Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed

20 reviews

renreads2much's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

God its such a beautiful book. This is the kind of book I believe everyone should read at least once. Everyone can get SOMETHING out of it, whether big or small. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

These are all very brief depending on the submission. But It does not go into super deep detail, really just mentions these briefly or for the sake of context (if I'm remembering correctly.)

bookmarkedtbr's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

bootsmom3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria

questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

This isn't the sort of book I normally read but after re-reading Wild last month but I thought I'd try it because I really like Cheryl Strayed's writing. This isn't traditional self help because Strayed includes stories from her own life in her answers which is what I enjoyed most about it. It meant I could understand where her advice was coming from. Fortunately I can't relate to most of the problems in the letters but her advice still feels valuable because of the way she writes about universal human nature. I listened to the audiobook and it felt particularly special because she narrates it herself. Some of the letters were really heart-breaking and her advice was sometimes the opposite of what I was expecting and altogether it made for a really fascinating reading experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

indiarose8's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I always return to this book when I need to be reminded that I'm not alone and that humanity exists within everyone. I give it as gifts to all my friends. I love the simple, raw, beautiful way Cheryl Strayed writes. This is one of my favorites for life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

smoladeryn's review

dark emotional funny medium-paced

5.0

“Acceptance is a small, quiet room” p352

Content Warning: abuse

I don’t read “self help” I thought as I grabbed this from a shelf on the way out of my beautiful home that I didn’t want to leave. I was fleeing an abusive relationship of 16 years when this book jumped out at me—no doubt given by his mother that he never read—like so many books of this kind. 

I don’t know why I took it. I hadn’t been able to read much in 8 years-- the second half of our relationship. I also really didn’t read “self help” or even memoirs. I never read Sugar’s column, although I did read TheRumpus, I didn’t know that’s where it came from at the time. 

I  saw the ugly orange cover, read the title that seemed so overwrought (honestly), and picked it up in my already much too full hands with my cat and as many “important” possessions as I could take. 

I was terrified that day and I was terrified for weeks, months still. I was homeless for 2 months, but not the kind of homelessness I experienced in my early 20s. It was the kind where I had to stay in a horror story air bnb, a hotel, and then a dank and noisy basement I paid way too much for. 

In each place I unpacked this book and put it next to where I slept. I didn’t read it. When I got to my noisy and deeply lonely new rental apartment in the heart of downtown, I put it next to my pillow and didn’t read it. 

One day about 4 months into this “new life”, after the homeless period, I started reading it. 

I’ve wept at nearly every letter. Before I started reading this collection, that no doubt my ex-mother-in-law gave to her stubborn and abusive son that refuses to look inward, she picked a fight with me. The details aren’t important, but she said some of the most hurtful and painful things anyone has ever said, even more so than my own horribly abusive family. 

I don’t know if I finally read this out of stubbornness (spite?) myself but all I know is Tiny Beautiful Things is the thing that started my healing. I’m still healing.

There were times I didn’t read this book, and times I devoured 3 letters at once. There were times I had to process a letter for what seemed like an eternity before I could bare to pick up the weight of it again. Then, there were times where this book sat in a bag on my back, light as a feather, and as warm as a familiar friend. 

Tiny Beautiful Things is one of those Things itself. The phrase comes from the description of a sweet purple balloon. It might not be the sweet balloon Sugar describes, but there are times where it is. And she is right—it is something we all deserve.  

I kept a journal of endless quotes. I was going to post them as a review which is what I usually do, but those quotes are important mostly to me, probably. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

lya_thebananahead's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

This book will hold you tight and force you to look at other people's fears and insecurities and question your own actions and you'll be gratefull for it. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Abortion

hettyreads's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Homophobia

paigieodo's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.75

The reading sample for this book opens with a story from the author's life that made me flinch and stop reading. I'm not usually a fan of books that lay bare the grotesque and violent nature of the world with such grim language; I typically prefer gentler allusions to horrifying truths and then a more nuanced uncovering of their evils. But this year, I came across a handful of novels and stories that changed my mind slightly on this matter. Obasan by Joy Kogawa, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi — many novels I read this year allowed me to explore the grossness of humanity without losing perspective on how beautiful it is, as well.

So I pressed on with Tiny Beautiful Things.

And it was the right decision. Through Sugar, Cheryl Strayed offers the most honest and kind-hearted advice rooted in a deep love for her fellow humans. I consider myself to be very reflective, very intelligent, very aware of myself and how to operate as a good person in this world. I didn't think I would learn much from this collection. But I did. It filled me. It brought me the feeling that all of us, even those who feel sickeningly wrong so much of the time, will be okay if we try.

Strayed is unafraid to explore the awful and the absurd. But more than that, she is unafraid to try to find wonder and possibility in all of it. It is hopeful. It is terrifying. It is brimming with love. And it is absolutely worth reading, no matter who you are.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia and Sexual assault

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, and Sexual content

carabones's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Grief