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Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'
Personal Effects: What Recovering the Dead Teaches Me about Caring for the Living by Robert A. Jensen
3 reviews
lilla_my's review
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
I was really excited for this book but it ended up being disappointing. This book had SO MUCH potential!! I think the problem with the book doesn't lie with the author or his retelling of events, but with the editor. There were grammatical mistakes and there were parts that should've been taken out or abridged, things that should've been rearranged, etc. Sometimes it felt like awkward journal entries rather than a memoir or a book on mass fatality incidents.
I hope the author continues to write nonfiction and that if he publishes another book, it ends up in the hands of a better editor.
I hope the author continues to write nonfiction and that if he publishes another book, it ends up in the hands of a better editor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Genocide, Police brutality, and Mass/school shootings
clarabooksit's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Jensen has dedicated his life to an important and fascinating job. Here he details some of the most horrific and tragic mass fatalities in the last several decades with sensitivity, grace, and unwavering respect for both the living and the dead. There were parts of this book I could not put down.
However, I find I have to agree with many other reviewers that this needed better editing: there are so many repetitions—some passages are nearly verbatim in two or more chapters—and there are parts that feel anecdotal, even superficial, where I wanted more information, depth and nuance.
I’m glad I read it, though, and I’d still recommend it. It’s a good read but maybe not an exceptional one.
However, I find I have to agree with many other reviewers that this needed better editing: there are so many repetitions—some passages are nearly verbatim in two or more chapters—and there are parts that feel anecdotal, even superficial, where I wanted more information, depth and nuance.
I’m glad I read it, though, and I’d still recommend it. It’s a good read but maybe not an exceptional one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
lord_morpheus's review
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War