Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi

10 reviews

karingforbooks's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

2.5

I’m sure this resonates for others, but it’s not for me. Not least because the extensive discussion of suicide and self harm was triggering for me, so go into this having read content and trigger warnings. 
Otherwise I can’t tell if it’s just that I’m uncomfortable with someone being so confident or if I genuinely think they’re delusional in a harmless way. But none of it hit with me and I didn’t enjoy the writing style either. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Dysphoria

Minor: Body horror, Chronic illness, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

mscalls's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.5

Powerful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Medical content, Grief, and Suicide attempt

ktkeps's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I can’t do the suicidal ideation right now. I gotta protect my peace. I might come back to this eventually. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Medical content, and Suicide attempt

elizea's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, and Medical content

laurareads87's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

5.0

Dear Senthuran is beautifully written, extraordinarily intimate, and covers a lot of ground: spiritedness + spiritual life, gender, mental health, childhood, career, fame, interpersonal relationships, navigating life amidst humanity.  Extraordinary & like nothing I've ever read before (though those who've read Freshwater will certainly find some familiar content here); also a very difficult read - I'm sure I've forgotten some relevant content warnings.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail

readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.75

This is the most unique, compelling memoir I've read in many years. Through letters to their close friends and family, Akwaeke Emezi discusses their experience of being trans and getting surgery, their mental health, writing, chronic pain, the publishing industry, their identity as a god or ogbanje, and their spiritual connection with this world and with death. This is a fascinating read and one that introduced me to so many new concepts and ideas. Emezi really is a transcendent writer.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

hogsandwich's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.5

Theyre definitely a genius. Theyre also, I suspect, very difficult to be around.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Self harm

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

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