Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller

11 reviews

sierrabowers's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

If you like reading about science and taxonomy, this would be a good book for you. If you’re loosely interested, maybe you would as well. I am not interested in these subjects but the way the author tied the subjects into her own story about life and how the universe is not as it seems… well I was interested to know why fish don’t exist. It was good book! Definitely not what I was expecting but it was enlightening and relaxing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

rin_dawg's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Pedophilia and Rape

inthemoonlight's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I genuinely have no words for much this impacted me. It is truly beautifully and completely done. 

My only warning would be to look at any trigger warnings if that's something that would impact you. I personally went in blind, not even knowing what it was about, and did not realize how dark things would be. Vital to talk about, but still potentially triggering nonetheless.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Genocide, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, and Rape

cass_lit's review against another edition

3.0

There is a certain category of nonfiction that doesn’t work for me. This started off like that and I was worried. 

I had no idea where this was going for most of this book. It seemed in the beginning like a stream of consciousness about “chaos” as the author worked through some thoughts on dependency (her dad, her ~curly haired~ ex-boyfriend). (All of her thoughts there are totally valid, I just don’t get a lot of enjoyment out of reading them.) I did not understand her obsession with David Starr Jordan at first, but then she started telling us all of the shitty things he did and I REALLY did not understand why he deserved a book that wasn’t focused on setting his reputation straight. When someone uses his power to cover sexual assault with threats and potentially murders someone (and definitely gaslights the hell out of her after her death), I’m simply not interested in the psychology behind why he did it. He did it and he was wrong. In my opinion, the author’s desperation to find out why Jordan was like this felt like she was trying to find an excuse for him. 

The last ~1/4 or so of the book truly saved it for me. Miller felt like she was unequivocally calling Jordan a bad person, and she even got a little vindictive - deservedly. The threads of the story finally started to make some sense and I could find a point to why she wrote this. I am in awe of Anna and Mary’s strength for getting through what they did; they’re a great model of what women (and all humans!) can be, no matter what depraved narcissists have said. I also didn’t know that “fish” wasn’t considered a scientific classification any longer, so it was equally as interesting as it was satisfying.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Medical trauma

Minor: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt

ronan_lesh's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, and Murder

okarenhelena's review

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, and Murder

Minor: Ableism, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

emhunsbaker's review

challenging dark informative slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

slynn's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, and Murder

thewordshaker's review

dark informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

What an unexpected book! Lulu challenges assumptions and belief in her quest for hope and purpose, without deluding herself on white lies to tell herself. 

Part memoir, part recounting of ichthyologist history, the book comments on the short coming of science and scientists as well as explaining the misunderstood. 

I feel some of the topics covered here should have come with a warning. Lulu talks about suicide, rape, and forced sterilization with an occasional warning to not be squeamish - but being squeamish or sensitive to these subjects is only human and also based off of experiences. It may come from a place of trying to protect her vulnerabilities but it is wrong, and it made the book an uncomfortable reading, and why I chose not to give it 4 stars. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, and Trafficking

jeanneerin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, and Car accident

Forced sterilization, eugenics, depression, Trump, Confederate statues, Proud Boys