Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi

16 reviews

takarakei's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

Written as a series of letters to friends (and really to themself) Akwaeke Emezi's memoir gives a deep and vulnerable look into their mind and unique point of view. I listened to the audiobook, but was very glad I own a copy so I could highlight quotes to come back to. While covering some difficult topics, Emezi's gorgeous writing really shines through and even though as a memoir it centers on their experience, I found many relatable parts focused on the struggle of living in our current harsh world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Dysphoria, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Transphobia, Sexual assault, Rape, and Mental illness

Minor: Chronic illness, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity

aishallnot's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Self harm, and Transphobia

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape

starrysteph's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

4.5

Beautiful. Deeply poetic, deeply vulnerable, and deeply illuminating. 

Having already read most of Emezi's work, this memoir gave me a lot of clarity around the concepts explored in their books (specifically Freshwater). 

CW: suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts, transphobia, rape, sexual assault, mental illness, medical content, dysphoria, grief, infidelity, toxic relationship, chronic illness, self harm

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Transphobia, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual violence, Rape, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, and Dysphoria

Minor: Car accident and Cannibalism

liaandersson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

I love everything Akwaeke Emezi writes. They are such a phenomenal writer, I want every book they have ever written. I am transpired to a new dimension and I see life through their eyes - it's terrifying, beautiful, inspiring, saddening, and so many emotions at once. It feels weird writing a review on somebody's memoir, so I will simply say that this book was yet another literary masterpiece by Emezi, while we were afforded the opportunity to get to know them better on the way. Thank you for this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

whatellisreadnext's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

A reread via audiobook, loved it even more the second time around.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Rape

city_girl_writer's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, and Self harm

maryberthelsen's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Medical content, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence

merin_aran's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence

nicolaaa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Violence

Minor: Animal cruelty and Infidelity

ceallaighsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

“I know many people survive, but I also think people glorify resilience a little too much, forgetting that the fragile ones simply die as the world walks on over their bones. There are some things we shouldn’t be boasting about. 

 

TITLE—Dear Senthuran 

AUTHOR—Akwaeke Emezi 

PUBLISHED—2021 

 

GENRE—memoir 

SETTING—liminal spaces 

MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—being a Black creator, being nonhuman, neurodivergency, love & friendship, identity 

 

WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

BONUS ELEMENT/S—multiple references to Helen Oyeyemi and her books 🥰 

PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

 

“I remember how it felt, and I know it was true. Maybe not in this life or this dimension, but it was true, and I miss it so much.” 

 

I feel like this isn’t really a book one reviews so much as rereads and recommends endlessly forever and ever amen. My “reviews” exist as endless marginalia and pagetabs inside my physical hardcopy of this book and they’re a mite too personal to share here anyway. ☺️ 

 

Basically this memoir style book is written as a series of letters to people in Emezi’s life, both named and unnamed, friends, other writers and artists, family, influences, enemies, and abusers. They cover themes from friendship to love to Blackness to Otherness to Neurodivergency and to being a Creator. (I highly recommend this book to *all* aspiring creators—*especially* writers.) I particularly (and highly personally) loved the chapters/letters “Deity | Dear Eloghosa” and “Dreams | Dear Katherine”. 

 

Akwaeke Emezi is an inspiration on many different levels but I’m never not going to be amazed by the fact that they have been willing to share themselves and their story and their experiences via such gorgeous and raw prose again and again. I am very much looking forward to everything else they create forever and ever. ❤️ 

 

“Alone, there’s just me, and I see myself clearly.” 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

 

TW // suicidal ideation, suicide attempt 

 

Further Reading— 

• Freshwater, and everything else by Akwaeke Emezi
• The Icarus Girl, and everything else by Helen Oyeyemi
• The Bone People, and Te Kaihau The Windeater, by Keri Hulme
• Zami, by Audre Lorde
• The Night Before the Day, by Ailo Gaup
• The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, by Mariana Enríquez
• The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson
• The Nesting, by C. J. Cooke

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Gore

Minor: Rape, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse