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carnimdream's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Violence, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Chronic illness and Abortion
frufai's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
fink1129's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
solenodon's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, Abortion, and Sexual harassment
lauradvb's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
hannaheiserman's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
remib's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Self harm, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death of parent
bookswithbri's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Minor: Child abuse, Racism, Self harm, and Abortion
bookdragon217's review against another edition
5.0
Heart Berries by Terese Mailhot is one of my favorite memoirs I read this year. I read this one back in July and it is only now that I can fully process some of my thoughts and feelings. Mailhot's writing is honest and raw and she holds nothing back. She bares all the ugliness on the pages but still leaves you with a semblance of hope. You're left contemplating about the complexities of the human condition and what it means to love so much that it hurts. You're also left wondering if it is possible to love someone fully when there is so much pain and trauma embedded in their loins.
Mailhot takes you through her battles with mental illness, the history and trauma of Indigenous people, motherhood and longing to be loved. The book reads like an open wound as she picks away at the scabs and scars that are left behind from her trauma. You especially see this in the ways that she speaks directly to the pain she feels of not being seen and loved by her children's father and how that pain almost mirrors "madness".
The writing is absolutely exquisite. I highlighted so many passages that need further introspection. I will definitely reread this one because I feel like it will hit differently every time. What stays with me the most is how she writes about Indigenous women's pain and explains how humanity was born from pain. It is felt on every page. The quote I still think about is: "My people cultivated pain. In the way that god cultivated his garden, with the foresight that he could not contain or protect the life within it. Humanity was born out of pain." She's not afraid to speak about it and boldly calls it out. This book is one that haunts me because of it's unflinching manner and the way it bravely speaks truth to power.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Abandonment
slightlysmiling's review against another edition
2.0
Moderate: Gaslighting