jaan's review against another edition
1.25
I want to note "Forbidden Rooms and Intentional Forgetting" in particular (blanket content note henceforth for sexual assault). In this chapter, Elliot describes intentional forgetting as an active coping mechanism for survivors to help them move on with their lives. She compares it to denial, which is treated as a passive mechanism, and asks the reader what the real difference between the two is. Concluding that there is very little, she advocates intentional forgetting for survivors of trauma, including sexual assault. I am on board with this, as intentional forgetting is a practice I have successfully employed for ~10 years now. However, her description of sexual assault in this chapter is moderate-to-graphic, and there is no warning to her readers that it is coming. It is unforgivable to me that in a chapter wherein Elliott expresses her right to both vulnerability and privacy regarding her sexual assault, including her right to intentionally forget it, she does not include a content warning at the beginning of the chapter. I want to be clear: my issue is not that she wrote about sexual assault without warning. It is also not that she wrote about sexual assault at all. My issue is the hypocrisy: by not including the content warning, Elliott has denied her readers the practice of intentionally forgetting their trauma. She does not practice what she preaches. It is dangerous, in my opinion, to celebrate an writer who is well-liked, well-cited, and well-published who is not thinking critically about the praxis of her theory.
There are some moments I really appreciate in this memoir. "34 Grams is a Dose" is a strong read, for example. My classmates also enjoyed "Sontag, in Snapshots," though I personally did not. Finally, I appreciate the points she made in "Two Truths and a Lie" about the luxury of being divorced from their writing that is enjoyed by male authors. She notes that when women write fiction, it is assumed that the work is more autobiographical—that is, drawn from her real life—than if a man wrote it. Men are allowed to make art; women only ever tell their story.
Worth a read.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Sexual assault
ocha10x's review against another edition
5.0
Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, Mental illness, Genocide, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Sexual assault
space_funk's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Colonisation, and Mental illness
eve81's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Addiction, Child death, Transphobia, Pregnancy, Murder, Domestic abuse, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Misogyny
remimicha's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Alcoholism, Classism, Police brutality, Body shaming, Child abuse, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Violence, Cultural appropriation, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Cancer, and Death
buttermellow's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Xenophobia and Racism
Moderate: Mental illness, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault
june_haya's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual assault, Genocide, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, and Violence
Minor: Abortion and Suicidal thoughts
ltulisiak's review against another edition
5.0
Additionally, the author is originally from Buffalo, NY, and was partially raised in the greater Cleveland, OH, area, so I felt a geographical connection with her, as well.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Classism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Violence, Cultural appropriation, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Sexual violence
Minor: Suicide attempt
gnosila's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Rape
Minor: Addiction and Suicide
raelin's review against another edition
5.0
This book covers so many categories, since each chapter is written almost as a stand alone essay then grouped together to make one book that does tie every chapter together into a cohesive work. It is masterfully done.
All people represented in this work are dimensional humans, with several different facets. Her mother isn’t just a bipolar religious fanatic. Her father isn’t just an alcoholic abuser. They are also caring, loving, supportive parents. This is how real people are, but not often how people are captured in the written word. The beautiful contradictions that fill our relationships with people are so accurately described.
This book is so much more than memoir. It is also history, inspires self reflection (by directly asking the reader to answer hard questions about their perspective), insight into the writing process, commentary on social media, self persecution, and so much more.
A definite must read for everyone that can handle the content warnings.
Moderate: Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Murder, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse