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hannah_and_her_stories's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Dysphoria, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Drug use, and Self harm
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Rape
Minor: Cancer
mscalls's review against another edition
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
ktkeps's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Medical content, Sexual content, and Transphobia
criticalgayze's review against another edition
5.0
Even more affecting here for the artist and art-inclined among us, Emezi gives a sense of transparency that is often lacking in the business of the arts that can feel so intimidating, especially to historically marginalized creators. To that end, Emezi weaves in a level of knowledge and advice that is reminiscent of such workbook memoirs as You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero and Minority Leader by Stacey Abrams.
This work also bolsters what I have come to find about my own reading life. What seems to leave the greatest impact on me as a reader are works of memoir, auto-, and experimental fiction by Queer creators. Works that Queer the space of writing while being Queer themselves, and works that peel back the exterior and interior process of creation that help me access that space within myself. (Now to take Emezi's advice and start letting that inspire, instead of intimidate!)
Quotes:
I tell him that my search for somewhere to be is really a search for self, and the only self I feel at home with is one that doesn't exist, not anymore, one that's bee taken apart, whipped into dust. (2)
The magician tells me that other people can't do what I do, and maybe I believe him a little, but that's not the point. People can do such spectacular things if you forget to tell them it's impossible. I want them to try. (22)
Illusions are the best things to burn, I think, but some people consider such fires to be threats, and those who start them even worse. (24)
People would read Freshwater and speculate about what my career would have looked like after starting with a book so bold. I would be less of a threat, they wouldn't hesitate to call the book what it was - not the way they do when you're alive and young, Black and pretty and fucking talented, and you don't pretend like you don't know all of this. (30)
I am, at once, the person most bent on my death and the person most successful at keeping me alive; even the devil won't take me. (44)
So, you could just show a terrible thing and let the showing be the strength of it? I thought it was brilliant. (77)
'I stood at the border, stood at the edge, and claimed it as central,' you said, your voice weighted with intent. 'Claimed it as central and let the rest of the world move over to where I was.' (77)
You should see my centers, Ms. Morrison. They're glorious. They pull with the force of a planet and I'm patient; it's only a matter of time. (80)
The rules are clear, no matter the stakes: when anyone fucks with the work, burn them to the ground. (87)
Everything advances, mutates, we are in new worlds constantly (154)
It gets so ugly, this thing of punishing other for prioritizing their well-being over reassuring insecurities. (206)
It's never too late - that's a human lie of time, there is no late, there is mostly now because now is so flexible, I find. You can change a whole life, a whole world, inside of a now. (213)
'You write when you are most fragile, because you're changing from one form to another. These transformations and transmutations that take place - it has to be painful.' (227)
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Medical content, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, Transphobia, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, and Cursing
Minor: Excrement
readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition
4.75
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
tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
Graphic: Transphobia, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Gore
Moderate: Cannibalism, Infidelity, and Racism
Minor: Sexual assault
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 against another edition
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
laurenleigh's review against another edition
4.5
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
merin_aran's review against another edition
3.0
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