flordemaga's reviews
281 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Gore, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Terminal illness, Drug use, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, War, and Death of parent
3.75
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Ableism and Medical content
Minor: Medical trauma and Forced institutionalization
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Racism
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
4.5
Moderate: Ableism, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Death, Blood, Animal death, Child abuse, and Animal cruelty
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The ending is realistic but upsetting but also uplifting.
Would have wanted the author to acknowledge how heavily this leans into the experience of Native American & other Indigenous peoples.
4.0
Moderate: Chronic illness and Terminal illness
5.0
The font is nice and angular, on the print copy I read. I like that, too.
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Child abuse and Pedophilia
Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.
The first 40% is suspenseful and gripping. I really wanted to care. But then it starts feeling like a slog. I hate to not finish a book so late into it, but I just can’t.
Graphic: Death, Drug use, and Adult/minor relationship
3.25
Unfortunately, it is also severely under-edited. It could have easily been 150 pages shorter. By page 250 I’m thinking “what new things could you possibly have to say?” And there’s a couple, but not many.
Here’s my overall thoughts about this book other than that:
Sarah Ramey has obviously been a victim of severe medical abuse and has experienced severe medical trauma. My heart goes out to her. And to all the other people who have experienced the same, usually because they are women or are perceived by a medical system to be women. Her experience with medical abuse, trauma, and neglect is unfortunately a huge, widespread problem with medicine. I find myself infuriated on her behalf but unfortunately believing it (I mean, as I should! But what I mean is that I keep thinking, ‘yeah, that would happen to someone.)
She addresses the problems with modern medicine where it fails to see patients as a whole person and instead sees them as collections or subsets of symptoms, and then when those don’t fit exactly with something people (often women or those seen as women) get dismissed with “well, it’s all in your head anyway.” Problems affecting women are severely underfunded and underresearched, as Ramey points out — ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, anything that has to do with uteruses or vaginas. She addresses that we really really underestimate the effect of stress, chronic stress and little-t traumas, into our physical health. And she is right that mind is body and body is mind, and that this is often not addressed in medicine.
I have problems with Sarah Ramey stating theories (orchid children and HSP especially; as well as leaky gut stuff) as facts. I have problems with the gender essentialism she devolves into. I have problems with the sort of lumping of genetic disorders in with disorders caused by other factors.
I also think that her privilege as someone white and wealthy is VERY clear at times and she doesn’t even address it much. When that is a huge, huge factor in her even being able to access alternative medicines, or expensive treatments.
And oh my god why are there so many Harry Potter references. Like, I get it, but they get so annoying.
Overall, yes, a worthwhile read. But it can get tedious what with the underediting and all, and just keep a critical ear out. I don’t mean cynicism, I mean critical thinking and self research. What works for her may not work for you.
Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, Chronic illness, and Injury/injury detail