Reviews tagging 'Death'

Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi

19 reviews

laurenleigh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

4.5

This memoir by Awaeke Emezi is written in letters, as they explore their gender identity, their romantic and sexual partnerships, their  life as an author, and their multiplicity. The epistolary format invites the reader into an intimate space, at times voyeuristic when Emezi gets into some intense detail. Some of these details, mainly relating to suicide and gore, were hard for me to read. I am a strict completionist, but even I had to give up on the titular “Dear Senthuran” letter, which is also rightly titled “Gore.” But I understand, at least to some degree, why it’s important for Emezi to push boundaries. Their life, their embodiment in human form, and in turn, their writing, is all so raw. It’s bursting at the seams with life and intensity. I highly recommend their debut novel, Freshwater, and I especially suggest reading that before this memoir, so you have an understanding of Emezi’s multiplicity and Igbo ontology. It’s all so fascinating to me, and their work is like nothing else I’ve ever read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, and Medical content

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Fire/Fire injury

ellekhupe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Infidelity

maryberthelsen's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, and Suicide attempt

foreverinastory's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring tense

5.0

I have no words.

I've had the pleasure of reading both Freshwater and The Death of Vivek Oji so I knew I would be inhaling Emezi's memoir as soon as I could. Dear Senthuran has solidified Emezi as one of my favorite authors of all time. Any time they come out with something new, I will be reading it immediately.

This memoir is not an easy book to read. Emezi has chronic depression and has lived through several suicide attempts. Reading about their struggles and how being an author on tour only exacerbated their depression is something readers and fans almost never see. We see the shiny, polished author who puts their best face forward during the extent of the tour where as many cities as possible are crammed in.

So much of this book is about pain. But it's also about becoming who you are. The thing I related to the most was Emezi's struggles with gender and defining exactly what their gender was. Plus dealing with dysphoria and taking steps to treat it. They also discuss how this impacted their relationship with their mother.

This book took a knife to my soul and it felt like someone finally understood the thoughts in my head I haven't been able to verbalize. Read this book as soon as you can.

CWs: Death, emotional abuse, homophobia, medical content (gender affirming surgeries), misogyny, racism, religious bigotry, sexism, self harm, sexual content, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, toxic relationship, transphobia, body horror, mental illness (depression). 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

nerdybookies's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

catapocalypse's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book was so bold a creation, so extraordinary an experience. It is essentially a follow up to Freshwater, this time rightfully labeled as memoir. It's their story as a series of epistolary essays. I'd recommend reading Freshwater first, since it will provide additional explanation and context for things like their ȯgbanje identity, the brothersisters, some of their relationship with Yshwa, and more about their childhood and youth (Since I had already read it beforehand, I am not certain how much may need clarification without it). Dear Senthuran touches on those things, but its focus is more on their adulthood as well as philosophy behind their identities, spiritualities, relationships, work, life, etc.

Emezi's goals were to write truly of their personal experiences and to put those ideas out there for Black readers in particular. That said, I strongly urge other white readers not to shy away. We need to read and think about these things with honest reflection. So much of how we've harmed others and ourselves comes out of operating on narrow views and letting bad ideas calcify into accepted norms. Learning that this isn't how things are or should be helps work on dismantling these cages. There is still so much in here to relate to, and a lot that we can also find freeing, if we're willing to listen and think on it.

I would advise being prepared to go into this in the right headspace. It's at least as brutal and breathtaking as Freshwater, with a lot of heavy things covered in heavy detail. There are in-depth looks at depression, suicidal ideation and attempts, death, and a small section including fantasies of cannibalism.

I took my reading slow to let things percolate and avoid being overwhelmed. It was such a rewarding experience. Emezi remains a favorite, and I look forward to their upcoming projects. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death, Gore, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, and Medical trauma

Minor: Chronic illness, Islamophobia, and Murder

tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Car accident, Outing, and Abandonment

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

 - Per usual, when I try to sit down to write about an Emezi book, I cannot find the words. Their work is simply beyond my ability to discuss. Each book bends my mind and cracks open the world a little differently.
- DEAR SENTHURAN is a look inside their brain, their heart, their soul. It's an extended discussion of how to deal with a world that does not want you, on several levels. It's the pain and joy and revenge of making space for yourself anyway.
- Even beyond the larger ideas explored, the actual writing and words of this book are expansive, visceral, horrifying and elegant. They are truly a master of their craft.
- Also, I've listed content warnings below: please take them seriously. Emezi does not hold back on some graphic descriptions, particularly about suicide and self harm. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

sjanke2's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt