Reviews tagging 'Death'

Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us by Rachel Aviv

8 reviews

nopebook's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Death, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Eating disorder

melissa_l_mcabee's review

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.75

This book may be the most impactful view on mental illness I have ever read. The lives and minds of the people she included spoke to the part of me that wonders if I'm the only one that feels the way I do. It was validating to see others perspectives and experiences. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcoholism, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, and Mental illness

This is a book about the impacts of mental illness on four very real people. If you don't want to read about the traumas that come with it, then this is not the book for you.

productioneer's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Racism, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, Confinement, and Child death

Minor: Death and Grief

mads_reads_books's review against another edition

informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Eating disorder

Moderate: Body shaming, Addiction, and Ableism

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Self harm, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Confinement, and Alcoholism

kellyofcali's review

2.25

While I found a lot of the content interesting, I found myself confused about the purpose of this book, beyond a strange sense of fear and awe about what the mind can go through. The author seemed to send mixed messages about treatment and medication. I preferred her personal anecdotes to her philosophizing, and in the end came away a bit unsatisfied.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Chronic illness

Moderate: Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Death

Minor: Pregnancy, Medical trauma, and Medical content

erint's review

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

A really excellent book. I appreciated how much time Aviv spent on each story, and the compassionate lens she brings to the subject. I really appreciated her focus on the way that the categorization and diagnosis of mental illness can impact how individuals experience it. I also appreciated the diverse lens and the focus on the impacts of social, cultural, and economic factors like poverty and racism impact both the development and experience of mental illness and the level of understanding and care that people receive. I also appreciated the sensitivity and care with which she discussed the idea of "recovery."

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Racism, Eating disorder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Self harm, Child death, Mental illness, and Chronic illness

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

lowbrowhighart's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness

Moderate: Self harm, Suicide, Grief, Sexism, Confinement, Dysphoria, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Fatphobia, Racism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Child death, Death, Body shaming, Medical content, and Pregnancy

kaylarose_'s review

informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

wow. this was a great and very sad book. this book offers a stark, dark, and necessary view of how psychiatry has dealt poorly with mental disorders over several decades. there is a question of how we provide those with mental disorders a quality life, one that doesn’t alienate and isolate the person, without completely over-medicating and numbing the person out. the book ends without hope, but throughout, rachel makes small notes of where psychiatry could do better… perhaps the hope lies in the listener, who- among the right gifts- may be able to change the narrative of serious mental disorders… I’ll never have the credentials to do that, but i will not reject an opportunity to hear people’s stories and know they have dignity and worth. what we certainly cannot do with this story is shrug.

p.s.
i found the telling of this story similar to how “how the other half eats”, where the book follows multiple individuals with a diversity of experiences with some sociological/psychological issue that unites them. i’ll read those kinds of books anytime :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder and Mental illness

Moderate: Eating disorder, Death, and Medical trauma