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library_bee's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Sexual harassment, and Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia and Medical content
jamie_o's review against another edition
4.0
Jeannette's family was dysfunctional to the extreme. Her parents had a toxic relationship and were rebels who refused to play by the rules of society. Their parenting was neglectful and dangerous. Her father was a highly intelligent man, but he was bent on self-destruction with his alcoholism, lack of self-control, inability to hold down a job, and paranoia. But he also had some redeeming qualities (her mom, not so much) in his love for his children, especially Jeannette, and promotion of reading and learning.
Having recently read Theodore Dalrymple's book Life at the Bottom, I could not help comparing the two books. Jeannette's memoir is a testament to the truthfulness of his book. The Walls family had much in common with the British underclass he describes, but they're from a different era where parents still cared about their children's education. Jeannette's mother proved what Dalrymple claimed is true of many homeless when she blamed NYC for their homelessness, stating, "They make it too easy. If it was unbearable, we'd do something else."
One of the things I appreciate most about Jeannette is that she worked hard and succeeded despite her tough childhood, she didn't have a victim mentality and never blamed her parents for her failures.
*There are profanities, mostly from Jeannette's father. There is also some inappropriate sexual touching of minors (the accounts are brief and not too detailed).
Minor: Addiction, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Alcoholism
emmabjones's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Alcoholism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal cruelty
halloween_writes's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Medical content, Racial slurs, Rape, Alcohol, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Addiction, Bullying, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent
vanessagrausam's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault
op3's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Child death
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Sexual assault, Cursing, Bullying, and Alcoholism
Minor: Abandonment
Mentions of neglectwhatthesquids's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Addiction, Racism, Child abuse, and Racial slurs
aidyncs's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Addiction, Racial slurs, and Alcoholism
laerkelikesreading's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Alcoholism
rileyyy02's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Classism, Abandonment, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
The moderate stuff is only what I can remember but I know there’s more. Don’t read if any of that is a trigger.