tells a beautiful story. It follows Betty as she grows up, telling sweet stories and upsetting ones. This book is very much based around the traditions and folk stories told by Betty’s father, a Cherokee man. It makes the book incredibly interesting to read, as you see the ways the characters connect with nature and their identity. 

I’m not a person who cries often, but the ending genuinely made me cry, to the point where I could not see through the tears. It’s beautiful in a heartbreaking way, all the way through. 

To close: as much as I loved this book, I would not feel comfortable recommending it to most people. If you aren’t comfortable reading about violence in any detail, this is not the book for you. But, if you are looking for a gritty but touching story, I think Betty is a perfect one. I think this a book that would be very validated to people with experiences covered in it, as the writing shines a light on the things most families do not speak about, and how to heal from them. I will also say, if you enjoyed The Miseducation of Cameron Post, this book reminded me a lot of it. The type of setting, year by year storytelling, and hard topics are similar in both stories. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, Emotional abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs and Physical abuse

Minor: Incest and Animal death