Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir by Ashley C. Ford

14 reviews

hannahcstocks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Rape, Grief, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Cancer, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Physical abuse, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Stalking, Sexism, and Misogyny

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

twilightfan420's review against another edition

dark funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

5-star memoir alert! I enjoyed every page of this so much I risked getting horribly carsick to finish reading it on a road trip. The relationship with the author’s mother was so complex and expertly-detailed. I think Ford examined the multiplicity of what it means to be family in an enlightening way; the concept of unconditional love shone through the entire narrative and manifested very different through Ford’s individual relationships. I think Ford writes sexual trauma in an extremely conscious yet evocative way. I could feel her pain through  the writing but I could also feel her strength. As a survivor myself, I felt seen and empowered at the same time as Ford reckoned with her own experiences and the narrative she’d been told about her father throughout the work. Also, the way it the story was told starting and ending at the same point was so beautifully done. It felt wrapped up but still realistic in a way that many narrative nonfiction cannot capture.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, and Violence

Minor: Animal death

ekmook's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Rape, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Stalking

Minor: Blood

bookworm_leilani's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Stalking, and Medical content

babeinlibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Rape, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Miscarriage, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Abortion and Adult/minor relationship

karaswils's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

“I didn’t want anyone to be a villain, and I didn’t want anyone to be a hero or a savior.” This statement perfectly encapsulates the way Ashley C. Ford depicts her most formative and heart-wrenching childhood, adolescent, and young adult experiences in Somebody’s Daughter: A Memoir. Everyone in the book gets a fair shake from Ford’s perspective, including her father who served 25 years in prison, and her violent and vivacious mother who raised her. 

The content warnings for this book are about a mile long, but nothing is gratuitous or sensationalized—it is simply honest, and even kind and sympathetic at points. Furthermore, Ford is able to clearly articulate the motivations, perceptions, and disappointments that everyone in the memoir feels, especially her and the people who raised her. But she still keeps her perspective and truth front and center, and thus the love, heartbreak, and truth in her story shine through. 

Ashley C. Ford is an excellent narrator as well as writer. I highly recommend the audio version of this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Rape, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Cursing

Moderate: Death, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Miscarriage

Minor: Medical content and Fire/Fire injury

adoras's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Animal death

Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, and Pregnancy

mmarlborough's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

This was my book club pick! It had been awhile since a memoir had been chosen and this sounded moving. I had also heard Ford talk on unladylikemedia podcast and found her very captivating. I always love a memoir by someone who’s life experience is so different than my own. 

The synopsis of this memoir fixates on Ashley’s relationship with her incarcerated father but this is just a small piece of this coming of age memoir. We learn about Ashley growing up poor within a fractured and abusive family, yet loving (if that makes any sense.) We are on a journey with her through puberty, self acceptance and growth. 

I really enjoyed Ford’s writing and look forward to her future work (I can’t believe this is a debut!) I will say that because this book is so short, it felt a little unfinished to me. I wanted more exploration on various points and relationships in her life (like her Father, her ex, and her husband.) Due to the brevity of the memoir, it made some of the transitions a little clunky IMO. But overall I’m glad I read this memoir and it was eye opening and thought provoking. 

⚠️Trigger Warning: Child Abuse, Rape, Pedophilia, Racist Micro-aggressions 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Animal death, Pedophilia, Racism, and Sexual assault

ladymirtazapine's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Rape, and Stalking

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Panic attacks/disorders

veronicats's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Oh my God. 
 I don't read a lot of memoirs or non fiction in general these days, but I am SO glad I read this. I smiled a lot, I cried, I was thinking about passages and phrases and quotes from it for hours afterwards. 
 I think this is hit so close because she talks about her relationships with her parents. The emotionally absent mother and physically absent father are figures I know only too well. She said so many things I've thought but could never articulate. 
 I recommend this to everyone. It is so, so good. So powerful. I know I'll be coming back to things I read in this book a LOT. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Death, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Medical content, and Mental illness

Minor: Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, and Stalking