Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir by Ashley C. Ford

27 reviews

twilightfan420's review against another edition

dark funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

5-star memoir alert! I enjoyed every page of this so much I risked getting horribly carsick to finish reading it on a road trip. The relationship with the author’s mother was so complex and expertly-detailed. I think Ford examined the multiplicity of what it means to be family in an enlightening way; the concept of unconditional love shone through the entire narrative and manifested very different through Ford’s individual relationships. I think Ford writes sexual trauma in an extremely conscious yet evocative way. I could feel her pain through  the writing but I could also feel her strength. As a survivor myself, I felt seen and empowered at the same time as Ford reckoned with her own experiences and the narrative she’d been told about her father throughout the work. Also, the way it the story was told starting and ending at the same point was so beautifully done. It felt wrapped up but still realistic in a way that many narrative nonfiction cannot capture.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, and Violence

Minor: Animal death

anger566's review

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Child abuse

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Death

Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Pregnancy

paperbacksandvinyl's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Violence

Moderate: Death and Cancer

carmenvillaman's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Rape

sydna_lowe's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

It’s hard to give someone’s personal experiences a rating. Ashley C. Ford is clearly a fantastic writer who has lived through so much. But what I didn’t like about this book were:

1. the way it was falsely advertised (hardly touched on her experiences with her father)
2. the lack of structure. This was clearly just stream of conscience memories without much of a flow.

I think memoirs just aren’t really my thing. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Violence and Rape

karaswils's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

“I didn’t want anyone to be a villain, and I didn’t want anyone to be a hero or a savior.” This statement perfectly encapsulates the way Ashley C. Ford depicts her most formative and heart-wrenching childhood, adolescent, and young adult experiences in Somebody’s Daughter: A Memoir. Everyone in the book gets a fair shake from Ford’s perspective, including her father who served 25 years in prison, and her violent and vivacious mother who raised her. 

The content warnings for this book are about a mile long, but nothing is gratuitous or sensationalized—it is simply honest, and even kind and sympathetic at points. Furthermore, Ford is able to clearly articulate the motivations, perceptions, and disappointments that everyone in the memoir feels, especially her and the people who raised her. But she still keeps her perspective and truth front and center, and thus the love, heartbreak, and truth in her story shine through. 

Ashley C. Ford is an excellent narrator as well as writer. I highly recommend the audio version of this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Rape, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Cursing

Moderate: Death, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Miscarriage

Minor: Medical content and Fire/Fire injury

mcomp's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Violence

travelseatsreads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

3.0

I picked up Somebody's Daughter knowing absolutely nothing about Ashley C. Ford, who she was or what she had achieved. I picked up the book based on the marketing/blurb which described a memoir based on Ashley's childhood, upbringing and her relationship with her father.

Firstly, this is only my opinion of my engagement with the book as a piece to be consumed and does not diminish or cast judgement on Ashley's own lived experience.

For me this book was great to a point, but left far too much unanswered. Of course this is Ashley's memoir so it it ultimately her right what to include or exclude but I feel the marketing of this book left the reader expecting elements that weren't discussed.

Ashely bravely discusses her rocky relationship with her mother, her traumatic rape and her general life once she leaves home and this is where the book shines.

Overall I found it to be deeply interesting but I finished it with so many questions and felt Ashley maybe had more to say. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Terminal illness

nibs's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

3.75

As I now see from the title, this book is about family; Ashley, her mother, her father and her grandmother. Its about how sometimes you need to step away to find yourself and learn to stand on your own two feet. 

The ending makes me think of my family. We are close. It became stifling, but once I left and then chose to come back,a different person from experience, I gained a new appreciation of them and geographical closeness. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Violence and Panic attacks/disorders

questingnotcoasting's review

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Terminal illness, and Death

Moderate: Grief and Violence