Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler

17 reviews

throwback682's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I have no idea how to describe this book. In short, it's a memoir told through the lens of dense scientific info about sea creatures. But that’s…. nowhere near accurate or at least nowhere near adequate. 

Perhaps it’s a string of long strange similes that forces you to re-examine your assumptions about both marine life and humans. 

How does a book flow seamlessly from Lorena Bobbitt to Brock Turner to dead whales to immortal jellyfish? From strap-ons to gender dysphoria to biracial identities to crabs huddled together on the edge of a volcanic vent at the bottom of the ocean? From mother octopuses starving to death for their babies to alcoholism to rape? From the NYC dyke march and the queer history of a tuberculosis hospital to  cuttlefish camouflage? It shouldn’t all be able to fit in one book but it does and it’s spectacular. Example: at one point they perform a necropsy on an early queer relationship after a breakup. 

I had to take breaks during some of the heavier subject matter and you should definitely check the trigger warnings but for me it was well worth the pain. What a brilliant piece of art. The synergy of all the myriad pieces of this book is extremely powerful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, War, Xenophobia, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

TW: victim blaming, sexual assault

The author (they/them) describes incidents of a sexual nature and struggles to categorize them as consensual or assault due to their heavy drinking.

TW: gender dysphoria

They describe parts of their body that make them feel dysphoric, things that help the dysphoria (binding), and things that make them feel euphoric (masculine clothes, packing, the word “boyfriend”).

TW: harm to animals This book deals heavily with marine life in the wild as well as marine science.

There is discussion of human experimentation on marine life, including intentionally hurting or killing animals through various methods. Examples include killing a fish to study it further, and doing various things to traumatize a jellyfish to induce a certain reaction. There’s also discussion of animals eating each other etc.

oversherin's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

Really lovely personal essays spun with interesting informative essays about sea creatures I have never heard of! I loved that the author spent a lot of time on uncharismatic sea creatures. I enjoyed the ending with personal narratives of the "multiple lives" from several queer people, but I did wish there was a final note from the author tying things together. Ultimately, some sections were incredibly moving and insightful and will stick with me. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder, Xenophobia, and Sexual assault

tiffanyjeannine's review against another edition

4.0

Great collection of essays mixing personal experiences with a sea creature’s own experience. The way the stories parallel one another was masterful. The animal stories were fascinating. I feel like I need to go watch a nature documentary or two. I also need to check out the physical copy to see the illustrations I missed out on. Definitely check trigger warnings. Things get heavy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Fatphobia, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Classism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Homophobia

creatingavery's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Rape, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Racism

phathaway's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Man, this book. It's a series of essays on the author's life, correlated with a different sea creature. Author is NB, but socially raised as a woman who definitely experienced comphet and I understand so much of their story as a late-in-life lesbian. Just such a beautiful read and I would definitely recommend it to any late-in-life or questioning queer. 

I also love how she really put her struggles about her body out there.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Hate crime, Misogyny, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Grief, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Rape, Racism, Xenophobia, and Fatphobia

julianairving's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

fellowshipofthebroom's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Dysphoria, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual content, Racism, and Xenophobia

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Grief, Sexual assault, and Animal death

Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia

eicart_reads's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective

4.25

Engrossing, thoughtful essays that combine fascinating stories about sea creatures with reflections on the author's life as a queer, biracial person. The parallels that they draw are creative and compelling. I inhaled this on audio, read by the author.


CW:
I did not realize that this would contain so much material about the author, so I would not have considered content warnings. But there are some major ones: dieting, body shaming (by self and others), drug use, alcohol use, blacking out from alcohol use, non-consensual sex (inability to recall consent in some cases -- because blacking out from alcohol use), underage non-consensual sex.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Dysphoria, Body shaming, and Drug use

Moderate: Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Animal death

includes talk about blacking out with alcohol use and sex with dubious/can't remember consent while blacked out

fernreads42's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Xenophobia, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship