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Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'
The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting: The Tragedy and The Glory of Growing Up by Evanna Lynch
36 reviews
holliejoy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Medical trauma, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Bullying, Medical content, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Mental illness, and Self harm
vangoph's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
i finished this book & immediately started reading it again - this book made me feel crazy!! I’ve never felt so seen reading a book. Evanna went right into my head, stole some of my most shameful thoughts, & put them in this damn book.
love that the trigger warnings are in the beginning of the book - do NOT take those warnings lightly.
love that the trigger warnings are in the beginning of the book - do NOT take those warnings lightly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, and Body shaming
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Medical content
aichie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Infertility, Self harm, Body shaming, and Eating disorder
lotta_8's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
An emotional read and opportunity to learn more about the history of this wonderful actress, writer and activist. Not an easy read, contentwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Chronic illness, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
silver_lining_in_a_book's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
'It will get easier’ is probably the most offensive thing you can say to someone in the grip of pain. You are borrowing from a future that isn’t promised, a future that depends entirely on their endurance of the pain. You are taking for granted a well of strength within them that they may not possess, fast-forwarding through the ugly bits that you don’t want to watch but they must live through, nonetheless. ‘It will get easier’ is not a helpful thing to say to someone for whom only the present moment can exist, so vivid, so intense that it’s not possible to imagine a moment beyond it. The future doesn’t matter to someone enduring an unimaginable pain, so let’s not entertain that childish fantasy. All that matters is the pain that is consuming you in this moment, that you grit your teeth and try to survive it. You invalidate the pain and the damage it inflicts when you hasten to skip past it to a brighter tomorrow. Sometimes things are just unremittingly shit and the only respectful thing to do is to stand next to the person going through it and scream along with them.
Words cannot express how seen Evanna managed to make me feel through the retelling of her own hardships, but I know that had I read this book even a year earlier, it would not have been beneficial for my mental health at the time. Although, Evanna takes great care to be sensitive in regards to the topics she discusses, this is to its core an honest and raw depiction of mental health disorders and the process of growing up. Evanna can at times be painfully cruel to herself and she appears to feel little shame in portraying the way she acted during the toughest times in her life, which - while making this book very valuable and unique - at times makes this book very difficult to read.
Overall, I love the courage the author has shown in writing this book and, at least for me, this is a very very valuable memoir.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Medical trauma, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Medical content, Body shaming, and Forced institutionalization
lisab11's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I think this is one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. Evanna’s writing is beautiful (I hope there is some fiction from her in the future!) and tells her story in a raw, moving yet ultimately hopeful way. My heart broke for her over and over again and I commend her for the courage required to tell this story. It made me reflect on the treatment of eating disorders and the massive need for integrative treatment. There are plenty of Harry Potter anecdotes for fans like me and as someone who adores Evanna’s portrayal of Luna Lovegood I found myself moved by her passion for bringing this character to life.
I highly recommend this but would encourage you to make sure you’re in a stable place and to take breaks where required.
I highly recommend this but would encourage you to make sure you’re in a stable place and to take breaks where required.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Self harm
chassard's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
This could be potentially super triggering so proceed with caution for sure, but I really enjoyed it! I love that she was able to take control of the narrative after all these years and put her truth out there. I really resonated with some of these experiences, but got a new perspective on others. The disordered thinking and motivations that go along with the eating were something I never really understood before. It was educational and gripping, with some of that Harry Potter magic sprinkled in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Body shaming
Moderate: Fatphobia, Confinement, Dysphoria, and Self harm
lotta_8's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Moving autobiography by Evanna about her struggles with depression and eating disorders. Definitely not an easy read but a prevalent issue. Informative and well-written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Mental illness, Body shaming, and Eating disorder
rosaryoleander's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This is one of the most traumatic books I have ever read and for that reason, I could not possibly recommend it to someone unprepared. And yet I feel like I must recommend it to fathers wondering about the inner workings of their teenage daughters, to women who grew up. Because this book recounts with agonising accuracy the feeling of being young, of bridging that gap between childhood and adolescence, and the utter hopelessness of realising the dreadful loss of innocence.
