Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Memorial Drive. Wspomnienia córki by Natasha Trethewey

4 reviews

bashsbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

In Memorial Drive, Tretheway lays bare the loss of her mother, not just on the day she was murdered, but in the years and struggles that plagued them before that fateful June day. She is extacting and relentless in her telling, leaving no detail unturned or undigested, reminding readers that however difficult it is for them to read, it was harder for her to write. Listening to the audiobook version of this text, I was especially struck by the strong and even way Tretheway relayed her mother's last phonecalls with her stepfather, a feat I don't think many of us could do, even in the sacred act of bearing witness to our mother's end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, and Suicide

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

randisworld's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

foreverinastory's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

5.0

 I am scraped raw.

Memorial Drive is a memoir about Natasha's mother and how she was murdered by her stepfather. This book alternates from past and present POVs as Natasha recounts her first 18 years of life culminating in her mother's death. This book was emotional and hard to read. I wanted to go back in time to stop the pain that Natasha's family felt (minus the stepdad he deserves nothing).

This short book illustrates a complicated relationship between mother and daughter and several of the instances that put them on that path. But we always see how much her mother cared for her and her younger brother.

One of the most evocative parts of this memoir was that the Tretheway family had evidence that their stepfather was going to kill either the children or Natasha's mother. There are at least two if not more damning phone calls that were recorded yet the police did nothing. I don't know if it was misogyny or racism or misogynoir but I am just so devastated by this family's loss because it was so preventable had the police actually listened. Just another reason to defund and renovate the system.

Rep: Black/biracial author, Black mother, father in law with suicidal ideation and possible other mental illnesses.

CWs: Murder, Grief, death of parent, gaslighting, death, fatal shooting/gun violence, emotional and physical abuse, racism, child abuse, domestic abuse, alcohol consumption/alcoholism, toxic relationship. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Racism, and Alcohol

beetsnotbombs's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism