Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'

Still Life with Bones by Alexa Hagerty

6 reviews

kingkiller99's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

This book so hard to read. Learning every bit of information about the massacres and disappearances in Argentina and Guatemala was heartbreaking and soul crushing. Some of the things I read made me horrified that this  is what humanity has created. However I was also in awe by the work that other people did to help try and bring people to justice and the disappeared home. Definitely read like a scholarly book at times but worth the read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Minor: Animal death

cmisich's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

A well written detail of not only the recovery, identification, and aftermath of genocides and the horrors in Argentina and Guatemala. It also covers the impact and hard work of those trying to bring the horror to light, identify the desaparecidos, and the challenges when those responsible still live among them. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and War

vbarsi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

This is one of my favorite books of the year so far (I’ve read over 15 books as of May 2024). It combines history, forensic science, politics and religion, and cultural beliefs surrounding death with the anthropologists own personal stories and experiences of her life and her time doing forensic anthropology in Argentina and Guatemala. I think this is an incredible read, though it is gut-wrenching and challenging to read about the violence. It also shows how the United States is complicit in overthrowing democratically elected governments in favor of violent dictatorships, because it suits their financial interests. I will always think of Guatemala when someone tries to mention the United States as the moral compass of the world. Additionally Alexa highlights the corruption of the catholic church in Argentina

and their ability to overlook or help the dictatorship with disappearing people.

Overall, it was beautifully written, with amazing metaphors. The one quote that really hit me: “the work of mourning involves killing the dead or dying with them”. As someone who lost their dad at 10 years old this hit me in my feeeels. Will be recommending this to every person I know!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders

errie's review

challenging informative

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

betsythegremlin's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad medium-paced

5.0

Heartbreaking read but very important. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and War

bookbrig's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

I learned so much from this book, and it made me want to go back to reread The Bone Woman by Clea Koff. I only knew the very vaguest details about the history this book recounts, so I'm also hoping to read some of the books mentioned in the text for more context and info. This is a moving mixture of memoir and history and testimony and witness to atrocities that feels particularly timely, though I suppose it is unfortunately timely at any given moment. It's not a light read, but it is a really well written one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting