Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner

6 reviews

jeleigh16's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.5

This was a super intense memoir that I don't think I was fully prepared for. I've always been intrigued by stories about cults and cult-like behavior, so I was prepared for that aspect of this story,

but I don't think I was prepared for the intense descriptions of repeated child sexual assault and deaths that occurred in the course of this woman's life.

This is not one to jump into lightly. That being said, it is a thorough, honest, raw look at one person's experience escaping a polygamist cult. A story worth telling for sure. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

daniellekat's review against another edition

challenging dark sad fast-paced

3.25

A heartbreaking account of the author's upbringing and escape from a fundamentalist Christian community. Objectively, this was sad. It was challenging to read about the author's abuse through the childhood lens used throughout the book, but as a reader I felt insulated from really feeling anything from this story. There was a dissociative element that failed to connect me to the narrative. There was also a level of unreliability given that this was told entirely from a child's perspective. I wish the author had included more reflection on how her upbringing contributed to her adult life. I also wish that there were more details in the beginning helping to ground the timeline of the story. It wasn't until the last few chapters did we get a real sense of the years captured in this book. Not something I would have normally picked up but the language was simple making this a pretty quick read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Death of parent

Minor: Ableism, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, and Car accident

nefariousfondue's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

If you have a particularly fragile emotional state do not read this. This book threw me into a mental health crisis. 
The experiences in it are valuable. Ruth Wariner's childhood is fascinating, but gut-wrenchingly tragic and infuriating. I have nothing bad to say about the writing or the book itself.
But please, read with caution and seek help if you are going through a crisis.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Bullying and Car accident

karolinaz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Vomit, and Medical trauma

Minor: Body horror, Cursing, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

laur_o's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

3.0

A painful and familiar story of a formerly FLDS member. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

hkropp77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Abandonment

Moderate: Drug abuse