A review by neurodivengeance
Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction by Elizabeth Stephens

4.0

I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for this book in some ways. It was HARD - facing your demons is hard - but there were also bits that were so loving and validating. Not all of this resonated with me but I am so glad a collection of (mainly) women's experiences with creativity and self-destruction exists. I'm now keeping an art journal because of one of the entries and that's been helping. This book made me face the dark spaces I inhabit but it also told me I'm not alone. One of my favourite bits was something Sabrina said in the preface - that women who self-harm do so because they have this massive power that they don't know what to do with yet. That helps me a lot, seeing it like that. I am very sad this book has to exist but, since it does, I'm glad it exists. I still feel a lot of the time that I can't possibly survive the shit I've lived through, that I will always be broken and in pain, but stuff like this helps me to understand that stages of recovery featuring more of a sense of peace/purpose are possible. Pity Amanda Palmer's wordvomit is in it but you can't have everything. Mainly, THANKS FOR EXISTING, BOOK.