Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho

13 reviews

natnat033105's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Medical content, Slavery, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Body horror, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Chronic illness, Death, Racism, Grief, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Excrement

Minor: Abortion

kathrynjl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

In Tastes Like War, Grace Cho reflects on her mother’s life through their shared memories and experiences of food. This is a compelling and informative memoir that expertly situates Cho’s mother’s personal experiences in a broader cultural context of racism, misogyny, colonialism.

Reading this, it’s clear that Cho is an academic and a sociologist, but the book isn’t dense or overly theoretical. At times, I did find it hard to get through due to the sheer sadness and injustice in the story, but Cho’s details and descriptions are never gory or unnecessary. This book made me think, feel, and learn, so overall it’s a big recommend from me.

I read this book for The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge 2024 (prompt: a nonfiction book about food and/or drink).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Excrement, Genocide, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Racism, Slavery, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, War, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Sexism, Colonisation, and Death

booksybookbooks's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Mental illness, Grief, Genocide, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Death, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Abortion

tayloraa12's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Grief, and Racism

Moderate: Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and War

Minor: Rape, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Child abuse

pipn_t's review

Too many triggers for me, I’m afraid, but what I read so far was really well written.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Rape

sarahelem's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I read this and thought about my American education, and how roughly 10 minutes of my entire school career was dedicated to the Korean War's impact on citizens, and even less on Asian immigrants from Korea to the United States. 

This memoir is incredibly eye-opening, challenging at all points, but in my opinion, essential reading. We need to amplify these voices. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Child death, Xenophobia, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Racism, Excrement, Confinement, Chronic illness, Bullying, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, Colonisation, War, Violence, Sexism, Mental illness, Death, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Murder, and Grief

knenigans's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

Devastating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Body horror, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Colonisation, Eating disorder, Genocide, Grief, Bullying, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual violence

Moderate: Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Rape, Slavery, and War

xochilaz's review

dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Grace Cho wrote about her mothers fraught history with incredible sensitivity, i think. Her overall tone in this memoir is intimate yet informative, her voice guides you through a deeply personal history and experience of life as an immigrant. Cho presents the historical information in a way that is approachable and easy to follow, even if you're not familiar with the material. 
In all, this is a deeply touching love letter to maternal relationships and all women who have had to endure the unspeakable and came out the other side.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Colonisation, Grief, Racism, Suicide attempt, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Trafficking, Death of parent, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence

undisciplinedbeing's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I never thought this would be a rollercoaster of emotions when I picked this book out. This was so much needed after a reading slump, because on top of retelling of her mom's struggle, Grace slipped in a bit of research on history that I appreciate so much. I highly recommend this book :)

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Content Warnings

Minor: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Abandonment, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Medical content, Racism, Colonisation, Classism, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, and Xenophobia

parasolcrafter's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

as always, it's a tad bit odd for me to add my thoughts to a memoir and this one is especially hard because it not only deals with the author herself, but with the authors mother in a deeply intimate way. i cant even begin to imagine how hard it must have been to write this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Classism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Ableism, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, War, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Homophobia