Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Love Is an Ex-Country by Randa Jarrar

14 reviews

alainajreads's review against another edition

Perhaps I should’ve heeded the trigger warnings and read the reviews before jumping into this, but I was expecting something totally different based on the synopsis. Rather than a travelogue,  the writing was a bit disjointed and dealt with themes that, while important to discuss, were more traumatic than I was expecting. I enjoyed the first few chapters and Jarrar had some interesting insights about being Arab in America and I wished there were more about her cross-country road trip. Not bad, just not for me and not what I was expecting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Islamophobia, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Vomit

Moderate: Racism, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma

amberinpieces's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Body shaming, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Sexism

Minor: Violence, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Blood, Car accident, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Deportation, Infidelity, War, Mass/school shootings, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Sexual assault, Excrement, Genocide, and Cancer

speedofhuman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Fatphobia, Bullying, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Sexism, Islamophobia, Sexual violence, and Racism

Minor: War, Pedophilia, and Police brutality

emoryscott's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

2.75

I really wanted to like this book. I love memoirs and the jacket summary was intriguing. However, this author’s style is not for me. If you enjoy quippy, erratic narration, you’ll love this. I felt like the journey across the country could have been more clearly defined. I felt like I never knew which era of her life she was speaking about. I know this is some people’s favorite type of writing, but it just wasn’t for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Child abuse, Biphobia, Blood, Body shaming, Excrement, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Antisemitism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child death, Colonisation, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Genocide, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment

Also, at times, it really seemed like the author was glorifying trauma and abuse. It was definitely a bit difficult to read as a survivor, but I can see how someone else may find this empowering.

amisk23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Islamophobia, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Child abuse, and Fatphobia

dianavdavidson_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Islamophobia and Xenophobia

imrereads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

3.0

I was gifted a copy of this book by Catapult. Thank you so much! 

I have conflicting thoughts. While there are some really wonderfully written and capturing sections, I felt over all that it didn't deliver what it advertised. It certainly isn't cross-country roadtrip the blurb promised. 

My biggest issue is that it felt very fragmentes and not flowing together the way I would have wanted. It jumps very quickly from topic to topic, from childhood to adulthood, from serious to lighthearted. This made it hard for me to feel engaged in the narrarive. It's certainly a provocative memoir for better and for worse. At least personally I found several sections to be quite triggering to read, and I wish it didn't jump so quickly from topic to topic. 

Still, I want to repeat that there are some really good and thought provoking sections. For example the chapter where she's at the airport in Isreal had me at the edge of my seat. I won't forget it easily! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

challenging emotional fast-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Racism

havelock's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Rape

alylentz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed this and would definitely pick up another book by this author. I soared through the first half, but then the second half faltered a little for me: not sure if that was the pacing or if I just felt less compelled by the subjects of those sections. My favorite chapter was the one that discussed being detained by customs--I feel like that is definitely a must-read for so many. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Xenophobia