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knachknachjoke's reviews
123 reviews
Leaving the Witness: Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life by Amber Scorah
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
I couldn't really tell who the audience of this book was. It had a strong opening, and a STRONG ending, but the middle felt disconnected & like not everything had a real purpose. It seemed like the author spent a lot of it recounting her journey without a lot of editing, and then she did a beautiful job of reflecting on her story in the end, but the purpose was lost in the middle. It wasn't really full narrative, full reflection, or full here's-what-being-in-a-cult-was-like—by the end, I was left wishing for more of at least one of those categories and feeling like I was promised something that wasn't quite delivered on until the very last few pages. I can tell writing this was a wonderful journey for the author; I wish it had translated a little more over to a wonderful experience for the reader, too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Religious bigotry
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong - and What You Really Need to Know by Emily Oster
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
This book helped me feel SO much more peace about pregnancy (something that, deservedly, I've been nervous about!) Emily Oster goes into the whys of so many pregnancy rules and regulations, and for someone so factually-grounded like me, it made me feel so much more relaxed about things I know my husband and I would have been neurotic about before. It also did a much better job (in my opinion) than What to Expect about some of the pitfalls and expectations in pregnancy; Oster doesn't give a full timeline of every possible event, but she goes into what some common side effects are and how to tell if what you're experiencing is normal or not (with statistics to reassure you that you're probably going to be fine!) The book is much easier on the anxiety than WtE's laundry-list-of-complications style of delivery.
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy