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tlaynejones's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Eating disorder, Grief, Child abuse, Rape, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Addiction, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
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
alecxia's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
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
jayisreading's review against another edition
4.5
Being a queer PhD student of color in the academy, I was especially taken to the section that focused on Laymon’s experiences at Vassar College. The things he poignantly wrote aren’t secrets by any means, but the way he laid out the issues that those from marginalized groups face really struck me. It especially gave me more insight on how Black men are treated in such a toxic environment. The sheer amount of emotional labor Laymon took on while in the academy needs to be highlighted. The way he was treated on campus as a Black man needs to be highlighted. The way tenure was handled needs to be highlighted. This book was written in 2018, yet, the issues still persist nearly half a decade later.
I really appreciate the brutal honesty and reflective nature of this memoir, and I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to write this. This book is well worth your time for the way he explores difficult matters from his personal life in addition to nuanced criticism of US society.
Graphic: Fatphobia, Racism, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Addiction, Emotional abuse, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Police brutality, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
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
paigeno's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Vomit
stevie's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia
mscalls's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Child death and Rape
noshelf_control's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Body shaming
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Suicidal thoughts