Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee

18 reviews

thechroniclesofsiania's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Mental illness

fernakat's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Racism

novella42's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

5.0

Powerful. It's always so heartbreaking to me that I can read a graphic novel in two hours, that took the author/illustrator a FIFTH of their life to create. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Racism, and Domestic abuse

bonnie's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Suicide attempt

lana_duca's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism

lingfish7's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

4.0

📖A beautifully illustrated graphic memoir about growing up the daughter of a Korean immigrant family. I personally love hearing stories about the Asian experience because 1) I am part Asian and 2) it’s often overlooked in light of racism against blacks. The “model minority” stereotype has done a lot of harm to Asians. Assuming every Asian person is Chinese is also hurtful. This book was powerfully written, because it showcases the constant feelings of being in between. Not fully Korean and not fully American; feeling othered and like an outcast in both cultures. In other words, “in limbo.” 

 

⚠️TW: suicide attempts, self-harm, domestic violence and abuse, racism 

 

This book covers the author’s life from freshman year of high school up through graduation. It contains flashbacks to middle school or early years. The author has a tumultuous relationship with her Korean mother, whose expectations are unrealistic and arbitrary. Her mother sometimes becomes violent and harmful. There is a constant theme of how society perceives mental illness. Deb’s mother perceives it as shame for the family and something to blame on the victim. The culture at Deb’s high school views mental illness as something to gossip about. There is not a single time (besides in therapy) where Deb actually has someone reach out to her in her pain and hurting, free of judgment and shame. 

 

In Limbo is heartbreaking and hopeful, showcasing the unique experience of being a Korean immigrant as well as what it’s like to deal with mental illness and suicidal thoughts in the midst of that feeling of “otherness.” This book took me about an hour or two to read, and I found myself immersed in both the drawings and the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Emotional abuse

laurafrances's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Suicide attempt

clarabooksit's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

Absolutely stunning art. The way Lee fully fleshes out backgrounds, filling them up, and the use of space on the page are gorgeous. Sadly, the story fell flat for me. The narrative was too choppy and major themes never felt fully formed, just fragments of Lee’s formative years. While this didn’t quite work for me, I’ll definitely still check out more of Lee’s work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racism, Suicide, and Mental illness

Moderate: Violence

nlreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

befrazzledenby's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.5

Slow start and a little too low contrast illustrations to warrant 5 stars, but other than that, man this was a good, meaningful, very relatable graphic novel. Lee tells her story with grace and vulnerability with some really lovely, perfectly-fit illustrations. I'm happy to have this in YA (but please check the content warnings before reading)!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts