Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde

16 reviews

rieviolet's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Like any kind of collection, there are always some parts that you like better than other ones but, overall, there is an awful lot to appreciate here and many interesting, challenging and complex reflections to ponder over.

There were a couple of chapters that I didn't much care about and, in places, were also a bit of a struggle to get through (for example "Notes from a Trip to Russia"; "An Interview: Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich", which was way too long, too much focused on their personal relationship, and also I do not like Adrienne Rich).

I have to admit that some sections were a bit difficult to understand, but that has more to do with me lacking in similar personal experiences and knowledge, than to any fault of the author. 

A lot of what Audre Lorde reflected on and wrote about back then still resonates deeply today. I think it will be worth it to read more from the author and then revisit these essays.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Racism, and Hate crime

Moderate: Police brutality, Murder, Colonisation, Death, Violence, Gun violence, Child death, Homophobia, War, Cancer, Racial slurs, Lesbophobia, and Bullying

Minor: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Medical content, Rape, Medical trauma, Ableism, Sexual assault, and Torture

notartgarfunkel's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Misogyny, Hate crime, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: War, Colonisation, Murder, and Cancer

Minor: Rape and Death of parent

yaoipaddle's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Very very very good. My copy is full of annotations for quotes I liked, inspiration I found, facts and stories I wanted to look up further, facts I wanted to pull for reference when speaking with others. 

Definitely not a book to just read and put away without Audre's words tying themselves into your brain.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Sexism, Colonisation, Medical content, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Slavery, War, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual harassment, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Racism, Infertility, Police brutality, and Sexual content

mandkips's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia

Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Rape

Minor: Cancer, Sexual violence, and Police brutality

robinks's review

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

What a powerful introduction to Audre Lorde’s words. I read so many lines over and over to let them sink in. There were such meaningful, clear anecdotes and heavy research to support Lorde’s points. This is definitely a collection I will come back to time and time again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Violence, Misogyny, Sexism, and Racism

Moderate: Homophobia, Classism, Lesbophobia, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Police brutality, Bullying, Rape, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Cancer, and Genocide

linguaphile412's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Racism, and Hate crime

Moderate: Rape, Violence, and Racial slurs

Minor: Colonisation, Cancer, Sexual violence, and Classism

evan_chanel's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

Deeply discussed themes of self-determination, self-definition, the power and differences of anger and hatred all with the message of minority female empowerment and agency. Some repetitiveness between essays or interview but overall brings the same themes through different stories throughout. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape and Violence

sarah984's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

This was an interesting read for me. It's a bit depressing that many of the issues being addressed here in the 70s and 80s are still with us. There are some iconic essays/speeches in this book, but the long meandering interview with Adrienne Rich in the middle could easily have been cut without losing anything important.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Violence

thewordsdevourer's review

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

a work much deserving of its classic status, sister outsider is raw, incisive, deep, and searing; its soul-searching, reclaiming of self and space, and examination into the sinister nooks and crevices of american society in all its -isms and complex intersectionality are cloaked w/ righteous (and relatable) rage, all succinctly yet effectivively articulated in a mix of prose, poems, and interviews, among others, though the last chapter kinda throws me off in its placement and seeming detour from content presented earlier in the book.

not only does lorde get me nodding my head off in vigorous agreement, she also leaves me awed and astounded at times at how insightful and revealing her observations and truth-telling are, and her call to self-awareness and action are inspiring. she's also light years ahead of many others in her understanding and communication of the seemingly seamless blending of race, sex, sexual orientation, class, and other aspects of complex intersectionality, as well as her awareness of her own positionality, resulting in a startlingly non-western-centric work. this is def a book to keep and read then reread.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Racism, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Racial slurs, and Homophobia

Minor: Cancer, Death, Medical trauma, Child death, Infertility, and Rape

dumaurier's review

medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Racism, and Homophobia

Moderate: Rape, Cancer, and Racial slurs