Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones

51 reviews

fanchera's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

---

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!

---

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

julian7's review

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Racism, and Homophobia

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Animal death

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."

---

Content Warnings

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

april0686's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, and Homophobia

Moderate: Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Sexual content

lira_the_recluse's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

rachelreadthis's review against another edition

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual assault

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! 

---

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

mazeeee's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.25

incredibly moving. grief is such a bitch. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Grief, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Bullying, Homophobia, and Death of parent

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

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.

---

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