anessa's review
4.25
Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
nathwani's review
5.0
Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual harassment
smolfrog's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Cancer, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Stalking
edgwareviabank's review
4.5
This is excellent for readers who appreciate subtle dark humour, room to make up their own mind on topics that can be bleak and difficult to talk about (there's a lot of subtext, though the author gets to spelling things out more clearly towards the end of the book), and relatable experiences around the concepts of belonging and home.
I loved the illustrations, which give a good idea of the scale of the plants and their impact on the nature surrounding them, even to someone who hasn't ever set foot in Canada (yet). I also appreciated the portrayal of the workers as complex, flawed humans, within a context that could easily have lent itself to clear-cut, black-and-white judgement. For every episode that made me unquestionably angry with men and about the behaviour of men (of which there are plenty), there was one that made me see the contradictions some of those men carried inside them, or remember there are good people to be found even in a harsh environment such as the one of the camps. As Kate Beaton says in her closing notes, this is about her personal experience in the oil sands and the people she met, and given the nature of some of the things she went through, it's remarkable she could write and illustrate it with so much nuance. Her book gives a very clear sense of how and why this is the kind of experience that stays with people for life.
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexism and Rape
morag's review
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, and Drug abuse
displacedcactus's review
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.
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).raybudbury's review
4.5
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Racism, and Racial slurs
therebeckening's review
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
emireads's review
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicide, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Addiction, and Sexism
lizard800's review
4.75
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Rape, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, and Drug abuse