Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture, by Roxane Gay

40 reviews

actualresultsmayvary's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

2.75

Serious Trigger Warnings for Rape and Sexual Assault 

Spoiler

I really struggled with how to rate this book. It is not one book but a collection of essays by different people, each describing their experiences with rape or sexual assault, some graphically, others discussing the wider impact on their lives.
Like for almost all women this is an issue which impacts me personally and I found it far more triggering that any other media on this topic fiction or non-fiction that I have ever consumed.
The essays were variable in their quality and I think this is a topic which would have been helped by one narrative voice tying them all together, though they were tied together by the theme of not believing your experiences are bad enough to deserve sympathy and I think that is an incredibly relatable feeling.
On balance, I think reading this book was a negative experience for me, although I do believe it is important for people to tell their stories. I hope that some people are able to be helped by reading this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

liliflynn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.75

This was a brilliant collection of essays exploring how sexual violence effects individuals, families, and society. 

The essays were, for the most part, very well written with a sense of honesty and confession. There were a couple I felt were out of place, or lacking, but ultimately overall it was incredible. 

I would highly recommend to anyone who has experienced sexual violence to read this. It was a reminder that however we reacted and responded was correct. We all have the right to move forward, or freeze, or go backwards — there is no “correct” way to survive.

In saying that, this book was also an incredibly difficult read. It is much needed, but check your emotions and mental health first always.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Pedophilia

brianawg_'s review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

aenid's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

alyssa_s10's review

dark emotional medium-paced

5.0

A very tough must read. This was a book that I  couldn't put down, but had to a times in order to fully process what I had read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

jemima_reads's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape

thebookienook's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Sexual content

lea8914lh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

colourbandit's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Not That Bad was a really, really powerful read, discussing the many stories from a hugely diverse group of women and their experiences with rape culture, sexual violence, and harassment. It saddened and disappointed me every time I picked it up to read another section, about just how horrific our culture can be and the experiences of too many women within that. 

There were some elements of hope, with changes in attitudes having gone through these experiences, understanding that we need to alter how we raise our children and react to rape culture. However, it is seemingly so ingrained in society that we have a huge way to go still. 

The stories were amazingly written, emotional, and incredibly powerful, with such variety. It’s such an important read, although it comes with quite a large trigger warning for anything relating to any of the topics mentioned above. If you feel able to, you just HAVE to read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

theocreswell's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Sexual harassment