Scan barcode
rubyseemorebooks's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
5.0
Great read for non fiction, so many reactions to how they talked about certain scenes.
chrishham's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
brig_berthold's review against another edition
4.0
I love good journalism. It's especially good when punctuated by personal experiences. This is what is called "participation journalism" and it's my favorite technique.
The info in this book is as quality as it is fascinating. Great for empathy. Great for culture. Great for personal inquisitive sessions.
The info in this book is as quality as it is fascinating. Great for empathy. Great for culture. Great for personal inquisitive sessions.
isachu's review
4.0
In Hurts So Good, science journalist Leigh Cowart seeks to understand why people voluntarily engage in physically painful activities. The book explores a wide spectrum of human experiences from religious self-flagellation in the middle ages, to pushing one’s body to its limits in ultramarathons, to eating the world’s hottest chili pepper. Merging science with her own sharp and compassionate insight, Cowart’s vibrant voice accompanies the reader on a journey of desire, bliss, brokenness, and grace.
(Note, the book does explore some pretty dark material and goes to some dark places – the readers should take care when reading this book)
(Note, the book does explore some pretty dark material and goes to some dark places – the readers should take care when reading this book)
stephaniellejem's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.5
What a book. Full of stories, musings and interviews with the pros. Super entertaining and insightful all throughout. This book got me appreciating pain and looking at the ways we've put ourselves in pain as a way of achieving so many different things. Really helped to accept the ways I put myself in pain.
maurits's review
informative
slow-paced
2.5
Informative and interesting, but it could have been way shorter. What, exactly, is the point of describing an ultramarathon if you're not gonna use it to make a point?
Also, there's a lot of little anecdotes that could have been skipped.
A point about a trigger warning: There is a part in the book where the author describes a normal day at the worst point in their eating disorder in excruciating detail. I don't have an eating disorder, but I found it hard to get through. If you do have an eating disorder, this will certainly trigger you. Never before have I seen such a graphic depiction of an eating disorder.
Also, there's a lot of little anecdotes that could have been skipped.
A point about a trigger warning: There is a part in the book where the author describes a normal day at the worst point in their eating disorder in excruciating detail. I don't have an eating disorder, but I found it hard to get through. If you do have an eating disorder, this will certainly trigger you. Never before have I seen such a graphic depiction of an eating disorder.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
daniellejb's review
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
An interesting read on something that’s not often talked about, at least not from the perspective as pain for pleasure or pain as a universal experience that, when done w/consent, people pursue quite often. At the beginning, the chapter that covers pain as a biological, neurosensory process was a bit technical for me to stay engaged with but the rest of the book as so fun. I loved the different perspectives of pain covered, especially the flagellants, ultramarathon runners, and the hot pepper eaters!