Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

86 reviews

saraflexer's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racism, and Sexual violence

prachidayal's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

• Long read (12+ hours)
• This is the best memoir I’ve read so far. Such incredible, impactful sentences, paragraphs, and words. I’ve never related so much, this is a new favorite. I can’t express the masterpiece this book is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Racism, Sexual assault, Addiction, and Child abuse

littleonepaige's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

An absolutely incredible memoir. Wow. Just wow. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Body shaming, Mental illness, Racism, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Addiction, and Physical abuse

paigeno's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Vomit

alice_u's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Racism, and Child abuse

miandrade's review against another edition

dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Racism

kayyphan's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, and Addiction

stevie's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia

thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

4.0

I had originally heard of this book and Kiese through a recent episode of This American Life, and heard of his struggles with weight which intrigued me.
  
As someone with weight issues myself, I found this memoir to be eye opening on not just Kiese's weight but also on a number of POC issues, more than what I've experienced as mixed race.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder

Moderate: Mental illness and Racism

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Bullying

afestivalaparade's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

Laymon is brutally, courageously honest. His writing is deeply self aware, demonstrative of great skill and unique insights. The experiences I share with Laymon resonated in a way I don’t often feel, so sharp are his tellings. He finds the exact shape of trauma and outlines it so well that it’ll make you gasp with recognition. His biggest power is in the ability to leave things unsaid; because he knows the exact edge he never wallows or becomes maudlin, and when you share his pains you know exactly what he’s not looking at directly. That also means I drifted a bit during sections where I don’t have similar traumas; he explains it well and gestures towards those blank spaces, but I can’t see into them. I’m not sure that’s a weakness in the writing; his mother would say those spaces are not places for me, and Kiese should protect them. It’s a fine line to walk, a difficult needle to thread. Laymon does it well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Eating disorder, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Addiction