Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

I pesci non esistono by Lulu Miller

43 reviews

lesbianelvira's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful informative mysterious reflective fast-paced

5.0

i wish this book were longer. i love books like this that weave genres together, specifically science with history and memoir. learning about david starr jordan — who i knew nothing about previously — was an incredibly wild ride & i’m very moved by how i was taken on the journey lulu went through

: fascination, empathy, inspiration, disappointment, and horror.

i will say i was left wanting so much more of lulu miller herself. she was extremely relatable and compelling for me. i find myself wanting to see her work at NPR, other writings, and reach out to her. i wanted more from this book because i think it could’ve cracked me open the way heartbreak: a personal and scientific journey did. even still, i was crying at the library finishing it, and i’m absolutely going to see about getting my hands on the book she recommended: naming nature by carol yoon, stay alive: a history of suicide by jennifer hecht, and what a fish knows by jonathan balcombe. & i did immediately tell my students about how fish don’t exist, pairing it with the knowledge lulu references that i learned previously: (from paleopod) that bats are from ungulates, and (from a paleo tiktok) whales descending from deer. i love nature. so chaotic. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

bleach226's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm

maddiearthur's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, Infertility, and Ableism

Moderate: Child death and Biphobia

Minor: Self harm

del_phinium's review against another edition

inspiring fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Rape

mirto's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

If I could give this 6 stars, I would. Brilliant book. I would even say Lulu Miller created a whole new genre. Memoir, biography, essay, nature book, history book, sociology, psychology, murder mystery, whatever, you name it. Made me feel so many things, all at once. I learnt a lot, from science to giving myself the life I want. Why Fish Don't Exist will stay with me forever.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Ableism, Gaslighting, Infertility, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and Hate crime

Moderate: Grief, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Self harm, Sexual assault, War, Death, Emotional abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Murder, Infertility, Infidelity, and Rape

emsim's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Rape, Self harm, Ableism, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Death, Medical trauma, Infertility, and Suicide attempt

gillianm06's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts

asolis's review against another edition

2.5

A mix of memoir, biography, popular science, and a bit of self-help. From childhood, the author is unmoored by her father's nihilistic yet unshakably optimistic approach to life. Here she looks to the life story of David Starr Jordan for perspective. 
The content is primarily dedicated to Jordan's story, whom we come to find is a notably repellent human. The author does a good job of giving us a look under the hood at the story of someone who could be considered a scientific hero, and showing the ugliness of bigotry and white supremacist ideology underneath. But the framing presents this in the context of a memoir, even though Miller is stingy with her own story. That, despite its other strengths, makes the book feel unsatisfying. 

CW: self harm, substance abuse, sexual assault, state violence

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Racism, Self harm, and Murder

antoniaodernein's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism

Minor: Self harm, Death, Child death, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Confinement

intpkatharine's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Suicide attempt

I keep this book on my person at all times and reread it because it feels like a safe space. It’s just so personal.