Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi

14 reviews

sophieherr's review

reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Homophobia

henriettaenam's review

dark inspiring reflective medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Body shaming

sofipitch's review

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

4.75

Once again Emezi is the most talented contemporary writer. Their story and experience is one of impressive resilience. They also seen to have an extremely strong sense of self and self worth which I covet. Reading this book could not have happened at a better time, while it was difficult in some places the wisdom Emezi emparted was extremely helpful as well as their belief in working for the future you want

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Infertility, Homophobia, and Transphobia

souplover2001's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

akwaeke emezi IS a god ! favourite letters include mutilation, execution, deathspace, canon, deity, worldbending, maps, holy, undefeated, and regeneration !!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt

Moderate: Transphobia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Homophobia

laurareads87's review

challenging emotional medium-paced

5.0

Dear Senthuran is beautifully written, extraordinarily intimate, and covers a lot of ground: spiritedness + spiritual life, gender, mental health, childhood, career, fame, interpersonal relationships, navigating life amidst humanity.  Extraordinary & like nothing I've ever read before (though those who've read Freshwater will certainly find some familiar content here); also a very difficult read - I'm sure I've forgotten some relevant content warnings.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia

Moderate: Racism, Blood, Violence, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror

savvylit's review

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

4.5

Dear Senthuran's epistolary format allows readers an incredibly personal glimpse into Emezi's relationships and fascinating life. Letter after letter, one thing quickly becomes clear: Emezi is unabashedly talented, passionate, joyful, and in love with their chosen family. They do also suffer, though, and this memoir intimately explores their past depression and suicidal ideation. That juxtaposition between the lowest lows and their joys is what really demonstrates Emezi's resiliency and dedication to living their life authentically.

Furthermore, beyond the powerful subject matter of Dear Senthuran, this memoir is absolutely brimming with unforgettable sentences. My own words can't do their words justice. Thus, here are a few quotes from Dear Senthuran:

"If just this terrified you - the tip of a feather - how am I supposed to open up entire wings?"

"What is love if not a shield thrown up around you when you are too injured to throw it up yourself?"

"People can do such spectacular things if you forget to tell them it's impossible. I want them to try."

"Part of bending the world we want into existence is that we get to choose who we want to be in it with, and I choose you."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Transphobia

readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.75

This is the most unique, compelling memoir I've read in many years. Through letters to their close friends and family, Akwaeke Emezi discusses their experience of being trans and getting surgery, their mental health, writing, chronic pain, the publishing industry, their identity as a god or ogbanje, and their spiritual connection with this world and with death. This is a fascinating read and one that introduced me to so many new concepts and ideas. Emezi really is a transcendent writer.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Blood, Body horror, and Medical content

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Homophobia, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Infidelity

solenodon's review against another edition

challenging emotional slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Dysphoria, Medical content, Medical trauma, Homophobia, and Infidelity

Minor: Sexual content

laurenleigh's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

4.5

This memoir by Awaeke Emezi is written in letters, as they explore their gender identity, their romantic and sexual partnerships, their  life as an author, and their multiplicity. The epistolary format invites the reader into an intimate space, at times voyeuristic when Emezi gets into some intense detail. Some of these details, mainly relating to suicide and gore, were hard for me to read. I am a strict completionist, but even I had to give up on the titular “Dear Senthuran” letter, which is also rightly titled “Gore.” But I understand, at least to some degree, why it’s important for Emezi to push boundaries. Their life, their embodiment in human form, and in turn, their writing, is all so raw. It’s bursting at the seams with life and intensity. I highly recommend their debut novel, Freshwater, and I especially suggest reading that before this memoir, so you have an understanding of Emezi’s multiplicity and Igbo ontology. It’s all so fascinating to me, and their work is like nothing else I’ve ever read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Gore, Blood, Sexual content, and Death

Moderate: Violence, Medical content, Homophobia, and Transphobia

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Fire/Fire injury

foreverinastory's review

dark emotional inspiring tense

5.0

I have no words.

I've had the pleasure of reading both Freshwater and The Death of Vivek Oji so I knew I would be inhaling Emezi's memoir as soon as I could. Dear Senthuran has solidified Emezi as one of my favorite authors of all time. Any time they come out with something new, I will be reading it immediately.

This memoir is not an easy book to read. Emezi has chronic depression and has lived through several suicide attempts. Reading about their struggles and how being an author on tour only exacerbated their depression is something readers and fans almost never see. We see the shiny, polished author who puts their best face forward during the extent of the tour where as many cities as possible are crammed in.

So much of this book is about pain. But it's also about becoming who you are. The thing I related to the most was Emezi's struggles with gender and defining exactly what their gender was. Plus dealing with dysphoria and taking steps to treat it. They also discuss how this impacted their relationship with their mother.

This book took a knife to my soul and it felt like someone finally understood the thoughts in my head I haven't been able to verbalize. Read this book as soon as you can.

CWs: Death, emotional abuse, homophobia, medical content (gender affirming surgeries), misogyny, racism, religious bigotry, sexism, self harm, sexual content, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, toxic relationship, transphobia, body horror, mental illness (depression). 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia