Reviews tagging 'Islamophobia'

Sick: A Memoir by Porochista Khakpour

3 reviews

lowbrowhighart's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Car accident, Alcohol, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Miscarriage, Self harm, and Islamophobia

krys_kilz's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

This book deals with A LOT of heavy topics (tw: suicidal ideation, addiction, medical trauma/gaslighting, toxic relationships), but not in a way that veers towards trauma porn. Instead Khakpour wades through the discomfort and the ableism and the expectation for sick people to remain out of sight and cracks open her pain and messiness and aliveness. She pulls back the facade of certainty and pulls apart the myth that health is stable and within our individual control. And all of this grounded in place and an incredibly engaging voice.

I found parts of the book a bit repetitive at times and the timeline could be a little difficult to follow, but overall I saw so many of my own experiences between these pages and I am so grateful to Khakpour for opening space for sick storytelling.

"At some point I questioned why I had for much of my life leaped from one person to another, with no end in sight. I'm not sure my conclusions are good, but I can tell you when the body feels out of place it will cling to anything that looks like life. Cities. homes. People. Lovers.
Love is the only good way many of us know how to feel alive.
And the ghost I so often was wanted badly to feel real. And the characters in this section can at least tell you I existed. They might not have thought of me much, but they can tell you I was real. Sometimes too real."

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Ableism, Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Racism, Rape, Xenophobia, Car accident, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Miscarriage, Islamophobia, and Self harm

ssreadsintranslation's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse