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obvious_lia's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Racism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Islamophobia, Grief, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Alcohol
ichewonpushpins's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Self harm, Racial slurs, Eating disorder, Racism, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Misogyny, Drug abuse, and Addiction
bootsmom3's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Classism, Cursing, Racism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Medical content
Minor: Dementia
karmapen's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Racism, Addiction, and Domestic abuse
michellektong's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Murder, Addiction, Child abuse, Rape, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Racial slurs, Self harm, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Infidelity, Grief, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Violence, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, and Eating disorder
rosaelise's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Child abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Gun violence
Minor: Police brutality and Sexual assault
lowbrowhighart's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Child abuse, Racism, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Addiction, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Islamophobia, Alcoholism, Grief, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Alcohol, Medical content, Sexism, Self harm, Police brutality, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Pedophilia, Death, Pregnancy, Transphobia, Car accident, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Cursing, Dementia, and Medical trauma
orireading's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Car accident, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, and Sexual content
funkylitchick's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Racism
taratearex's review against another edition
5.0
An incredible book, a must read.
Reread 2023, audiobook:
This is a beautiful and heart wrenching memoir. This remains a necessary read about racism and it's effects on Black people, particularly in how it effects the body and mental health. Rereading this book makes me want to reread Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da’Shaun Harrison.
The first time I read this book I could not put it down, this time I took my time with the audiobook. The prose is stunning and the vulnerability draws you in, I found both ways of reading it to be deeply engaging, but it is always an experience to hear an author read their own memoir. Kiese Laymon's writing is so poetic that hearing him read it added a sort of slam poetry performance to many parts of it, making it even more emotional and visceral of an experience.
I read his debut novel last year, which I hadn't read when I first read this memoir so that also brought a different experience to hearing him talk about it here, but also just really emphasized what I love about his writing- the poetic rhythm and play on words and just love for language. So going back to his memoir to how he developed as a writer was an interesting perspective.
There are too many lines that I could quote, but given this was a reread and I've gotten very into rereading recently, this really stuck out to me:
"I learned you haven't really read anything unless you've only read anything once or twice. Reading things more than twice was the reader version of revision"
I reread this on almost the exact dates as I first did in 2019
TW: Eating disorder, Child abuse, Racism, Fatphobia, Addiction, Sexual violence
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Addiction, Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Racism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Alcohol