Reviews tagging 'Death'

They Called Us Exceptional by Prachi Gupta

25 reviews

allthebooks36's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

hidwoc's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

Heartwrenching

I had once thought that I came from a line of Gods, andI had punished myself for failing to be Godlike. But we were not Gods…We were mortals who felt ashamed when we failed to appear omnipotent. Now I see that my job was to release my ancestors from this burden, to allow those who come next the freedom to be ordinary. (267)

We had difficulty accepting the “both/and” of the situation: that you have both been victimized and you have agency; that Papa both loves you and hurts you in profound ways. (258)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death and Grief

devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Car accident, and Abortion

florinereads's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

elchiang78's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Violence

deen734's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Gaslighting

ash_verma's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

hollydyer328's review against another edition

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

5.0

This is exactly the thing that I am looking for in a memoir, specifically with a focus on the BIPOC experience. Sometimes memoirs come across as a glorified journal on public display, and this is not that. 

Prachi Gupta tells deeply personal stories of growing up in an Indian-American family steeped in cultural beliefs and messaging from colonialism about being exceptional, strong, independent, flawless, etc. She lifts the hood on her own family which on the surface showed exceptionalism but inside showed deep dysfunction and mental health struggles. Her family story is wild, and I gasped at multiple points throughout. It felt like reading a family drama, but the family is REAL!

What I appreciate with Gupta’s writing is that she shows she has reflected and processed her trauma and gives language for the external forces of systemic racism, Indian culture, and inter-generational forces that influenced the beliefs and behaviors of her family members. She shows that she is sturdy in herself to speak on these events with reflection, awareness, and wisdom. She takes her story and presents it in a way for that the general public can empathize, relate, learn, and reflect.

I listened on audio and Gupta does a great job narrating. I think I would have enjoyed it slightly more in print, only because there is so much going on that the reader needs to digest it slowly. However the audio helped with the pronunciation of certain terms, and she gets emotional and show her vulnerability which was touching to listen to. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Suicide attempt

entropyseeker's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

This book devastated me for the reflection that I saw and the mirror it held. If I could, I would read this book for the first time again. I recommend reading the CWs

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

nataliebootlah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Oooof. What an exceptionally difficult, yet important read. This memoir is, in many ways, a love letter to the author’s mother. It’s a classic dissection of the model minority myth alongside the societal pressures and demands that come with trying to achieve the ‘American Dream’. 

 

This is an emotional rollercoaster of a book; it’s raw and heartbreaking. The story itself is a mesh of retelling and reflection, and oh how brave it is to share the darkest parts of your life with anyone who picks up your book. I found it particularly difficult to read because of the abuse Prachi, her mother, and older brother go through at the hands of her father. Prachi does a wonderful job showcasing what non-physical abuse looks like. It left me wanting to give this whole family a hug, even her father. 

 

“In our family, we learned to love one another for how well we were able to conform to the story they wrote for us—not as who we really are.” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Grief

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt