Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

12 reviews

samchase112's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book truly swept me away!!! I was enthralled by the writing, the narrative, and the narrator. I lost time listening to this story, and took walks to get further. David Grann made me feel like I was traversing the hazardous seas, searching the desolate island, and scribbling on the page with these men — truly impressive. I’ll be recommending this book (and especially the audiobook!) for a while to come!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, Gun violence, War, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Murder, Racism, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and Medical content

Minor: Suicide, Cannibalism, and Genocide

torfinn's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cannibalism

mikaylawood's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.5

This is my first time reading David Grann and it will not be my last! Beautiful writing about a moving, albeit devastating, historical event. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Cannibalism, Death, Violence, and Animal death

Moderate: Blood and Medical trauma

Minor: Racism, Slavery, Suicide, and Excrement

koboldmartian's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

5/5. 

I do not really have any good experience reading non-fiction so forgive me if this review is not as eloquent, but this was the most gripping and fascinating non-fiction story I have ever read. David Grann's writing is so immersive and clear and painted such a vivid picture of the turmoil, and horrors that these men were put through. 

The book is structured beautifully, it flowed well, I was angry at people, I sympathized with people, I was disgusted by what they did or what they had to do, I was all the proper emotions needed to read this book. 

This book was so educating and the life that people had to live back then on the ocean is just absolutely terrible. The entire time, I felt pulled by both "parties" involved in this stories and I don't think you can really blame anyone of the decisions made in this situation; it really makes you think about what you would do put in these men's shoes. 

I will be picking up Grann's other works to read and this book has opened the floodgates for non-fiction for me. I hope to read more especially if they are this engaging. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Animal death, Cannibalism, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Vomit, Gun violence, Medical content, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Death, Abandonment, Alcohol, Trafficking, Chronic illness, Child death, Death of parent, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Animal cruelty, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Racism, Violence, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Suicide, and War

sherlocktomes's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

David Grann back with another excellent blend of informative, entertaining and somewhat reflective writing. 

Highly researched, approachable and balanced, this account details the birth and death of The Wager, a ship in 1700’s Britain tasked with colonising and plundering native and non native peoples to increase the British empires hold over the worlds land and resources.

Grann helps paint a vision of the sheer unrelenting and unpredictable nature of the sea, at times you wonder how much more these sailors can endure, and yet the story carries on. 

As with KOTFM, I felt I would have liked more commitment from the author towards documenting the extent of the genocidal and colonial actions of so many western countries at this time, particularly their treatment of native peoples who, on the whole, were far more intelligent, resourceful and organised than the people who reduced them to a stereotype of “savages”. I do feel more of a background of the British empire as it stood at that time, and their use of the Navy to do so would have been beneficial for giving more context for the average reader. 

Overall, a thorough and very enjoyable read (albeit grim and miserable). 5/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Colonisation, Murder, Child death, Death, Confinement, and Suicide

Moderate: War, Racism, and Slavery

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative inspiring mysterious slow-paced

4.0

This starts out incredibly slow but after chapter 5 grows into a story of mutiny, murder, and survival. You become involved in this insane story of how a British ship and its sailors fight off scurvy, the rough seas, and other crewman to eventually end up back in England depleted and desolate anywhere from a year to five years later. I'm traditionally cautious of non fiction historical books because I find them tedious and boring but, with The Wager, once the initial accounts of send off and troubles at sea are finished, you're immersed into a tumultuous account of the shipwreck. It was interesting and full bodied. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Chronic illness, Abandonment, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death of parent, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Slavery, Suicide, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Classism, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, and Toxic friendship

hheartbooks's review against another edition

adventurous informative sad medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Murder, Slavery, Violence, Cannibalism, Suicide, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

kcbas1's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Xenophobia, Animal death, and War

Minor: Suicide, Racism, Cannibalism, and Slavery

ecourtis's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Suicide, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism

Minor: Classism and Colonisation

emelynreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

5.0

Empires preserve their power with the stories that they tell, but just as critical are the stories they don't- the dark silences they impose, the pages they tear out.

Scandalous, harrowing, epic. I was hooked from the start. This is a book I know I'll come back and read again and again. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Cannibalism

Minor: Colonisation and Suicide