Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name: A Biomythography by Audre Lorde

6 reviews

queerbooklover03's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Audre Lord is one of the best, most beautiful writers that I've ever read and her talent is on full show here.  Now there are some parts that are rather slow, but then there are some scenes that are so compelling and meaningful that they overshadow the slow scenes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Abortion, Lesbophobia, Sexual violence, and Racism

savvylit's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

Zami offers a captivating look at several unique and specific settings. The first is Lorde's experience growing up in Harlem as the child of strict immigrants during the 1940s. The second is a foray into an enclave of expats who fled the U.S. during the McCarthy/Red Scare era. The third is the lesbian social scene in New York City in the 1950s. All three of those settings and perspectives are endlessly fascinating on their own. But told in Lorde's characteristic sharp and lyrical voice, they are made even more engrossing.

In this memoir, Audre Lorde doesn't hold back. Rather, she shares all the details - good and bad. Lorde frankly discusses traumatic physical events sexual assaults and a brutal illegal abortion. She also beautifully and achingly describes the emotional aspects of her life: her difficult relationship with her mother, the loss of a close childhood friend, and, later, the crumbling of her first long-term relationship.

Overall, I really enjoyed learning about the early development of Audre Lorde's brilliant mind. After reading Zami, it became clear to me how Lorde's trifold outsider status (Black, lesbian, leftist) shaped her life and her writing. I am now very eagerly anticipating reading her essay collection, Sister Outsider, at some point in the near future!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Lesbophobia, and Toxic relationship

carly_they_themsen's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

3.5

[march 2022]
i have to read this again cause a lot if it went over my head. i read this as part of a book club but no one else showed up the week we read this book :[ 
still i thought it was really iconic and there were several passages like the part with the milk bottles, and the last chapter, and the part at the factory with the x ray machines, all really made an impression on me and im going to try to read it again when i am smarter so i can appreciate it more
[june 2023]
i had the chance to return to this book a year later, after reading sister outsider, and got to discuss it with a different book club. in many ways i enjoyed it even more this time. i appreciated her description of her relationship with her mom, and the meaning of the title and the polyamory stuff that comes up at the end of the book was clearer also. i was also able to enjoy the poetry and the language more this time (: 
going to stick with a 3 star rating, which i think is as high as ill go with memoir (other than in the dream house, which is kinda of different and doesn't count). to some extent, much of what i worried i didn't get on the first read was actually just kinda of boring/ cliche, ene though there was also a ton i appreciated much better.
audre lorde is based! please read this : )

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion

Moderate: Child abuse, Xenophobia, Rape, Racism, Sexual violence, and Homophobia

waytoomanybooks's review

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

I’m so grateful that I was assigned this book in my Contemporary Queer Literature class. I have been meaning to read the works of Audre Lorde for a while, and I’m so glad I finally read Zami. It contains some of the most beautiful, thoughtful, challenging, descriptive prose I’ve ever read. It’s both deeply personal and deeply relatable in many aspects. Lorde leaves no stone unturned as she looks back at her life in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. We learn lessons right alongside her, and she is an excellent teacher and storyteller. This is an absolute must-read for anyone who wants to know more about queer history, Black history, feminism, and so much more. Her deep-dives into intersectionality are invaluable. You won’t be able to put this book down.

Please heed all the many, many content warnings I and others have tagged. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Body shaming, Lesbophobia, Abortion, Death, Fatphobia, Bullying, Classism, Infidelity, Grief, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Homophobia, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Self harm, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, and Suicide attempt

lily1304's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

Filled me with gratitude for queer elders and ancestors. It is such a gift to love women.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Suicide, Racism, Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Alcoholism

Description of a burn injury from boiling water

skudiklier's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Absolutely beautiful. I can't think of any nonfiction book I've highlighted/underlined so much in before. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time, and definitely want to read more of her work as soon as possible. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness