Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo

11 reviews

kaynova's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Medical content, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, and Chronic illness

gabhopesreads's review against another edition

5.0

This is the best memoir I've ever read. It's so well-written, phenomenal on audio and one of my favorites this year so far. I loved the narration, plus the included audios of her therapy sessions. I loved how she went into details about history, hers and forgotten history, erased history. I loved how it felt like I was put under a microscope and dissected, but in actuality she was explaining her C-PTSD. At the end, the message of hope mirrored my own that I was lucky enough to find years ago. I wish I'd read this sooner, when I'd been drowning in my diagnosis. But the thing with C-PTSD is it's always there, so this will be helpful to read at any point in my life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pandemic/Epidemic, Hate crime, Gun violence, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Racism, Grief, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Cultural appropriation, Child abuse, Car accident, and Bullying

sleeson's review

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Medical content

pikitat's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective

5.0

Beautifully written with a perfect blend of science and personal stories. What else can I say? It's a great book and I'm glad I read it. 100% would read it again. Mind the trigger warnings and be gentle with yourself, though. The book can be a heavy read at points.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Child abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Medical content

jessdekkerreads's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Mental illness, Medical content, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Physical abuse, and Pandemic/Epidemic

starlit_pathways's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Mental illness, Torture, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Drug use

Moderate: Racism, War, Hate crime, Car accident, Xenophobia, and Death

Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault

zombiezami's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Abandonment, Self harm, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Grief, Child abuse, Violence, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Death, Alcohol, Rape, Addiction, Police brutality, Bullying, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Hate crime, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Kidnapping, Child death, War, Excrement, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, and Cancer

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

This was really good. It struck me how candid Stephanie was being about her childhood traumas, how those experiences affected her and as a result rippled down to all of Foo's relationships and aspirations.
The descriptions of the childhood abuse was palpable, sickening, and incredibly sad. Major content warnings for these scenes, please take care while reading.

The relationships with her parents in her adulthood was also fascinating. How she manages to maintain some contact with her father despite how much he hurt her. We do what we must to find mental and physical safety but how much we can crave love from our parents even if we fear them. It's a constant balancing act and so emotionally exhausting.

I don't know very much about psychiatry and psychology so this aspect of the memoir was a bit over my head but I still followed along. She made it pretty easy for non-experts to understand the different kinds of treatment she sought. This memoir is so sad, reading about Foo encountering so many hurdles and struggling to find the light at the end of the tunnel. Knowing that she was well enough to write this memoir, reflecting on her life does little to lessen the second-hand blow of her life story to the reader. It's heavy heavy heavy.

I wish her the best in continuing to heal and understand herself before and after the trauma.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Bullying, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Self harm, Hate crime, Ableism, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, and Alcoholism

Minor: Body shaming, War, Incest, and Infertility

negative self-talk, bad therapy experiences, victim blaming.

ashleycmms's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Physical abuse, Medical content, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Racism, Death, and Drug use

caseythereader's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Thanks to Random House for the free copy of this book.

 - WHAT MY BONES KNOW is a masterpiece of a memoir. Blending Foo's personal story with the research she did to learn more about her own condition, the book sheds light on the little known and understood diagnosis of C-PTSD.
- Given that C-PTSD happens when there is extended, repeated trauma, this book also gets into generational trauma and the history of Foo's family and their traumas, which I think a lot of people will relate to, even if you're not of the Asian diaspora.
- I feel like I don't even know what to say about this book. It's so good. Please read it, and also go listen to @thestackspod episode with the author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Gaslighting, War, Alcohol, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Rape