aecorsilva's reviews
108 reviews

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön

emotional reflective relaxing slow-paced

3.0

When we find ourselves in a mess, we don’t have to feel guilty about it. Instead, we could reflect on the fact that how we relate to this mess will be sowing the seeds of how we will relate to whatever happens next. We can make ourselves miserable, or we can make ourselves strong. The amount of effort is the same.

whilst i have a distinct and differing spiritual outlook in comparison to chödrön, i found her viewpoint to be informative and enlightening. whilst the book was often repetitive, the abstract natture of the ideas discussed meant this was a somewhat useful construction, and assisted in gaining more depth in my comprehension of what was discussed. i will note that, in contrast to the book's title, it deals far more with everyday difficulties (and some large-scale ones) as opposed to personal tragedy, which is what i was hoping for when i read it.

Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche by Ethan Watters

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informative medium-paced

4.75

watters takes the time to really guide you through an understanding of how psychiatric imperialism functions, and how it harms the nations it affects. an encompassing book that fully engages with its subject matter.

So Sad Today: Personal Essays by Melissa Broder

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emotional fast-paced

0.5

had to scrounge to find anything i liked about this book, BUT she gave a shoutout to the teens twice. as a teen, much appreciated. more authors should shoutout the teens.

Content Warnings

Good Girl: A Memoir by Sarah Tomlinson

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hopeful slow-paced

1.75

i really just wanted more from this book. it felt like it overshared constantly without ever really getting to any kind of depth or meaningful insight. idk, i don't like being mean about memoirs but i needed something more here.

(i will say, i hope the author has found a place of happiness and comfort within herself and her relationships with those around her, be they family or friends.)

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

You simply get chills every time you see these poor individuals, so many of these people almost all of them that we see, are so poor, someone else said, and they are so black.

Have you seen their faces?

rankine discusses racism in america in a tone more mournful than i've ever heard. her ability to evoke emotion so skilfully is amazing. deeply profound and moving.

The Protest Psychosis: How Schizophrenia Became a Black Disease by Jonathan M. Metzl

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informative medium-paced

3.0

where it was good, it was great, but at parts i felt it needed more evidence or could have used some more clarity (particularly when it got too postmodern). still, the first part was excellent, there's some great use of primary sources, and i'm certainly not unhappy i read it.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

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dark sad slow-paced