michelle_my_belle's review against another edition
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Incest, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
michellektong's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Murder, Addiction, Child abuse, Rape, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Racial slurs, Self harm, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Infidelity, Grief, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Violence, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, and Eating disorder
clover6872's review
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic friendship, Grief, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Addiction, Sexual violence, Racism, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Self harm, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Sexual assault, Classism, Death, Abandonment, Dementia, Biphobia, Colonisation, and Cultural appropriation
lowbrowhighart's review
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Child abuse, Racism, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Addiction, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Islamophobia, Alcoholism, Grief, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Alcohol, Medical content, Sexism, Self harm, Police brutality, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Pedophilia, Death, Pregnancy, Transphobia, Car accident, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Cursing, Dementia, and Medical trauma
coderedkira's review
4.75
Graphic: Self harm, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Racism, Sexual assault, and Addiction
taratearex's review against another edition
5.0
An incredible book, a must read.
Reread 2023, audiobook:
This is a beautiful and heart wrenching memoir. This remains a necessary read about racism and it's effects on Black people, particularly in how it effects the body and mental health. Rereading this book makes me want to reread Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da’Shaun Harrison.
The first time I read this book I could not put it down, this time I took my time with the audiobook. The prose is stunning and the vulnerability draws you in, I found both ways of reading it to be deeply engaging, but it is always an experience to hear an author read their own memoir. Kiese Laymon's writing is so poetic that hearing him read it added a sort of slam poetry performance to many parts of it, making it even more emotional and visceral of an experience.
I read his debut novel last year, which I hadn't read when I first read this memoir so that also brought a different experience to hearing him talk about it here, but also just really emphasized what I love about his writing- the poetic rhythm and play on words and just love for language. So going back to his memoir to how he developed as a writer was an interesting perspective.
There are too many lines that I could quote, but given this was a reread and I've gotten very into rereading recently, this really stuck out to me:
"I learned you haven't really read anything unless you've only read anything once or twice. Reading things more than twice was the reader version of revision"
I reread this on almost the exact dates as I first did in 2019
TW: Eating disorder, Child abuse, Racism, Fatphobia, Addiction, Sexual violence
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Addiction, Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Racism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Alcohol
paigeno's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Vomit
lormurenzi's review
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Self harm, and Racism
mscalls's review
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Child death and Rape
readswithcocktails's review
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Racism, Racial slurs, and Addiction