Evanna Lynch explores the absolute darknesses of the human soul, of the malignant self hatred of feeling worthless, and she does it without sympathy and pity for herself, but with a shrewd, cold, cruel analysis of her younger self. There are no frills to this story. It is dark and disturbing and heartbreaking to hear how much one so seemingly lovely hated herself.
But that is the brilliance, because that us what evokes the memory of those places in oneself.
This book is not an easy read. But it has heart, and hope and understanding of the self, and in the end there is grace. It may not be wonderful, but it is essential.
Evanna Lynch explores the absolute darknesses of the human soul, of the malignant self hatred of feeling worthless, and she does it without sympathy and pity for herself, but with a shrewd, cold, cruel analysis of her younger self. There are no frills to this story. It is dark and disturbing and heartbreaking to hear how much one so seemingly lovely hated herself.
But that is the brilliance, because that us what evokes the memory of those places in oneself.
This book is not an easy read. But it has heart, and hope and understanding of the self, and in the end there is grace. It may not be wonderful, but it is essential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Medical content, Body shaming, Body horror, Eating disorder, Self harm, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse
alexiasophii's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.75
"We’re afraid that if we show these ugly, unpalatable parts of ourselves, it will be too much for others; that nobody will love and accept us, and we’ll be left alone with only the worst parts of ourselves for company."
"And I decide, now, in this moment, that I want it; I want this body. I want to inhabit her, enjoy her, care for her, and defend her in this world. And I no longer want to be yet another voice telling her she’s disgusting or embarrassing or inadequate or too much. I want to be one of those arresting voices of love and compassion, to offer her a space where she can go to restore, to feel safe, to grow."
WOW.
This book is profound, gut-wrenching, and transformative. Evanna's warning at the beginning of the book is true, the book focused about 80 or 90% of it on the eating disorder aspects. It is very graphic what Evanna went through. A good part of the book, and that I enjoyed, is that Evanna does not mention weights or calories or any of those things. As she says, eating disorders feed on the "achievements" and on measuring against other people. Learning how much other people weigh, especially at the lowest point of their battle, is not empathic, it is competitive. And it is not helpful to anyone. I particularly enjoyed how Evanna explains her journey and shows that healing is not linear, but a series of battles and fights, up and downs, wins and losses.
This book is definitely not good for people who struggle with eating disorders, especially anorexia or bulimia. Be careful of Evanna's first Author's Note, she is being very sincere and direct in her warnings.
Overall, I loved this book. I truly did. And I think it sparked something transformative in me and I will come back to it several times in the future.
"And I decide, now, in this moment, that I want it; I want this body. I want to inhabit her, enjoy her, care for her, and defend her in this world. And I no longer want to be yet another voice telling her she’s disgusting or embarrassing or inadequate or too much. I want to be one of those arresting voices of love and compassion, to offer her a space where she can go to restore, to feel safe, to grow."
WOW.
This book is profound, gut-wrenching, and transformative. Evanna's warning at the beginning of the book is true, the book focused about 80 or 90% of it on the eating disorder aspects. It is very graphic what Evanna went through. A good part of the book, and that I enjoyed, is that Evanna does not mention weights or calories or any of those things. As she says, eating disorders feed on the "achievements" and on measuring against other people. Learning how much other people weigh, especially at the lowest point of their battle, is not empathic, it is competitive. And it is not helpful to anyone. I particularly enjoyed how Evanna explains her journey and shows that healing is not linear, but a series of battles and fights, up and downs, wins and losses.
This book is definitely not good for people who struggle with eating disorders, especially anorexia or bulimia. Be careful of Evanna's first Author's Note, she is being very sincere and direct in her warnings.
Overall, I loved this book. I truly did. And I think it sparked something transformative in me and I will come back to it several times in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Vomit, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Gaslighting, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Panic attacks/disorders