Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Our Bodies, Their Battlefields: War Through the Lives of Women by Christina Lamb

7 reviews

beckyp91's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

3.75

The stories in this book are enormously important and I'm in awe of the strength of the survivors telling their stories, and of the tenacity of the author in listening and recounting their experiences. For that reason this book is enormously important and well worth reading. However I felt that it was let down by the structure of the book and how rushed it felt in places, with little overarching coherence and what felt like random segues in to different timeframes, and some areas where the editing could have caught repetition of facts and phrases within a few pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and War

el_za_k's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail

queenantipodes's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, and Medical trauma

blueskies157's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and War

amanda_'s review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad slow-paced

3.0

○ Important reading on the sexual violence forced upon women in war and conflict. Lamb covers several conflicts during which sexual violence was not just 'something that happened' but rather was used as a tool for inducing fear in women and their communities. She described how society has -- and still -- largely ignore these crimes even though they are now considered war crimes. Yet, even with this acknowledgement of them as such crimes, when put on trial war criminals are rarely accused and/or convicted as it is often 'easier' to convict for other crimes, for example murder.

○ A number of women tell their stories in this book, each one as horrifying as the next. Painful memories are brought up and discussed how they have affected the women, many of whom have still not seen justice been brought. It also goes into details on how, just because the conflict(s) ended, the women are in some cases shunned from society as speaking up against their abusers meant they were looked down upon by their own communities.

○ At times repetitive, although understandable given the topic at hand. It is not easy reading, following one conflict and the women's accounts of how they were abused, some in one instance, others kept as sexual slaves for weeks, months, years. Each story deserves its place in history, for sure, but in this narrative they start to blend into each other some eerily similar. Which of course is a good point, showing that despite international condemnation, this type of violence directed toward women keeps on happening. But the book manage to convey this message and would have done so without such density of violence. A broader analysis is missing and could've easily fit in between the women's stories for a larger picture.

○ One complaint: Lamb tends to insert herself in the narrative, often commenting on how she did something, said something, that is not necessarily relevant to the narrative. She mentions her own trips in the countries she visits between her meetings with the women, commenting on how it's difficult to understand how blood had run in a certain building just years before. Or how she many times mention how someone told her, as if it is special that she's telling it to her and not someone else. It's a minor thing maybe, but not to me, because it jars with the idea that the books is about the women who suffered during the wars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Murder

tabitha_isabelle's review

challenging dark emotional informative

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder

jbraith's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, Grief, and Medical trauma