Reviews

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays by Damon Young

mbergman's review against another edition

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challenging funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

4.0

jkm_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad

5.0

natattack13's review against another edition

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funny reflective medium-paced

4.5

shazz8125's review against another edition

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reflective

3.5

jmaycan_shelly's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.75

taunymartin's review against another edition

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5.0

Brilliant. His writing is both hysterical and poignant, and so timely.

senshin's review against another edition

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3.0

I had been looking forward and waiting for this a long time.
I couldn't decide between 2 or 3 stars.
I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this book, it's beautifully written, it's very personal and there's so much to think about and learn from.
But words being said over and over again, every 5 sentences, drives me nuts and I felt like it was all over the place, not so much a collection of essays, as a collection of essays from different sections of something. But that's just me. I fully understand other people's high ratings and I do recommend.
I think I'd just been looking forward to this for too long.

cydmo's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

4.25

First half was hilarious and the final chapter about his daughter brings all the stories together perfectly in a very sweet ending. 

aduchene's review against another edition

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funny informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

From an audiobook perspective, I really liked the narrator’s voice, cadence, clarity, and speed. I also liked the essays and stories that were told through them. Some of them engaged me more and others I had to rewind and relisten. Part of that is my own fault, admittedly because I always multitask with audiobooks, but overall it was good. I wish there had been a little more cohesion, although I found the last chapter to sum up a lot of the “why” questions I had behind each essay. The section on rape and victims was hard for me to listen to.

t_reads_leisurely's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

This book offered a perspective l'd never be able to have, providing a space to empathize and understand. I listened via an audiobook read by the author, so it really felt like I was listening to a friend tell his story and I appreciated that more than I likely would have reading it myself. It hits on relatable and tough topics in a way that doesn't make you angry, but possibly emotional.