Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee

22 reviews

catcherinthepi's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Bullying, and Racism

kitschysweater's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

aibautista21's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt

bobabunnie's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

this book is gorgeous, and heart wrenching, and just so REAL. this book went way farther into the emotional moments than other graphic memoirs i’ve read, and i think it really does it well. started reading this in the middle of the night and couldn’t put it down, finished it at around sunrise. i do not regret it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, and Racism

lingfish7's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

4.0

📖A beautifully illustrated graphic memoir about growing up the daughter of a Korean immigrant family. I personally love hearing stories about the Asian experience because 1) I am part Asian and 2) it’s often overlooked in light of racism against blacks. The “model minority” stereotype has done a lot of harm to Asians. Assuming every Asian person is Chinese is also hurtful. This book was powerfully written, because it showcases the constant feelings of being in between. Not fully Korean and not fully American; feeling othered and like an outcast in both cultures. In other words, “in limbo.” 

 

⚠️TW: suicide attempts, self-harm, domestic violence and abuse, racism 

 

This book covers the author’s life from freshman year of high school up through graduation. It contains flashbacks to middle school or early years. The author has a tumultuous relationship with her Korean mother, whose expectations are unrealistic and arbitrary. Her mother sometimes becomes violent and harmful. There is a constant theme of how society perceives mental illness. Deb’s mother perceives it as shame for the family and something to blame on the victim. The culture at Deb’s high school views mental illness as something to gossip about. There is not a single time (besides in therapy) where Deb actually has someone reach out to her in her pain and hurting, free of judgment and shame. 

 

In Limbo is heartbreaking and hopeful, showcasing the unique experience of being a Korean immigrant as well as what it’s like to deal with mental illness and suicidal thoughts in the midst of that feeling of “otherness.” This book took me about an hour or two to read, and I found myself immersed in both the drawings and the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Emotional abuse

ourladyofcats's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Suicide attempt

matildahasopinions's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

lprongs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

I'm glad this exists because I think the author needed to write it, and I think a lot of people probably need to read it. It didn't really click with me though - I struggled to follow the thread of a lot of the more jumbled panel compositions, and I often felt like I couldn't quite figure out what the author was trying to say/show, even when it felt very important. However, this book was not written for me.

I will also say that a lot of my own trauma from severe depression, a suicide attempt, and an unstable, formative relationship with my own mother informed a lot of my response to this book. It made me uncomfortable in a bad way and reminded me of things I'd rather stay forgotten. I think if I'd read this a few years ago, before I moved back in with my parents, I would have enjoyed it more. Now it's a little too close to home, and I think that prevented me from really sinking into it and understanding more of it as I kept a lot of it at arm's length in my head.

It was not an enjoyable read, and like most memoirs, it feels wrong to rate it. But I do think it's a valuable addition to the world: it introduces and discusses some very complex and important topics, the art was beautiful, and the inclusion of Korean was cleverly done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

krys_kilz's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Mental illness, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Racism and Bullying

nlreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide