Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

50 reviews

aniglen's review against another edition

Found it very bleak. The literary references went over my head. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, and Child abuse

annabunce's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse

tiernanhunter's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Car accident, Suicide, Grief, and Mental illness

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Physical abuse

myk_yeah's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

This was amazing, wow. You follow Allison through her childhood and learn about her relationships with her family members and see her grow into an adult who explores queerness and grief as part of her story. The story primarily focuses on her relationship with her dad. Ways it was difficult as a child, how she grows to try and understand him and her feelings towards him as an adult, the ways in which they mirror each other.
The comic was so engrossing and strong. I was so moved and touched by this book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

Minor: Body horror

beata's review against another edition

 Maybe I didn't pay close enough attention to the blurb, but when I read that the father was gay, I did not expect to see in the book itself that he slept with "boys" aka his high school students. Then I immediatly thought oh, he killed himself because the truth was out and he was facing charges. But no, he maybe killed himself because his wife was finally fed up and asked for divorce. He was even facing charges years before, on surface about giving alcohol to minor but if the author is to believed with unspoken accusation of at least soliciting minor (maybe even full on sexual assault). 
The story is messed up on many many levels. First, her father was himself sexually abused as a child. Then he went on to do this to others. Then we learn that his psychiatrist very possibly had an affair with him during court mandated appointments?! Of course I also can't forget physical abuse of his own children. And last but not least was the author glossing over the abuse her father inflicted on others. 
I'll be honest with you, I've read graphic novels a lot longer than this one, and they felt shorter.
I will not rate it, lately I'm more reluctant to rate non-fiction, especially of the memoir kind. Who am I to say if someone's life story is a 3 or 5 star?
This will definitely stay with me, though not necessarily in a good way. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault and Adult/minor relationship

carmentxx's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

the narrative of this graphic novel really must be admired. truly an excellent way of nuancing the difficulty of an abusive parent, a child’s love and also the retrospective understanding. i found bechdel’s narration really fascinating, she understates the potency of her story and how it relates to queer kinship in a beautiful way. i’m honestly shocked at how they managed to turn this into a musical, but it is an excellent read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Homophobia, and Death of parent

waytoomanybooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

There's nothing I can say about Fun Home that hasn't already been said by better, smarter people with better, smarter vocabulary, so I'll just say that I found this book deeply relatable, deeply sad, and deeply hopeful. It's a gorgeous book with gorgeous prose and gorgeous illustrations. I highly recommend it, but it's not for the faint of heart. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Grief, Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Car accident, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

abbyb23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

4.0

Bechdel is a great writer and the illustrations are really well done, but in some ways the message of the book felt lacking. Bechdel speaks about her father in a tongue in cheek way when talking about his crimes and flaws, which to me felt a bit understated. Although this bittersweet view of him is a good representation of the complicated feelings toward any flawed family member, it’s just a bit too forgiving to me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Suicide, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse

This is a very trauma filled book, with very highest portrayals of the aftermath of that trauma.

ferdie's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Fun House is intellectual and vulnerable. The cartoon style really helps show the emotion behind the complex thoughts. I was not familiar with all the literature references so I feel like I missed some points of the book :(

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Suicide, Grief, and Pedophilia

Minor: Child abuse

tree_branch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Suicide, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Infidelity

Minor: Sexual assault and Pregnancy