Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller

12 reviews

christina_ro's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book ended up being nothing like I thought but everything it needed to be. It’s almost a simultaneous biography and autobiography plus numerous history and science lessons. I’m not the biggest fan of biographies generally, and I definitely thought this would be more more science, less people, but it really was a wonderful blend of both. Significantly darker at times than I ever would’ve guessed, I’d recommend looking at the trigger warnings before hand. While it isn’t graphic, it does cover some disturbing parts of American history and some harsh moments of the perspective of a very depressed person. However, most of the darker moments were wholly necessary, in my opinion. The writing is great and the tone is so engrossing for a nonfiction book. There was a distinct moment where I said out loud, “Oh this just took a turn!” And when asked if it was a good or bad one, I said, “Morally, a bad one. Entertainment wise, definitely a good one.” I have so many thoughts that I’ll wait to burden my book club with, but if I were to parabolize this story, I’d say, nothing matters and so everything matters. There is no grand scheme, so every person and creature and moment is meaningful.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Medical trauma

val_so_'s review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

toffishay's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I could not have guessed that I would be adding another 5-star reading at the tail end of the year. But each page of this book brought me new insight, new pain, new joy. And in another sense, it was nothing new. We are faced with our own lives and our natural world and we take what we can get. The writing is intense and thoughtful. It afforded me some additional perspective about the world around us and made me want to learn more about nature. And it made me cry!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Racism, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Infidelity, Grief, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War

antoniaodernein's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Violence

okarenhelena's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, and Murder

Minor: Ableism, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

emhunsbaker's review against another edition

challenging dark informative slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

empathephant's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Confinement, Xenophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Rape, Self harm, Police brutality, Abandonment, and War

Eugenics

skudiklier's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book was really good! I had kind of weird expectations going in that made me wary of it, but by the time I got about halfway through I couldn't put it down. It goes a lot of places and has so many really important ideas. I'd definitely recommend it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Genocide, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Eugenics, forced sterilization, r slur And mild/moderate people being eaten by animals

kelseyland's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

An incredibly moving and thought-provoking book about the problems with making assumptions and attempting to reduce the complexity of life to neat, orderly narratives. The way in which Miller first introduces and then problematizes the subject of the book (David Starr Jordan, a taxidermist and eugenicist) is fascinating, as is the way she weaves in details about her own existential crisis. This book is intense at times (see content warnings), but also breathtaking. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Infertility, Self harm, and Sexual violence

Minor: Confinement, Rape, and Murder

jeanneerin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, and Car accident

Forced sterilization, eugenics, depression, Trump, Confederate statues, Proud Boys