Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho

7 reviews

natnat033105's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

4.5

---

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

kshertz's review

dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

4.0

This book is excellent. For sure it’s a thesis that became a book. It’s in a weird in between but it somehow works. Her mother’s story alone is captivating. It’s so interesting to have it through the lens of food. I would’ve loved more of the food and culture references. It was super fascinating to think about schizophrenia for women that are older as well. There’s a compelling story here about medication for mental health throughout the years that could almost be a second book. it can be dark at times but I think it’s super informative and important

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, War, Physical abuse, Bullying, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Eating disorder, Medical content, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Violence

scarlett_f's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Eating disorder, Grief, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Vomit, and War

tayloraa12's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

---

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

erebus53's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.25

I think that memoirs, in general, tend to be self-indulgent therapy pieces; that's not to say that they aren't valuable to society and one could argue that we have been inundated by memoirs of rich white men for generations, and we get something out of hearing the stories of a variety of different people. I'm going to admit that my opinion of this writing was coloured by an online review that I stumbled upon, that purports to have been submitted by the brother of the author. This gave me many complex feelings about the nature of telling Our Story, when it is basically the stories of the people we have been surrounded by and interacted with during our lives.

This is a story written primarily about a woman's personal investigation and fixation on learning about her mother, the Korean War, and intergenerational trauma of children of (for want of a less problematic term) mixed parentage living in small-town USA. As her mother is not literate, is schizophrenic, and is a trauma sufferer, much of the book was written around her, without consulting her, and without her having read it. In fact, the book was not published before her mother died. I could see how other family members might be angry at having been talked about or having the personal stories and vulnerable moments divulged as part of a story that is ultimately a saleable commodity, and without their permission.

Much of the book is written in the broad strokes of the Sociological lens, and has been pinned to an idea of a mother that the author could never fully know as an adult. I think that is a real feeling for many people who lose a parent young, and I know that personally I have continued learning more about my mother's context growing up, as I have aged myself. From my experience I agree that it's frustrating to not have that person in your life any more, when you are finally an adult. It's good that she managed to finally bond with her mother over the foods that had connection to her cultural influences. It's a little unfortunate that it feels like some of the conclusions that she expresses about her mother's experiences are conjecture, and fit a useful narrative while having little direct tie to who her mother was.

Wish I enjoyed the story more; wish I had learned more, but rather this was a harsh story about survivors of war and sexual exploitation, and a family that has all suffered because of an inability to overcome ingrained prejudices, mental illness, and the messiness of life. It's all a bit exhausting.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Misogyny, War, Grief, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Bullying, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Colonisation, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Pedophilia, and Racial slurs

ecn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Racism, Genocide, Sexual violence, Biphobia, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Murder, Police brutality, Violence, Rape, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Xenophobia, and Suicidal thoughts

atsundarsingh's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

I was so moved by this book, and learned so many things - about Korea, schizophrenia, US imperialism. I wish more memoirs like this came out more often, but the truth is, that is likely impossible, because the singular honesty and carefulness with which Cho crafted her story isn't something that just rolls off people easily. Heartily recommend, and I will totally be finding ways to weave this into my teaching and recommendations. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Bullying, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Classism, Death of parent, Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Trafficking, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Suicide attempt