Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Indigno de ser humano by Osamu Dazai

137 reviews

nineinchnails's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

the writing is hard for me to gauge considering it’s a translation (of an older novel), and it felt quite choppy at parts. the prose is beautiful, though, despite the subject matter and i tremendously enjoyed reading this.

yozo is really gross but i felt for him, more so initially than later on in the novel. dazai captured the feeling of loneliness that comes with feeling alienated from society really well and it was depressingly relatable. knowing this is so well loved gave me a sense of comfort, like i’m not alone in feeling that way. i would find the misogyny a little less difficult to deal with if this book didn’t come off so much like an autobiography - it feels like he genuinely believed the things he was saying and it left a bad taste in my mouth overall. i wouldn’t recommend reading if you’re in a bad place mentally because there’s a heavy focus on his depression and pessimism.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Depression, Overdose, Prostitution/sex work and Morphine abuse

lenadesouza's review against another edition

dark sad fast-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

3.0

a well written red pill statement. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape

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

marayzex'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Death and Death of parent

shely's review against another edition

dark sad medium-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? No

3.0

It's actually a good book, there are many parts that I found relatable especially within the first notebook but there are also many parts where I was like "ayo wtf". I can honestly understand the character and some of his views which is why I didn't hate him but I also didn't love him. I also really like how the last chapter connects to the first that was very nice.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

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

power_cpp's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-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

4.5

This is an interesting novel to read due to its semi-autobiographical narration. The depravity of the main character offers a unique perspective that leaves the reader having less faith in humanity. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual assault

ghostsforestcenter's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism

Moderate: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Sexual assault

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

klopichuli's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual violence, and Suicide