Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay

9 reviews

196books's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Xenophobia, and Abandonment

claresbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Abandonment, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Racism, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs

jouljet's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Grief

tarajoy90's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Racism

alice_clawford's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Child abuse and Drug use

Minor: Self harm

radfordmanor's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Police brutality

bridget_t's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Sexual assault

Minor: Self harm

rbacon's review

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

Such a heavy read, no one should have to go through these things, yet it makes you wonder how many others are there who didn't write books experienced the same.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Sexual harassment

epellicci's review

dark reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

My Name is Why is a beautifully written and heartbreaking journey through the betrayal by social services of Lemn and hundreds of children like him living in care in the UK. This memoir pairs Sissay's painful discovery of, and reaction to, the records that the Wigham Local Authority kept of his time in the care system, with his own accounts of what was really happening. Unsurprisingly the book is poetic, but also concise. There is a no-nonsense impression in Sissay's writing which feels very honest, and paired with the subject matter, raw. Listening to it in audiobook form, I found it incredibly lyrical, and a testament to Sissay as a poet. Rightfully hurt and angry, at times it was difficult to get through. Throughout Sissay's youth, the people who were meant to protect him overwhelmingly failed to do so, often twisting the narrative to pin the blame on him while he was still just a child. 
The book ends quite abruptly which I found slightly disappointing. It felt a little bit like by the end, Sissay had run out of steam, although you can hardly blame him given what reliving his youth must be like. An otherwise impressive but dark book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Bullying, and Abandonment

Moderate: Racial slurs, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse