Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse

14 reviews

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

challenging tense medium-paced

5.0

Erika has a face that makes strangers tell her their deepest secrets.  After a chance encounter with a lawyer in a bookstore, she finds herself starting a job as a private investigator, despite her lack of formal experience.  The case that dominates the book concerns the pervasive rape culture and constant coverups of the University of Colorado football team.  Herself a survivor of sexual violence, Erika becomes obsessed with the case, her investigation branching off into her own life, into her relationships with the family members who deny, or simply don’t care, that she was sexually abused as a child.  Amidst descriptions of the Colorado landscape—breathtaking yet harsh—Erika learns the tricks of the P.I. trade, offering snippets of the profession’s evolution between recollections of her own research and interviews.  She scrambles to gather enough evidence to make someone do something about the sexual violence faced by her plaintiffs, but it’s not just for them, it’s for her, too.

Tell Me Everything is stunning and fascinating—part memoir, part true crime, but entirely an investigation.  Gabra Zackman’s narration complements the book beautifully.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Murder

agurevitz's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

caregorman's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

3.75

Very much invested in the case but wasn’t the best written methinks 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

savvyrosereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

4.5

Out March 15, 2022 [Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Part true-crime, part memoir, Tell Me Everything is the story of Erika Krouse, whose work as a private investigator helped uncover a culture of systemic sexual abuse within a university football program. Krouse’s narrative weaves together both the investigation itself and the impact that the work and the case had on her as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this one, but whatever my expectations were, this book exceeded them. I will admit that I was left a bit uncertain about what to “take away” from the book as a whole, which is why I docked a half star, but there is undeniable beauty in a book that leaves some of its message open to interpretation.

Moreover, even if the ending could have been slightly neater, I really loved the entire rest of the journey. The writing was impeccable and deeply engaging, just novelistic enough to keep me captivated at all times and just journalistic enough to make me feel fully factually informed. Krouse’s personal story was also deftly intertwined with her investigative work and the case, adding layers that were heartbreaking but incredibly valuable to the narrative. And, as a lawyer myself, I appreciated Krouse’s layperson treatment of the law—including enough legal detail to inform readers while not turning this into a legal treatise, and avoiding the common trap of glorifying or romanticizing the law while still being evenhanded and fair.

Finally and perhaps most importantly, the case itself, while infuriating, is absolutely worthy of attention. This book isn’t an easy read, but it’s one of those books everyone should pick up.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: true crime; investigative journalism vibes; memoirs.

CW: Sexual assault/rape, child sexual abuse/pedophilia, mental health, suicidal thoughts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts