Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi

20 reviews

maryberthelsen's review

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Medical content, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence

merin_aran's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence

nicolaaa's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Violence

Minor: Animal cruelty and Infidelity

ceallaighsbooks's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

“I know many people survive, but I also think people glorify resilience a little too much, forgetting that the fragile ones simply die as the world walks on over their bones. There are some things we shouldn’t be boasting about. 

 

TITLE—Dear Senthuran 

AUTHOR—Akwaeke Emezi 

PUBLISHED—2021 

 

GENRE—memoir 

SETTING—liminal spaces 

MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—being a Black creator, being nonhuman, neurodivergency, love & friendship, identity 

 

WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

BONUS ELEMENT/S—multiple references to Helen Oyeyemi and her books 🥰 

PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

 

“I remember how it felt, and I know it was true. Maybe not in this life or this dimension, but it was true, and I miss it so much.” 

 

I feel like this isn’t really a book one reviews so much as rereads and recommends endlessly forever and ever amen. My “reviews” exist as endless marginalia and pagetabs inside my physical hardcopy of this book and they’re a mite too personal to share here anyway. ☺️ 

 

Basically this memoir style book is written as a series of letters to people in Emezi’s life, both named and unnamed, friends, other writers and artists, family, influences, enemies, and abusers. They cover themes from friendship to love to Blackness to Otherness to Neurodivergency and to being a Creator. (I highly recommend this book to *all* aspiring creators—*especially* writers.) I particularly (and highly personally) loved the chapters/letters “Deity | Dear Eloghosa” and “Dreams | Dear Katherine”. 

 

Akwaeke Emezi is an inspiration on many different levels but I’m never not going to be amazed by the fact that they have been willing to share themselves and their story and their experiences via such gorgeous and raw prose again and again. I am very much looking forward to everything else they create forever and ever. ❤️ 

 

“Alone, there’s just me, and I see myself clearly.” 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

 

TW // suicidal ideation, suicide attempt 

 

Further Reading— 

• Freshwater, and everything else by Akwaeke Emezi
• The Icarus Girl, and everything else by Helen Oyeyemi
• The Bone People, and Te Kaihau The Windeater, by Keri Hulme
• Zami, by Audre Lorde
• The Night Before the Day, by Ailo Gaup
• The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, by Mariana Enríquez
• The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson
• The Nesting, by C. J. Cooke

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Gore

Minor: Rape, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

melaniereadsbooks's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

Akwaeke Emezi is such an amazing writer. I honestly can't even express how perfect their writing is.  This book is so guttural and deep and meaningful.  It is difficult and thought-provoking and I am so glad I read it. I can't wait to see what they come up with next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Rape

nerdybookies's review

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide attempt, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts

rebeccameyrink's review

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

This really felt like a work of art. I loved how the format of this memoir felt like self expression. Completely broke the mould of memoir writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Rape and Transphobia

emmeline's review

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

Minor: Sexual assault and Rape

caseythereader's review

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

 - Per usual, when I try to sit down to write about an Emezi book, I cannot find the words. Their work is simply beyond my ability to discuss. Each book bends my mind and cracks open the world a little differently.
- DEAR SENTHURAN is a look inside their brain, their heart, their soul. It's an extended discussion of how to deal with a world that does not want you, on several levels. It's the pain and joy and revenge of making space for yourself anyway.
- Even beyond the larger ideas explored, the actual writing and words of this book are expansive, visceral, horrifying and elegant. They are truly a master of their craft.
- Also, I've listed content warnings below: please take them seriously. Emezi does not hold back on some graphic descriptions, particularly about suicide and self harm. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, and Violence

morgan__gayle's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Rape