Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed

21 reviews

novella42's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book has been my favorite book for the last ten years. It's a steadfast and heart-wrenching masterpiece. It's a collection of advice column responses unlike anything I have ever seen, because she doesn't hide behind the anonymity of the column but instead bares her soul in the most unexpected and vitally human ways. 
 

Strayed cusses eloquently and covers a wide number of topics with wit, humor, and deep compassion. She speaks openly about her childhood sexual abuse and a number of the letters have to do with sexual violence. She also helps readers address alcoholism, drug abuse, adultery, domestic violence, grief, miscarriage, and existential crises.

A friend who is a survivor showed me her copy on the night she shared her story with me, and said how much the book had meant to her. Since then I have read it many times at many different places in my mental health journey, but it may be too raw or intense for someone in the early stages of healing from trauma or dealing with active flashbacks/nightmares. 

It cracks me open every time, but also holds my hand as we put the pieces back together. I need to read it again soon.

The author-read audiobook is powerful. She's also quotable AF in any medium:

"The story of human intimacy is one of constantly allowing ourselves to see those we love most deeply in a new, more fractured light. Look hard. Risk that."

"Healing is a small and ordinary and very burnt thing. And it's one thing and one thing only: it's doing what you have to do."

"We like to think we're right about what we believe about ourselves and what we often believe are only the best, most moral things. We like to pretend that our generous impulses come naturally. But the reality is we often become our kindest, most ethical selves only by seeing what it feels like to be selfish assholes first."

"There is no why. You don’t have a right to the cards you believe you should have been dealt. You have an obligation to play the hell out of the ones you’re holding."

"I'll never know, and neither will you, of the life you don't choose. We'll only know that whatever that sister life was, it was important and beautiful and not ours. It was the ghost ship that didn't carry us. There's nothing to do but salute it from the shore."

"Whatever happens to you belongs to you. Make it yours. Feed it to yourself even if it feels impossible to swallow. Let it nurture you, because it will." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Child death, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Grief, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Cursing, Alcoholism, and Death

questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

This isn't the sort of book I normally read but after re-reading Wild last month but I thought I'd try it because I really like Cheryl Strayed's writing. This isn't traditional self help because Strayed includes stories from her own life in her answers which is what I enjoyed most about it. It meant I could understand where her advice was coming from. Fortunately I can't relate to most of the problems in the letters but her advice still feels valuable because of the way she writes about universal human nature. I listened to the audiobook and it felt particularly special because she narrates it herself. Some of the letters were really heart-breaking and her advice was sometimes the opposite of what I was expecting and altogether it made for a really fascinating reading experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Death, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, and Suicidal thoughts

indiarose8's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I always return to this book when I need to be reminded that I'm not alone and that humanity exists within everyone. I give it as gifts to all my friends. I love the simple, raw, beautiful way Cheryl Strayed writes. This is one of my favorites for life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

iamnita's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

5.0

This book was suggested by a friend, and I couldn't thank her more for the recommendation. It is told in a series of letters to the people writing in, and they describe issues they're dealing with and Dear Sugar responds. The responses are sometimes long-winded before you understand why that story was told, and that made it more endearing. I absolutely plowed through this book given that it reads quite fast, and the individual letters don't take too long before you want to read another. Just a gem. A definite to have on the shelf and flip through from time to time.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Cursing, Alcoholism, Grief, Infertility, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual assault, Rape, Pregnancy, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, Murder, and Miscarriage

becksusername's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

A book I needed

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

penelopeja's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Sexual assault

lya_thebananahead's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

This book will hold you tight and force you to look at other people's fears and insecurities and question your own actions and you'll be gratefull for it. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Abortion, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Miscarriage, and Mental illness

hettyreads's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Violence, Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Homophobia

raelong12's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

paigieodo's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.75

The reading sample for this book opens with a story from the author's life that made me flinch and stop reading. I'm not usually a fan of books that lay bare the grotesque and violent nature of the world with such grim language; I typically prefer gentler allusions to horrifying truths and then a more nuanced uncovering of their evils. But this year, I came across a handful of novels and stories that changed my mind slightly on this matter. Obasan by Joy Kogawa, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi — many novels I read this year allowed me to explore the grossness of humanity without losing perspective on how beautiful it is, as well.

So I pressed on with Tiny Beautiful Things.

And it was the right decision. Through Sugar, Cheryl Strayed offers the most honest and kind-hearted advice rooted in a deep love for her fellow humans. I consider myself to be very reflective, very intelligent, very aware of myself and how to operate as a good person in this world. I didn't think I would learn much from this collection. But I did. It filled me. It brought me the feeling that all of us, even those who feel sickeningly wrong so much of the time, will be okay if we try.

Strayed is unafraid to explore the awful and the absurd. But more than that, she is unafraid to try to find wonder and possibility in all of it. It is hopeful. It is terrifying. It is brimming with love. And it is absolutely worth reading, no matter who you are.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia and Sexual assault

Moderate: Addiction, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Death, and Child abuse

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, and Sexual content