naomiwinograd's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

This was a tough book to get through. I almost cried several times, and i’m not a very emotional person. This book deserves no less than 5 stars because of how perfectly it depicted her story and how necessary it was to be told. It’s brave for anyone to tell their story, because it’s terrifying. (I don’t need to elaborate, read the book) But it gives other women hope. It honestly changed my whole perspective. I’ve always been on her side with these sorts of things but she made me not only realize WHY i fight for these things but also made me passionate about them. As someone with a BMI under 30 i never really understood fat phobia to a great extent. Maybe I never will. But she really helped me get closer and i think any book that does that is a good one. Highly recommend. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kendylgrbac's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

Roxane Gay dares to expose herself in a way many of us wouldn’t dream of doing. It hurt to hear her story, but her words were so fluid and her thoughts explosive. I really enjoyed it. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kourtjohnstone's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad

4.75

What a powerful message about one's relationship with their body. Heartbreaking and raw. This memoir takes courage and bravery on Roxane's behalf and I applaud her for that. The audiobook narration is a great experience as she narrates it herself, which I cannot imagine how difficult that must have been. This story allows me to give those who struggle with their weight grace because I hadn't considered many of these situations before and in that I recognize my ignorance. I would recommend this for readers who have loved ones who struggle with obesity because it is eye-opening and incredibly introspective. Check trigger warnings before though!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

finnthehuman217's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

The way Dr. Gay talks about her trauma with so much vulnerability is something I could never do! I feel like this spoke to me as a fat trans woman. My body is already objectified by society and because I’m fat i have another reason to be shamed by society because once we get down to it, being fat is considered “unhealthy” and Dr. Gay talks about how she became fat to make herself unattractive and take her control back from the people who hurt her is so important. This was a great book!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

loveclairebearx's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

The short chapters and ranging topics gave the impression of reading a series of essays, but Gay often returned to topics throughout the memoir. While I found this structural choice somewhat repetitious, her stories were powerful, emotionally charged, and insightful. 

This has opened my eyes to my own subconscious prejudices to be unlearned. Thank you for writing this, Roxane. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

thewillowwood's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

This book was beautiful, beautifully written, very raw and real.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mali99's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

A brutally honest memoir about trauma and bodies.
I found it deeply, deeply moving and often uncomfortable to listen to.
It's a good memoir, not just because she's lived an interesting life, but because she is a great writer (unsurprisingly) and is able to convey themes through her life story, while still seeming so raw and honest, you almost miss how great the writing is.
She tells you how she felt and feels about her (often very traumatic) experiences very directly, without couching them in many caveats, in all their messiness und unfinished healing. I found this really brave and moving and also don't think its the best book to read if you yourself are struggling with some of the themes she discusses.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jessjess125's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mr_ryancowboy's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional slow-paced

3.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

morgasm's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Heart wrenching 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings