Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

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

21 reviews

kaynova's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Gaslighting

gabhopesreads's review against another edition

5.0

This is the best memoir I've ever read. It's so well-written, phenomenal on audio and one of my favorites this year so far. I loved the narration, plus the included audios of her therapy sessions. I loved how she went into details about history, hers and forgotten history, erased history. I loved how it felt like I was put under a microscope and dissected, but in actuality she was explaining her C-PTSD. At the end, the message of hope mirrored my own that I was lucky enough to find years ago. I wish I'd read this sooner, when I'd been drowning in my diagnosis. But the thing with C-PTSD is it's always there, so this will be helpful to read at any point in my life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

sleeson's review

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Medical content

pikitat's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective

5.0

Beautifully written with a perfect blend of science and personal stories. What else can I say? It's a great book and I'm glad I read it. 100% would read it again. Mind the trigger warnings and be gentle with yourself, though. The book can be a heavy read at points.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Grief

jessdekkerreads's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic

starlit_pathways's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Xenophobia, Car accident, and War

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

zombiezami's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Excrement, Kidnapping, Murder, and War

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

This was really good. It struck me how candid Stephanie was being about her childhood traumas, how those experiences affected her and as a result rippled down to all of Foo's relationships and aspirations.
The descriptions of the childhood abuse was palpable, sickening, and incredibly sad. Major content warnings for these scenes, please take care while reading.

The relationships with her parents in her adulthood was also fascinating. How she manages to maintain some contact with her father despite how much he hurt her. We do what we must to find mental and physical safety but how much we can crave love from our parents even if we fear them. It's a constant balancing act and so emotionally exhausting.

I don't know very much about psychiatry and psychology so this aspect of the memoir was a bit over my head but I still followed along. She made it pretty easy for non-experts to understand the different kinds of treatment she sought. This memoir is so sad, reading about Foo encountering so many hurdles and struggling to find the light at the end of the tunnel. Knowing that she was well enough to write this memoir, reflecting on her life does little to lessen the second-hand blow of her life story to the reader. It's heavy heavy heavy.

I wish her the best in continuing to heal and understand herself before and after the trauma.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Cursing, Hate crime, Self harm, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Incest, Infertility, and War

negative self-talk, bad therapy experiences, victim blaming.

ashleycmms's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Medical content, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

caseythereader's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Thanks to Random House for the free copy of this book.

 - WHAT MY BONES KNOW is a masterpiece of a memoir. Blending Foo's personal story with the research she did to learn more about her own condition, the book sheds light on the little known and understood diagnosis of C-PTSD.
- Given that C-PTSD happens when there is extended, repeated trauma, this book also gets into generational trauma and the history of Foo's family and their traumas, which I think a lot of people will relate to, even if you're not of the Asian diaspora.
- I feel like I don't even know what to say about this book. It's so good. Please read it, and also go listen to @thestackspod episode with the author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Rape