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Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'
The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetuated in the Name of Science by Sam Kean
7 reviews
fiona_gs's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Dysphoria
mfrisk's review against another edition
3.0
I note this because while I find the overall subject interesting and also important in terms of the fields of science, medicine, and fields which intersect with these areas I don’t feel like these stories were given the appropriate weight and critical lens. As many reviewers mention inappropriate terminology is used for a variety of marginalized populations within this book and I often felt the author was trying to get a laugh out of us (the readers) more than they were working to connect the story to their larger point of morality and ethics. The podcast plugs were annoying but not as egregious as the lack of depth certain stories were given when they covered very sensitive topics. It may not have hurt for their to be additional commentary from other folks especially in stories where marginalized populations were involved and that was only touched on a surface level. I’ve listened to the podcast as well after reading some stories in this book and it has similar issues seen in this book.
Also want to add this book could have used a more central defining element or at least narrowing down to specific field or some other way to make this more focused. It often was confusing that the stories felt so disconnected and the conclusion doesn’t quite pull together the ideas enough.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
phoebemurtagh's review against another edition
3.5
They some things shouldn't be attempted by the faint of heart or squeamish. As a squeamish person myself, I'd like to refine that: you can most certainly attempt, but you might need to skim through the physical descriptions of how to perform an ice pick lobotomy.
This was a good collection of scientists gone bad: some of the stories were disturbing and familiar ones I'd already heard, while some were disturbing and new. My only criticisms would be that while such a book must necessarily take a dark sense of humor, I found the author's attempts at levity in the face of evil just a little irreverent sometimes. More disappointingly, though, the author refers to bunk science as "voodoo" in at least one place; it's a small thing, but perpetuating a stereotype that African disaporic religious traditions that developed as a result of American slavery are somehow 'less valid' and the equivalent of bad science is below the mark for any journalist.
All in all, I preferred The Disappearing Spoon, but this is a good book, too.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
kbergsten's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
clarabooksit's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, Dysphoria, and Classism
Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism
reviewsandreadathons's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria
akazzy8's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
While there are many content warnings, I would mention they are stated in more of a detached academic fashion. While there are horrible portions, it is not always written like a story, so readers detachment from some of these acts make this book less "graphic". This certainly is not to say that these warnings aren't still there!