Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

47 reviews

stabilesero's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I have a soft spot for books that contain characters with mental illness, and Ozeki worked magic with Benny's character. Very few authors are able to portray the harrowing details of living with mental illness, and she absolutely hit the mark. 
Benny and his mother's story is one of grief, struggle within society, expectations one puts on oneself and society's expectations; as well as all the things including growing up, community and belonging. 
I loved this book so much and I really didn't expect to. It had been sitting on my tbr shelf for so long because I feared it's size but it was worth it. It's definitely not going to be for everyone, but between the crows, jazz music, B-Man and all the other intricate details of this book; this was my book to a T.
I will absolutely be picking up more by Ozeki.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail

desheebasara's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book already had me crying by page 14, it was really not what I expected and surprised me in a positive way.

It lost me a little bit in the middle, but not in a way that made me put it away.

I really really enjoyed Ruth Ozeki‘s writing style, pretty sure I have never read anything like it!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

michaelion's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Very respectful of people with different minds. Very kind. Very well reseaeched into the intersections of people's lives and how their mental illnesses or impairities can / may be affected by outside factors. Very very, very real, living, loving book. 🥰 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Confinement, Mental illness, Self harm, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, and Car accident

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, and Pandemic/Epidemic

futuretreeman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I was in my favorite bookstore when we found each other. It's kind of a hole-in-the-wall used-book bookstore. But the hole goes surprisingly far back and the precariously leaning bookshelves touch the ceiling. It's a magical place that never fails to house several books I'm interested in. It was the first place I visited when I moved to college and the last place I visited when I dropped out.

Just like the book-within-the-book "Tidy Magic", 'The Book of Form and Emptiness', flew off the shelf to me. I was in the middle of several projects about homes and objects, the way objects feel and the way they make us feel and the memories they help us make. I even wrote poems about forks and spoons and napkins.

I was also beginning some self-discovery at the time. My dad died too when I was a little kid and after years of ignoring how it hurt, I finally started to recognize how it really made me feel and who I had turned into.

By the time I finished the book, I had gone through other changes too. I learned what a terrific friend I had been in college, unreliable, apathetic, and exactly the kind of person I had always feared becoming. I went through back-and-forth stages of putting the blame all on me, all on my friends, and realizing we all had roles to play.

I've felt much like Benny. I even feel like Annabelle as I write this review.

The certainly hasn't changed my life, and it will take far more than words on a page to heal my hurt and the hurt I've caused others. But this book has had a marvelous impact on me. I sometimes find myself wondering if a hot pan burns because it is angry at you for hurting it by putting it in the oven. But my family hasn't read this book and they'd think I was crazy if I said it out loud.

If you've read the book, you understand.

And if you find a book that makes you feel this way, listen.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Blood, and Alcohol

ulviyyask's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism and Sexual content

hail_archangel's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Self harm, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Bullying, Rape, and Blood

rainbowarpaint's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Bullying

livcashmere's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

jonmayb's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

My opinions on we this book are conflicting. While it took some time for her voice to settle in, I really enjoyed Nao’s perspective of this book, even though it was sometimes difficult to get a feel for who she was and what her values were. 
For the most part, I disliked Ruth’s point-of-view. While I enjoyed the depth, and the layer of mystery that her perspective added to Nao’s story, I don’t think it was necessary for it to have been so fleshed-put. While the versions of them in the book are fictional, having to read through Ruth and Oliver’s strained conversations proved awkward. For the most part, it was boring, and it often felt uncomfortable to read.
Additionally, I didn’t like the shift towards magical realism that the book took so close to the end, and the manner in which it practically made Ruth the savior of Nao’s story. 
I was ultimately disappointed by all the questions the book leave unanswered as well. However, despite all of these qualms I had with it, I did, for the most part, genuinely enjoy reading this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

schopflin's review against another edition

funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This is a very good book, and has lots of touch points for me (librarianship, materiality of the book, even media monitoring) but there was something just a bit soft-centred and sprawling about it. It's highly readable though, don't let that put you off. It has echoes of Helen DeWitt's The Last Samurai which is less pageturning and more cynical, and which I preferred. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, and Drug abuse

Minor: Mass/school shootings