Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia by Anita Heiss

5 reviews

bexi's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Bullying, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Violence, Child abuse, Police brutality, Death of parent, Suicide, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, and Grief

Minor: Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Chronic illness, Cursing, Body shaming, Child death, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Blood, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Animal death, and Infidelity

mel_s_bookshelf's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is such an important book - one I believe every Australian needs to read. 

Each voice is unique, as are their stories and experiences. It has left me feel raw, emotional, disgusted and ashamed and just as equally inspired, hopeful, uplifted and determined to make it a higher priority to read more from Indigenous authors. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Classism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Abandonment, and Addiction

balfies's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

Another fantastic memoir anthology, this one exploring Aboriginality. I often had to take the time to properly absorb each piece, so I've been dipping into it shortly over about 9 months.

Some poetic, some hilarious, many haunting or reckoning with pain and discrimination. Emotional, evocative, and expressive writing throughout.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Medical trauma, War, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Hate crime, Grief, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Colonisation, Classism, Child abuse, Bullying, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Addiction, Ableism, and Abandonment

emzilia's review

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

(Listened to audiobook version)

A few notable chapters for me:

• Easter 1969, Katie Bryan. Wish this one was longer
• Growing up, Grow up, grown-ups, Ambelin Kwaymullina
• ‘Abo Nose’, Zachary Penrith-Puchalski
• Carol Petterson’s chapter: I had no idea Australia enforced a type of caste system within missionaries based on the skin colour of people, people in the same family - Carol was not allowed to talk to her own brother or Mother because she was light skinned and he was not to avoid ‘contamination’

I really loved this anthology collection. It’s so important to hear the experiences of different Aboriginal people from different walks of life that are largely just synthesised together as a single experience in mainstream dialogue/media, or are otherwise underrepresented at all. 

My first time listening to an audiobook, and while I think it complemented the nature of a short story collection with a range of voices, I did find it harder to retain the stories. If I get a chance I’d like to read this again, properly, and take my time with it a bit more so the essays don’t blend together as much. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Self harm

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Rape

beautifulpaxielreads's review

I got about 104 pages in. I think this is the kind of book that is not meant to be read all in one go but to dip in and out as you so choose. That is the method I will take from now on. I will stress that my DNF'ing this book is in no way a reflection of the importance of its content, which is incredibly valuable and necessary.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Mental illness, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery

Talks a lot about the impact that colonialism has had on Aboriginal Australians.