Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

Indigno de ser humano by Osamu Dazai

43 reviews

historyoftape's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

This was hard to read, it was like watching someone sink into quicksand in slow motion. Fascinating, horrifying, depressing, cynical, at points slightly hopeful- haven't read anything like this in a long time.

Getting a look into the psyche of someone who cannot understand humanity, therefore struggles to define himself, defines himself as a monster and the watches himself become one, and in the end is just so incredibly human even while he believes himself not to be. That is what I would summarize this book to be, even though there is so much more. 

Read the trigger warnings though. Would not recommend this to anyone currently struggling with depression or suicidal ideation. I'd say I'm mentally doing well right now, don't know what this would have been like if I'd read it at other points in life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Pedophilia

It does not get better as you read. No happy ending.

hannah_go03's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

demonyuki's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

sandstromej's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

lifepath7's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Confinement

andrea_lachance's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Definately need to reread this one.

Dazai’s No Longer Human is an inside look into one man’s deeply flawed psyche. Set in 1930’s Japan the book is framed as three notebooks written by the main character, Yozo, that were given to the narrator/author.

The book itself is comprised of a prologue, the three notebooks covering three periods of Yozo’s life, and an epilogue.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that captures just how isolating and depersonalizing mental illness and social isolation can make a person feel. That being said, it’s not a book I’d recommend for someone who’s going through a major depressive episode.

Philosophically, there are a lot if interesting ideas. Yozo has difficulties understanding why people need structure and rhythm in their days and understanding other peoples emotions. Yozo especially has a difficult time reading women, and finds them unknowable.

Reading from Yozo’s point of view makes me feel both empathy and annoyance. Yozo feels he is uniquely, extremely burdened with ‘The Weight of it All’ and doubts that other humans think or feel the same things because if they did, they would not walk around as happy as they are. It’s makes me feel really sad, because I’ve been there, but I also feel like Yozo is conceited (the way that men have to have a drug trip to experience empathy and ego death and think they’re experiencing something novel when every girl has felt that way since 14).

Yoko strikes me as a pessimistic existentialist (“nothing matters” but in the worst way possible) and he just can’t get out of that mindset and it taints everything in the world.

In a way, I think this book speaks to the importance of NOT thinking this way, of NOT isolating yourself. Yoko goes down this really awful and intense spiral because he just can’t get out of his head and can’t connect with people. That’s not entirely his fault, but it’s why he can’t seem to bounce back..

I’d be remiss to say Yoko could pull himself up from depression if he just got out of his head. That’s bullshit. Yoko’s experienced SEVERAL traumas throughout his life that have severely impacted his ability to connect with others, and he was never given any real help.

This could serve as a critique of how Japan at the time dealt with treating the mental health of children at the time (i.e not at all, or extremely stigmatized).

This critique of Japan’s mental healthcare system comes up again at the end of the third notebook, when Yoko is institutionalized. Once he is, he says he is “disqualified as a human being. I had now ceased to be a human being” (167). BRO. It was so heavily stigmatized to be institutionalized, that Yoko was ‘othered’ and became ‘no longer human’. That’s insane. And that’s exactly how Japan treated people who needed help.

And worse, after being institutionalized, Yoko lived the rest of his life in isolation, away from family, in a house that was falling apart with a caretaker who abused him.

He always said he was a terrible person, not. A person, but in the end, he was described as “a good boy, an angel” and that his father was the real monster? Things to think about.

Really good book.

Much to think about with this one.

Again, lots of alcohol and substance abuse. And of course, SA because that’s just a running theme in every book I read, apparently. 

Random notes I made on Yozo:
-he associates apologizing with women :///
-He only understands anger/negative emotions in other people, not positive emotions
-He’s afraid to use money but also is using up his monthly allowance in 2-3 days and BEGGING his family for money (71)
-sometimes, he really is giving rich asshole who doesn’t know how the world or human empathy works
-Dude is a straight up mysogynist (80)
-Bro really said he’s the same as a poverty-stricken woman :///
-He strikes me as someone with ASPD or SzPD
-He blames Flatfish for his situation??? (102)
-He married a 17 year-old hoping to find happiness.
“Living itself is the source of sin” (164) BARS
-IDK how much of an unreliable narrator he is, we’ll figure that out on round 2

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

natcrash's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book captivated me from the first sentence. I hadn’t read for fun in so long (like 3 years?) and this book brought me out of my reading slump. It’s short, at least for me (>200 pages), so it was perfect. 

It’s beautifully written. 

I love me some existential ramblings. Yozo is (maybe) relatable if you’ve ever felt out of place and/or have had depression, which makes you feel bad since

he’s basically a piece of shit and treats everyone around him horribly

. He calls you out, making you uncomfortable, but that’s just what I love. But DON’T read this book if you’re currently depressed. This book would’ve sent me spiraling down a hole five years ago. It’s definitely not for everyone, it’s harsh and heavy. It’s not something I usually read, but I couldn’t put it down.

Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable

- Cesar A. Cruz

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Body shaming and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Some of the minor trigger warnings are listed as “minor” as they’re only mentioned in passing and are not major plot points of the book.

phrogen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

relatable besides the horrific, raging misogyny

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

gabriella_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

This book is heartbreaking when you read it as a

suicide note.

It’s very deeply troubled and misogynistic. It simply reads like a cry for help. His depiction of

childhood trauma

is so visceral I had to put the book down at a couple points. There’s real heart here but it’s being squeezed. More than anything, I just felt an overwhelming sadness reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

dagaezoomer19's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence