Reviews tagging 'Grief'

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

78 reviews

colyforniaroll's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Grief

colleenmdavis's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, and Abandonment

maddy4prezident's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative fast-paced

5.0

This was such a fast, informative book and it was so well written. So much so that I found myself recommending it to people before I even finished. Foo's narrative style is at once both rich with information and full of character and personality that makes it a fast, enjoyable read. Her willingness to be vulnerable and admit her own shortcomings while still focusing on a generally positive and hopeful arc made the book an excellent read. It invited reader to relate to Foo while also reflecting on their own experiences and applying the knowledge she imparts into the reader's own life.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Grief, Alcohol, and Colonisation

yaelm's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

huldasif's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I learned a lot from this book, even with my degree in psychology and my own past trauma and recovery. It was very well written and researched, but also heavy and emotionally draining. It's divided up into five parts and I found that I needed to take good breaks between those parts, and sometimes more often too, for my own well-being, so it took me a long time to finish. I cried with the author and I laughed with the author and I got really angry too. All of the emotions! However, I really appreciated this work and it's not just an extraordinarily well written memoir, it's also something you can use for reference, because she doesn't just say something and demand that you believe her, she cites research and gives all of these sources so you can then look it up yourself. I really appreciated the effort and good, hard work that went into this book. So well done!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

alexisgarcia's review

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.0

wow, this is such a necessary read. while there are some dark personal moments, they are coupled with informative commentary. also, i really recommend the audiobook because their are audio clips from the authors therapy sessions which i thought added a lot. please check content warnings!!!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

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. 

---

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

gabrielasage's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Abandonment

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

clarabooksit's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

I’m not good at reviewing books that wow me, but this blew me away. I love a book that both moves me and educates me, and this did both in spades.

Foo narrates her journey toward self-discovery and well-being with incredible candor and immersive storytelling. Her writing feels effortless and inclusive: it’s not just her story but an invitation to the reader to join her on her journey.

I loved it. Highly, highly recommend. A favorite of the year, for sure.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Police brutality, Medical trauma, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Death and War