calaphrinie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.75
loosetoothfool's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
this was very moving, very well written, powerful, impactful. i absolutely adored the first quarter of this book, her writing about her childhood and her family and memory, that was exquisite, beautiful, heart breaking. and then the ending quarters focus on mental illness and this coming to a head in her life was very raw, powerful. this is a brave memoir, very personal, real. I have a lot of passages and lines underlined, the way she said certain things in ways I felt but couldn't describe spoke to me, especially at the start. this is quite dark and sad, but that is the nature of her experiences and I think it was important to share them
corinza's review
4.0
This is a book of essays that takes you out of your comfort zone. Bassey Ikpi’s writing is so vivid and sharp that you are right there experiencing everything with her. I had to stop halfway through because it triggered the thoughts in my head I thought I buried about my own struggles with anxiety. I had to take a break halfway through because I was crying too much. This is a heavy read and it’s an important one.
lifeinpoetry's review against another edition
5.0
It's been a bad day so I wept through the second half. Felt her fear, frustration, and exhaustion in the psych ward while listening with deep anxiety. Triggering if your psych ward/hospital experience(s) has/have ever been traumatic. The lead up to her suicide attempt and subsequent hospitalization was so real. Small flashes of frustration at her multiple refusals of help but that is what makes this memoir honest. I admired her independence and her ability to flourish, despite the mental illness, on an extremely personal level.