Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

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

4 reviews

jessmbark's review

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

Though it was a slow start, this memoir has something for everyone and should serve as an inspiration for anyone who wants to write their own.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexism, Animal death, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Racism, and Abortion

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Fatphobia, Grief, Addiction, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Animal death, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Violence, and Blood

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

michaelion's review against another edition

emotional informative tense medium-paced

4.25

she, and i cannot stress this enough, just like me. fr. minus the dating white women. but the circumstances surrounding that and explanations? wow! she just like me! fr!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Ableism, Racial slurs, Child death, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Drug use, Abortion, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Self harm

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Fatphobia, Outing, Infidelity, and Animal death

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