Reviews tagging 'Grief'

They Called Us Exceptional by Prachi Gupta

11 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)

---

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

---

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

deen734's review against another edition

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

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

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

---

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.” 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Grief

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

akamm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

I like the framing of this book, where the author is writing to her mother. The narration and writing is easy to listen to and lovely to hear.

The author includes a lot of good reflection about her upbringing and family dynamic. And to be really clear, the content of this book is hard. It is tough to listen to the situations that the author encountered throughout her life.

I liked this book because it was well written and speaks on topics that I am open to. I do think this book would be hard to recommend because the subject matter is tough, and kind of specific.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Grief, and Suicide attempt

taylorcamboia's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Grief

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Sexual assault

everamplify's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Ableism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Medical trauma, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Classism

edna_lives_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Grief

graciffer's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death, Racism, and Sexism

Minor: Sexual assault