linkalipski's reviews
298 reviews

The End of Trauma: How the New Science of Resilience Is Changing How We Think About PTSD by George A. Bonanno

hopeful informative fast-paced

3.5

Well written and structured, however I don’t like his approach of resilience = opposite of PTSD and overall I don’t feel that he actually demonstrates what he promises in the title, that « resilience is changing how we think of PTSD ». I find that he precisely reinforces the idea that PTSD aren’t resilient when in fact they are, or they wouldn’t be alive anymore. 

His writing is not academic meaning it shows no critical thinking. There is no dissecting evidence to offer nuance interpretation or challenge current results. Instead this is a book to showcase his passion about his field of research in resilience. That’s great too but therefore one must exercise caution with what he advances.

My main reproach is that at no point did he mention sexual trauma, even though this is the kind of event most likely to trigger PTSD (see Kessler et al. 2017 research). He only addresses traumas that are not interpersonal in nature which actually have different PTSD risks levels and PTSD protective characteristics.

I also find that, in sharing about the flexibility mindset and approach, he ends up presenting it as THE model of resilience. In fact, at no point did he address what predicting portion does this model has. He is very passionate about his research of course and I just think he has a limited view about PTSD actual experience and that not all sources of it are equal. Ask any survivors of abuse and they’ll tell you getting over the physical abuse was easy, it’s dealing with the emotional abuse the hardest. His book doesn’t even addresses these sources of trauma. 

The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The book is a compelling read even though the ancient vocabulary can make it hard to read at times without a dictionary nearby. Mostly one can guess without a dictionary.

Characters all have very distinct personalities which I appreciate and the relationships are complex. For instance, Martha still hold some loyalty and kindness towards Agnes for whom she is a maid despite her being mean and unappreciative of her.  

I appreciated the symmetry of the story structure as it started and ended with Martha’s relationship to the poppet. I also think the story is well crafter as the story is a journey between two points.

Reading this as a woman is terrifying since these witch hunts did happen and people still create a great deal of unfair torture and killing using similar false logic where whatever argument you give is used to reinforce previous belief. 

The Sky Above the Roof by Nathacha Appanah

adventurous mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

We start with the teenager Wolf ending up in prison and the rest of the story explores the character of his mother and a little bit of a sister as a way to give context to that event.

The style both in writing and in story is very French: the kind of story where not much actually happens but is captivating and ground for reflections.

It is very character driven rather than plot driven and they do feel all relatable and likeable in their own way even though they are deeply fraught and incredibly unusual. 

I like that the story was framed with Wolf’s voice and two events, driving recklessly and landing in prison and the tribunal. 

Marina Tsvétaïéva, mourir à Elabouga: roman by Teresa Lavender Fagan, Vénus Khoury-Ghata

dark tense fast-paced

4.0

The second person feels like a letter directly addressed to her and at times, a choice to be accusatory 

The book starts with her suicide and then take us on her journey that led to that. I think it’s well structured.

The style is particular and poetic which helps be immersed in Marina’s life since she was herself a poet. The unusual style is not unpleasant.

I find Marina to be rather an unpleasant person to not say awful. She is rather selfish and devoid of morals (cheats on her partner) so I command her daughter (the only survivor) to have worked so hard to get her mother’s writing known.

All in all it’s a quick read and an interesting way to discover someone new and other ways to tell stories.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

2.75

I had a hard time remembering who is who because at least 3 characters had names starting with K making them hard to distinguish.

The writing felt a bit beginner and it’s hard to tell how much of that is because of the translation. Mostly the book tells you rather than shows you so one feels a little infantilised while reading.

The concept is lovely although I don’t understand how the rule that « going in the past cannot change the present » still allows for a letter from the past to be brought into the present. I liked the conclusion that the point of the chair is not that it will change the present but that characters are the ones who change.

The tone of the book is sweet but the story and characters haven’t stuck with me so I haven’t thought about the book when not reading. That said, it’s undeniably it’s own little world :)

Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

dark lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

The style is compelling that you want to keep on reading. Each chapter has a slight different style to capture the voice and internal world of the main character it’s focusing on.

However, I got lost with characters and who is who, especially if you get back to the book after a while. I’m not a fan of diving into random characters who seem to have some links together Linkedin style but not actually have a common storyline thread.

I originally wanted to know about Lucy Barton since she seemed to be the character of interest with some suggested trauma. But midway through the book, it seemed to move away from that intrigue.

Because of that, I’m not left satisfied with this book’s story despite how surprisingly enjoyable it was to read.

Une abeille suffit by Geneviève Boudreau

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-paced

2.75

The style is poetic throughout with a literary academic vocabulary and some quotes of other authors. Sentences are on the long side and favours the enumeration of descriptives. The poetry are without rhymes and its style is beyond my education level for me to comment on.

Picked by my friend for me based on the prompt « a book with a cover the other one would find pretty ». Indeed it’s pretty and I wish there were more of the author’s illustrations in it actually.

I am not educated enough in literature to appreciate this book since I’d have to check the dictionary for most words (including the insects terms) and can’t even name the style of poetry she does. I don’t believe this book is accessible to the average reader and it is likely targeting those well versed in literature.

Without visuals of all the plants and insects she mentions, it is hard to appreciate what she describes because there is no visualisation possible unless one interrupts their reading experience to checks ever single one. Hence, it wasn’t for me.

Change: How to Make Big Things Happen by Damon Centola

informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

This book does a great job at presenting crowd behaviour and psychology to everyone, regardless of scientific or academic background.

The style is not overly academic: every definition is well-explained, with a focus on the concepts rather than the methodology’s details

The book is well written and organised so transitions between concepts are smooths and we are not left overwhelmed by information.
A little redundant in place though, due to the intro-main-summary conclusion structure of each chapter. 

The author comes across like a well-balanced person, very passionate and capable to present the complexity of crowd science in palatable ways. Reading the book made me want to do research with him.

Personally, I’m left wanting more. This book was recommended by a french researcher in that field who shared experiment on his Youtube channel Fouloscopie. Therefore, the content of this book was covered in his detailed video so, while I’m glad I read a source, I also felt under stimulated by the familiar information. 
I long for the details of his methodology because we know the principles but not really how to apply them tangibly unless we go read his and others original studies (which I likely will).

I recommend the book, I think I wasn’t the target market that’s all :)

En finir avec la productivité: Critique féministe d'une notion phare du monde du travail by Laetitia Vitaud

informative reflective fast-paced

2.5

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75