Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Just Ignore Him by Alan Davies

34 reviews

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

This is not the book I expected it to be. But it is an important one, and a book I won't forget for a while.

Davies is inherently funny and his humour is often self-deprecating. But shedding light on the trauma of his childhood really puts all of that in context. By examining his relationship with his family - and his father in particular - he unpacks a lot of emotional issues and lifelong struggles.

He speaks with fierce honesty and humility, holding nothing back. This isn't always an easy read, and it's incredible how it manages to be funny and heartbreaking, sometimes in the same sentence. 

Incredibly brave and fascinating, this is one of the best memoirs I've read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Grief

jaslouis's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I wasn’t sure what to expect but Davies is an excellent writer. He writes with great detail and beauty. I found sometimes it jumped around quite a lot so it made it difficult to follow the timeline but that did not affect the overall message. A brave and raw book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Incest, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

vicf99's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

Absolutely heartbreaking. Listening to Alan narrate this himself was so devastating that I had to listen to the whole 8.5 hours in one sitting. This book felt a lot like some form of self-therapy and there are many questions posed throughout the book for which he has no answer. This is definitely a book which will stick with me for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Child abuse

Minor: Homophobia

rachel26's review

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Pedophilia

kjwolfwarrior's review

emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault

musicboxmemories's review

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Death of parent

emily_lane's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

4.0

I have a tendency to pick up memiors because I enjoy them, without scoping out the blurb so all I knew when downloading this was it was the funny, charming, clever Alan Davis.

This was a very hard listen, well written, with moments of whimsy amongst the traumatic recollections. It encompasses why you should always, always listen to victims.

Would recommend anyone who's a fan of a memior, who has space to listen to hard topics, or anyone who enjoys Davis' comedy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

Moderate: Bullying

tyromancy's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

loandbeholdx's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad

5.0

Just Ignore Him by Alan Davies 
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 

Alan Davies is my favourite comedian and the star of one of my favourite shows, Jonathan Creek. This is a memoir about his childhood, of growing up in the seventies in the South of England, and how the trauma he experienced  as a boy shaped him into the man he is today. His life is harrowing, as not only did he lose his mother at a young age, but he also suffered abuse from the one person who is supposed to keep him safe. Although he talks about tough topics in this book, he uses his wit and dark humour to bring a comedic approach to the traumatising experiences he has endeavoured. This man deserves so much more credit than he receives because not only is this book incredibly well written and articulate, but for the courage that it takes to share such events. I listened to the audiobook, as Alan narrated it himself, and it will certainly be an experience I will not forget. This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry, you will feel anger, frustration and resentment, but you'll also have an overwhelming feeling of pride for this wonderfully ordinary man who has found the strength to tell his story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

jen_16's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault