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passionyoungwrites's review
5.0
“What is love if not a shield thrown up around you when you are too injured to throw it up yourself?”
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This memoir is written in letters. Mostly to others, but also written to themselves. They spoke on every area of their life. From family past, identity - both gender and body, suicidal ideations, self - acceptance, romantic relationships, friendships, their home life, and even the ups and downs of following purpose to include their journey in the publishing world.
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The author uses this work to explain some of the happenings in their first work, Freshwater, and how it made it into the world. Though it isn’t in a traditional format, it is definitely a great work that helps to shape and mold an image of who Akwaeke is and how they view and shape the world around them.
Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Panic attacks/disorders
robodu's review
4.5
Graphic: Grief and Dysphoria
karingforbooks's review
2.5
Otherwise I can’t tell if it’s just that I’m uncomfortable with someone being so confident or if I genuinely think they’re delusional in a harmless way. But none of it hit with me and I didn’t enjoy the writing style either.
Graphic: Transphobia, Self harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Chronic illness, Grief, Death, Dysphoria, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Blood, Car accident, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Infertility, Sexual harassment, and Body horror
mscalls's review
3.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Body horror, Grief, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, and Sexual content
starrysteph's review
4.5
Having already read most of Emezi's work, this memoir gave me a lot of clarity around the concepts explored in their books (specifically Freshwater).
CW: suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts, transphobia, rape, sexual assault, mental illness, medical content, dysphoria, grief, infidelity, toxic relationship, chronic illness, self harm
Graphic: Chronic illness, Transphobia, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual violence, Rape, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, and Dysphoria
Minor: Car accident and Cannibalism
solenodon's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Dysphoria, Medical content, Medical trauma, Homophobia, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual content
hogsandwich's review
4.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
Moderate: Self harm
emzireads's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Grief
gagne's review
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Abandonment, Dysphoria, Grief, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Medical content, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Transphobia
catapocalypse's review
5.0
Emezi's goals were to write truly of their personal experiences and to put those ideas out there for Black readers in particular. That said, I strongly urge other white readers not to shy away. We need to read and think about these things with honest reflection. So much of how we've harmed others and ourselves comes out of operating on narrow views and letting bad ideas calcify into accepted norms. Learning that this isn't how things are or should be helps work on dismantling these cages. There is still so much in here to relate to, and a lot that we can also find freeing, if we're willing to listen and think on it.
I would advise being prepared to go into this in the right headspace. It's at least as brutal and breathtaking as Freshwater, with a lot of heavy things covered in heavy detail. There are in-depth looks at depression, suicidal ideation and attempts, death, and a small section including fantasies of cannibalism.
I took my reading slow to let things percolate and avoid being overwhelmed. It was such a rewarding experience. Emezi remains a favorite, and I look forward to their upcoming projects.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, and Infidelity
Moderate: Cannibalism, Blood, Gore, Grief, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Homophobia, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Chronic illness, Islamophobia, and Murder