Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

In Ordinary Time: Fragments of a Family History by Carmel McMahon

2 reviews

rabidboy's review

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

I contemplated logging this for a while since it’s, admittedly, not something I would read by choice and I was only made to read it for a class this past semester.
Having said that, this is one of the most beautiful and engaging pieces of literature I’ve ever interacted with. McMahon weaves the personal, the cultural, and the epigenetic together with such poetry, literal and metaphorical, that I’m almost at a loss for what to even say.
If you’ve ever felt connected to the world in a way larger than you can describe, read this memoir. If you haven’t, read this memoir.
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kairhone's review

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

 An adept and emotionally evocative narrative that interweaves personal memoir, genealogy, and Irish cultural history to examine generational trauma. Are our miseries destined because of genetics? Can we escape grief if our ancestors couldn't escape it themselves? Mc Mahon never asks for pity when detailing the horrible sadness she and her family have endured, both past and present. Ordinary Time is a family's intimate history. Still, it's also a fiercely political work that examines how capitalism and colonialism are often to blame when considering how we cope in a world built on oppression and violence. Truly a gem of a read: thought-provoking, tender, and intelligent.  
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