Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones

37 reviews

fanchera's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Chronic illness, and Adult/minor relationship

mirandalikesbooks's review

challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

3.5

I've never read a memoir of someone who isn't a well-known public figure. It was interesting learning his story at this personal level of introspection.

I would read this if you're interested in the impact your family has on your identity; the intersectionality of being gay, black, and poor; or the struggle of figuring out how to act when the world is telling you to be someone else.

I guess I finished the book hoping for more resolution - why did his mom act cagey when he came out? How will he approach his relationship with his grandma? Will he learn how to be happy with himself and live authentically instead of approaching life the selfish and guarded way he approached his college years?

Overall a decent read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Grief, Alcohol, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death of parent, and Drug use

Minor: Animal death

hatchtag's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.75

I listened to the audiobook read by the author - highly recommend. This book was difficult to get through at times, in terms of content, empathy, and emotions it was triggering...but it was so, so worth it. Jones is a fabulous author with a story worth hearing. It was equal parts interesting due to the stories and the storytelling...he narrates so beautifully, toeing the line between classic narrative memoir and poetry. Whether or not you share identites with Saeed, you should consider reading is book, sitting with it, and letting it seep into your consciousness. I likely will re read (or re listen) in the future, which I almost never do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Racial slurs

Minor: Homophobia

decie's review

challenging emotional medium-paced

4.25

"I wish I had known that really, this was always how it was going to play out for the two of us one way or another precisely because my grandmother loved - loves - me. She tightened her grip until it became so painful that I had no choice but to yank myself free. 
People don't just happen. We sacrifice former versions of ourselves. We sacrifice the people who dared to raise us. The 'I', it seems, doesn't exist until we are able to say, 'I am no longer yours.'"

"And then I did exactly what I thought all people who love each other do: I changed the subject. I changed myself. I erased everything I had just said. I erased myself so I could be her son again."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, and Adult/minor relationship

someryarns's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Homophobia

dmwpg's review

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

When I was still on Twitter, I followed and always enjoyed Saaed’s takes and quips and all the other things Twitter is for, so when I saw his book at the library I felt compelled to pick it up 

This book is a beautiful look back on his life as a queer young man, about his relationship with his mother, about racism and homophobia and hurt and about love. His prose lets you know that he is a poet - so many turns of phrase that gave me pause and made me feel deeply - but it was still very accessible 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence

Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Violence

oddreads_nicolestins's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

I am simply wowed by this memoir! Jones literally has poured so much hurt and self-realization on the page, I was right there with him searching myself with the same questions! I really liked how he split it up in chapters, with years/months to guide us through his major moments/memories. But look, Saeed Jones really tore me up with this one. Especially the parts including his mother and grandmother- that weird place where you are technically estranged but still deeply interdependent, especially in times of financial or emotional distress. WHEW if you haven't read this and you're a memoir person like me, get your hands on it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Homophobia

Moderate: Medical content, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Bullying, Death of parent, and Sexual violence

Minor: Blood, Confinement, Car accident, Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Excrement, and Suicidal thoughts

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

This is gorgeous and poetic and so intimate. I'm excited to read more from Mr. Jones. It's a tough memoir to read - Jones has been through so much pain. An important display of the failure of our social systems too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Bullying, Grief, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Sexual content

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Death, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Medical content, Rape, Violence, Cursing, and Racism

Minor: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Classism

darkwillow's review

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Death, and Grief

amerikanerin's review

sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Death, Violence, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, and Homophobia