Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

87 reviews

morag's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, and Drug abuse

displacedcactus's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

I feel like most people already realize this, but just in case, I want to make something clear: Do NOT pick up Ducks expecting something as silly and witty as Hark! A Vagrant or Beaton's picture books. This is a very serious memoir about the author's time working in Alberta's oil sands, at job sites where the men sometimes outnumbered the women 50 to 1, people worked long hours, and were cut off from family and friends back home.

This is both a personal memoir, and a statement about the overall human toll of the oil sands -- not just the harassment that Beaton experienced, but what the other women on site experienced, the addiction and mental illness among the crews, the priority of profits over true safety, and of course, the environmental impact. The titular "ducks" are hundreds of birds who died in a tailing pond. The Indigenous population of the area has to contend with polluted water and air, among other issues.

Beaton approaches the subject with a certain amount of nuance, but this is still a difficult read. Make sure to check out the CWs before you read this.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Alcohol, and Drug abuse

Minor: Racism and Suicidal thoughts

The SA/rape are not depicted on page, but the lead up to them is, and they are discussed often (not in detail of what happened, but the emotional impact).

lizard800's review

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, and Drug abuse

coffeecass's review

challenging funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual assault and Misogyny

Minor: Drug abuse and Stalking

jskreading's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Racism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, and Addiction

tinyflame4's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

2.75

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Car accident, Colonisation, Alcohol, Animal death, Drug abuse, and Bullying

town_scar's review

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

lethargicbumblebee's review

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

4.25

Great book! Really gives you a sense of a specific place and time. Beaton does a gray job of weaving a complicated narrative out of what's primarily a lot of little vignettes.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use

vixenreader's review

dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.75

The great Canadian graphic novel, it is an exploration of what people will put up with when they need to take care of themselves, and how others will take advantage of those because of their lack of resources. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Cursing, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Colonisation, Racism, Drug use, Drug abuse, Animal death, Bullying, Alcohol, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, and Xenophobia

Minor: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, and Ableism

Be aware that the novel does explore workplace abuse, hardship, and harassment. If you got out of a bad job, please read with care.

idesofmarch's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexism

Moderate: Rape, Addiction, and Mental illness

Minor: Infidelity, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Car accident