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Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'
This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us by Cole Arthur Riley
2 reviews
unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Wow. I am once again very mad at myself for waiting so long to read a book.
Some books feel like cold water on a hot day - quenching, refreshing, invigorating, simple but awe-inspiring. This is one of those books. It is incredibly comforting and also challenging in the best way. It made me think, it made me feel, and most of all, it inspired me to connect more deeply with my faith in a way that enriches everyone around me. To seek God in the mundane. To lament that the world is cruel and people are horrible but to continue to hope and rejoice when things are made right. To rest. To resist capitalism’s erosion of my humanity and that of those around me.
Cole Arthur Riley is super talented. This book feels like literary fiction in its style. It’s beautiful and moving. I found myself underlining and rereading passages that resonated with me but also because the words were put together in unique and compelling ways.
👍🏻Recommended! If you enjoy meditative, spiritual stories and beautiful prose, you will like this. If you enjoy bell hooks or Audre Lorde, this will resonate with you. If you are seeking a way to belong to a faith that has been twisted to exclude you? You will like this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
Minor: Slavery
shhh_tamis_reading's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
After reading a stellar review of this book by one of my favorite memoir authors, I immediately purchased the audio version of the book as I knew I would have abundant listening time (while driving) much sooner than abundant reading time. I also purchased the ebook to reference and enjoy the parts I’m still savoring.
This book is written (& read) in a contemplative way, and can seem to be moving slowly at times until there is an insightful sentence or two that makes me realize the author was taking me someplace very significant without my even realizing it.
The chapters created around specific themes worked extremely well even as the author tells stories from 3 generations, primarily stories from her grandmother, father, and herself in the memoir portions of the book.
I suspect I will be quoting and referencing this book for many years to come.
This book is written (& read) in a contemplative way, and can seem to be moving slowly at times until there is an insightful sentence or two that makes me realize the author was taking me someplace very significant without my even realizing it.
The chapters created around specific themes worked extremely well even as the author tells stories from 3 generations, primarily stories from her grandmother, father, and herself in the memoir portions of the book.
I suspect I will be quoting and referencing this book for many years to come.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment