Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Life in the City of Dirty Water: A Memoir of Healing by Clayton Thomas-Muller

9 reviews

onlyonebookshelf's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence

tender_onion's review

emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual violence, Child death, Racism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Hate crime, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Death, Violence, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Classism

vitaminwaterfan's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual violence

linneahbt's review against another edition

challenging emotional slow-paced

3.0

Memoirs are so hard to review. Who am I to criticize how someone told their story? But this wasn't it for me. Important, definitely, and I don't regret reading it. But I didn't like the author's writing style which made parts of this really challenging. Also organized by theme rather than timeline - I understand the choice there but found it super tough to figure out when things happened  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Sexual violence

kelly_e's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Title: Life in the City of Dirty Water: A Memoir of Healing
Author: Clayton Thomas-Muller
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.0
Pub Date: August 24, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Candid • Gritty • Vital

📖 S Y N O P S I S

In Life in the City of Dirty Water Clayton Thomas-Muller's shares his life story. This is his journey from years enduring the results of intergeneration trauma, systemic racism and violence as a child, to escaping the binds of drugs and alcohol, reconnecting with his Cree heritage and becoming an activist. A story of trauma and healing, of identity and perseverance, and the legacy of colonialism.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I am thrilled Life in the City of Dirty Water was selected as a finalist for the 2022 Canada Reads debates, otherwise I may have very well missed it. From Clayton's heartbreaking childhood filled with abuse, poverty, homelessness, intergenerational trauma, and gang life; to persevering and becoming an activist, this memoir brings together two urgent issues: Indigenous rights and environmental activism. There is certainly a lot to process throughout his narrative, yet showing up and learning is a vital part of the process of reconciliation. Written primarily for his children, Clayton's growth and vulnerability really made this book shine.

With a little more structure and flow to his writing this would have been a five-star read for me. For example, the first part (focusing mainly on his childhood) felt so deeply personal, which I absolutely loved. It was filled with emotion and honesty. However, as I moved through the sections it began to be more biographical, reading more like a narrative resume, than someone's life story, which I was not a fan of. And again switching back to more of a storytelling approach in later parts, making it feel rather disjointed as a whole.

Overall, Life in the City of Dirty Water is a crucial memoir, and I am grateful to have had it cross my path. And I'd be remiss if I did not mention the absolutely stunning cover. I really took the time to see the singular elements, as well as the whole.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• all Canadians
• fans of From the Ashes and/or A Mind Spread Out on the Ground

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"One of the mysteries of creation is how closely saving yourself and saving the world are linked. If you don't take care of the world, you will only end up harming yourself. and if you don't take care of yourself, you won't do the world any good. We're all part of the world. It is an illusion to think any of us can be separate."

"Understanding the way history intersects with the human heart can take a lifetime. But the fight for justice is something you can roll up your sleeves and wade into right away."

"Though I have never been in a residential school, through my family I know the darkness that was bred there: the terror of each night, the reek of urine in the dormitories from all the scared kids peeing their beds."

"Warriors are not defined by fighting. They are defined by fighting for." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Colonisation, Genocide, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug use, Violence, Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

drug trafficking

tracey1981's review

hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Infidelity, Drug use, Bullying, Child death, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Racism, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Genocide

benevolentelfking's review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Domestic abuse

swansandroses's review against another edition

I didn’t realize there were discussions of sexual assault and domestic abuse and I am not comfortable listening to the descriptions. Will try to pick this up in print and continue on. I should have looked at the book summary a little more in detail prior to picking this up.

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Content Warnings

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

jennadewit's review

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence