Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo

34 reviews

bambooboy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Cursing, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, War, and Classism

Minor: Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

kw_masters's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

I really liked this book. It was encouraging, helpful, and informative without making me feel bad about myself, which medical books on ptsd/cptsd tend to do as they lack experience and empathy. I just wish I had a physical copy to keep my notes.  Library problems!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Abandonment

_readerfromtheblacklagoon_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

faithaforman's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

Powerful and moving, the author's delving into her own trauma responses were eye-opening. Her exploration of self and path to self-love and self-acceptance gave me hope.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Racism, Police brutality, and Classism

jenmaysiereads's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

whatsmacksaid's review

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Holy shit, this was incredible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Eating disorder and Self harm

larabookworm22's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.75

way too relatable-

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence

sarahbeaman's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

finishing this book felt like letting out a lifelong exhale. what a gorgeous, reflective and well-researched memoir about growing up and growing through complex ptsd, and about how love and family always find those who are brave enough to reach for them (despite despite despite).

i saw so much of myself in this book while also learning so much about the unique complexities of c-ptsd for people of colour or anyone from a marginalised group. one that will stay with me, i hope, for a long long time.

quotes that stuck out to me:

“Being healed isn't about fecling nothing. Being healed is about feeling the appropriate emotions at the appropriate times and still being able to come back to yourself.”

"Love is not a finite resource, something you have to mete out carefully like a package of Oreos. Instead, providing love begets more love, which begets more and more love.“

”I decide I'll get to washing up when I get to it. I'll get to everything when I get to it. The world will keep turning. The tacos are delicious, and I take my time eating them. And then I'm marveling: Oh, wow. Maybe this life I’ve got is going to be spectacular, after all.”

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Colonisation

rubellaface's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Quick caveat: I do not have C-PTSD. I am a second-generation Filipino American who grew up to have high-functioning anxiety & depression due to tiger parenting, growing up Asian American, and being forced to become an alpha daughter. 

Reading this book triggered me and had me questioning my reality and how I’ve often laughed-off or disassociated my personal trauma in order to succeed in life (and therefore be perceived as being okay). Her coping mechanisms were/are my coping mechanisms, and funnily enough, I didn’t even realize they were coping mechanisms. So as Stephanie went down the rabbit hole of finding out what her bones know and how to fix it, I was right beside her– transfixed and checking my own bones for fissures and trauma from similar situations in my family life. 

Cause Stephanie Foo does not pull her punches when recounting her childhood. Every abusive situation is described in a way that is almost clinical and ripe for analyzing. Her book is basically an emotional autopsy of her trauma, and the way she uses her journalism background to thoroughly vet every single c-ptsd-related therapy is both thrilling and heartbreaking. As a reader, you want Stephanie to find a therapy that works for her and that can “cure” her, and I just wanted to hug her each time a practice or therapist failed her. 

Needless to say, I was emotionally invested in Stephanie’s book. I cried towards the end as she found stable ground and the tools to fight for her peace of mind. And I cried again at the similarities in how we approached our weddings and wedding guests. Her healing journey echoed and reaffirmed my own, and I will recommend this book to all my AAPI friends who I know have gone through sh*t and are trying their best.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Very triggering. Sometimes in a good way.

kenrya's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic