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bites_of_books's reviews
761 reviews
What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
A very necessary book, it gives language to things that I didn't realize needed it.
The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disadvantaged Students by Anthony Abraham Jack
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
The personal impact of this book for myself is massive. I was a recipient of the Questbridge scholarship to attend Scripps College with basically a full ride. Coming from a low income household to a private, liberal arts college, was a challenge in ways that I didn't even register at the time.
The Privileged Poor highlights the challenges that students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and enter elite institutions with little to no preparation for what they will face. These challenges aren't just academic, they are cultura, financial, and even related to mental and physical health. I loved that this book features the stories of real student experiences while explaining how various policies by elite institutions try to help but sometimes fail to do so.
The author also goes on to mention how he was able to give these perspectives to the institutions that he was investigating in order to make a difference for current and future students. While this book was published in 2019 and I graduated in 2016, I felt validated with a lot of what he writes about and it also gave me language to be able to express how I felt during my college years. It definitely gave me a lot of food for thought and reflection.
I am looking forward to reading his other works and hopefully institutions, parents, and students (prospective, current, and prior) can read this book to be able to gain that perspective and be able to make students' experiences better.
The Privileged Poor highlights the challenges that students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and enter elite institutions with little to no preparation for what they will face. These challenges aren't just academic, they are cultura, financial, and even related to mental and physical health. I loved that this book features the stories of real student experiences while explaining how various policies by elite institutions try to help but sometimes fail to do so.
The author also goes on to mention how he was able to give these perspectives to the institutions that he was investigating in order to make a difference for current and future students. While this book was published in 2019 and I graduated in 2016, I felt validated with a lot of what he writes about and it also gave me language to be able to express how I felt during my college years. It definitely gave me a lot of food for thought and reflection.
I am looking forward to reading his other works and hopefully institutions, parents, and students (prospective, current, and prior) can read this book to be able to gain that perspective and be able to make students' experiences better.
Where The Streets Had A Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Beautiful, heartbreaking, hilarious, stressful, I truly went through a roller coaster of emotions with this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Police brutality, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
I just didn't care about this man or knowing his history and potentially hearing excuses for his behavior.
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
I don't have much interest in the characters and overall it's written in a very dry and boring way for me.
Tongueless by Lau Yee-Wa
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A harrowing story about the education system in Hong Kong and the effects on the people who live there. Teachers who have to adapt constantly to a curriculum taught in multiple languages, students who struggle to follow the changes, society who fights against some changes while welcoming others. It's a complex story with morally grey characters, heartbreaking situations, and provides a lot of important perspectives on what it means to live in Hong Kong as both a resident and foreigner.
I'd recommend it only if you're into really dark stories that peel back layers of a complex society and look deep into its darkest corners.
I'd recommend it only if you're into really dark stories that peel back layers of a complex society and look deep into its darkest corners.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
French Windows by Antoine Laurain
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
A quick and short mystery thriller told by a therapist as he starts having sessions with a new patient. This woman seems to have issues with her career and so he gives her an assignment to observe her neighbors. It's all very mysterious and some of the stories about the neighbors I didn't like much but it all makes more sense in the end.
Pretty close to 3 stars but not quite enough for that.
Pretty close to 3 stars but not quite enough for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
Body Kintsugi by Senka Marić
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Just like a piece of ceramics that was broken and put back together, this short novel is told in small chapters with short and matter-of-fact sentences filled with beautiful language that evokes the feelings that the main character is experiencing as she learns that she has breast cancer and all the treatments that she must endure.
As someone who works in the cancer field, I always appreciate a book that can give me perspective on what patients are going through. This one does that and more! It also goes into themes of self-perception, self-love, identity, and perseverance. Ideas about gender and what womanhood means bloom from this book.
I'm quite surprised that even though it's only 165 pages long, there are nuanced and deep ideas about illness, womanhood, time, life, and death. I particularly loved the chapters where Amazon warriors come to her in dreams, beautiful, powerful, and thought inducing.
I'd highly recommend!
As someone who works in the cancer field, I always appreciate a book that can give me perspective on what patients are going through. This one does that and more! It also goes into themes of self-perception, self-love, identity, and perseverance. Ideas about gender and what womanhood means bloom from this book.
I'm quite surprised that even though it's only 165 pages long, there are nuanced and deep ideas about illness, womanhood, time, life, and death. I particularly loved the chapters where Amazon warriors come to her in dreams, beautiful, powerful, and thought inducing.
I'd highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Squire by Nadia Shammas
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
An excellent graphic novel that tells the story of young Aiza, a girl of Ornu background, who dreams of becoming a knight someday. However, her people are heavily discriminated against so she must hide that part of herself if she wants to be accepted by those around her as she starts training to first become a squire. She has only learned of the honor and benefits of joining the army and we follow as she starts to learn the truth about what being in that army entails.
This is a story of learning about history, the way that it is told to the masses, and the consequences of only hearing one side of history for all your life. It is about asking questions and being open to change.
I highly recommend this story, I hope to read more from Alfageeh and Shammas soon.
This is a story of learning about history, the way that it is told to the masses, and the consequences of only hearing one side of history for all your life. It is about asking questions and being open to change.
I highly recommend this story, I hope to read more from Alfageeh and Shammas soon.
Sarao: Historias Mexicanas LGBTIQ+ by Rob Hernández
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Una compilación de historias escritas por personas de la comunidad LGBTIQ+, desde historias horríficas de violencia a otras que me llegaron directo al corazón.
Ame leer estas historias, creo que son muy necesarias para la comunidad LGBTIQ+, y para mi fue terapéutico y de mucho valor leer estas experiencias desde el punto de vista de la cultura Mexicana.
Ame leer estas historias, creo que son muy necesarias para la comunidad LGBTIQ+, y para mi fue terapéutico y de mucho valor leer estas experiencias desde el punto de vista de la cultura Mexicana.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Grief, Outing, Dysphoria, and Pandemic/Epidemic