Reviews tagging 'Racism'

They Called Us Exceptional by Prachi Gupta

16 reviews

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

sgodse713's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault

death of a sibling

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

dakotahreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Racism

Minor: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail

aweekinthelife's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

very engaging on audio and while I didn’t go in expecting to read all day, I ended up listening to this book for 5.5 hours straight and finished it in a day. Gupta’s writing is gripping and engaging and I appreciate her analysis and reflection on her life and parsing out mental health experiences from between two cultures. 

reminds me of: What My Bones Know (Stephanie Foo), Between Two Kingdoms (Souleiki Jaoud), Mad World (Micha Frazer-Caroll), and Trick Mirror (Jia Tolentino)  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Racism

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

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

ohsunnyaa's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

ajyams's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Racism and Sexual assault

1oddkatreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting