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Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'
The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetuated in the Name of Science by Sam Kean
8 reviews
fiona_gs's review
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Dysphoria
gk1412's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, Classism, and Deportation
phoebemurtagh's review against another edition
3.5
They some things shouldn't be attempted by the faint of heart or squeamish. As a squeamish person myself, I'd like to refine that: you can most certainly attempt, but you might need to skim through the physical descriptions of how to perform an ice pick lobotomy.
This was a good collection of scientists gone bad: some of the stories were disturbing and familiar ones I'd already heard, while some were disturbing and new. My only criticisms would be that while such a book must necessarily take a dark sense of humor, I found the author's attempts at levity in the face of evil just a little irreverent sometimes. More disappointingly, though, the author refers to bunk science as "voodoo" in at least one place; it's a small thing, but perpetuating a stereotype that African disaporic religious traditions that developed as a result of American slavery are somehow 'less valid' and the equivalent of bad science is below the mark for any journalist.
All in all, I preferred The Disappearing Spoon, but this is a good book, too.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
chupacobbruh's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, and Medical trauma
kbergsten's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
clarabooksit's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, Dysphoria, and Classism
Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism
readundancies's review against another edition
4.0
Let it be known that this is not for the faint of heart. A lot of the more disillusioning and heavy content is covered in a very clinical way, and it can take a bit of getting used to. There are some really coldhearted individuals out there and this book highlights some of the most infamous of the lot.
It’s so interesting though. I was living for this content. The number of times I said What the fuck?!? while reading was too many.
At this point I should probably mention that I read this non-chronologically. It’s written in a way that each chapter is directly connected to and leads into the next. But, I was feeling out of sorts and decided to switch things up and read all over the place with respect to chapters. I didn't find it even mildly disconcerting, so I'd say if you wanted to read chapters out of order, it's very doable.
My favourite chapters in no particular order include:
- Piracy: The Buccaneer Biologist
- Slavery: The Corruption of the Flycatcher
- Grave-Robbing: Jekyll & Hyde, Hunter & Knox
- Murder: The Professor and the Janitor
- Ambition: Surgery for the Soul
- Malpractice: Sex, Power, and Money
- Fraud: Superwoman.
If you're looking for a science-based non-fiction read with some true crime flair to the writing, I definitely recommend this.
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Dysphoria
sunshinestark's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Antisemitism, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Murder