Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo

214 reviews

theressc's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, and Mental illness

koreanlinda's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

This book was a hard read for me as a survivor of child abuse. I was beaten repeatedly by my mother and teachers when I grew up in South Korea. Although Stephanie Foo is a Malaysian Chinese-American, I was able to see lots of overlapping ideas around domestic violence between her family culture and mine. 

Part 1 (out of five parts) was the hardest to read because it describes all kinds of violence that Stephanie experienced when she was young. However, it gets easier from there, and Part 5, as Stephanie promised at the beginning of the book, has a happy ending. 

Although I felt immense sorrow, I did not cry throughout the book until the pages of Stephanie's life started getting filled with love. The power of happy tears was stronger than other kinds. As I closed the book, I felt hopeful about my own life. I thought, if she can live, I can live, too. Like Stephanie said in Chapter 41, "Maybe this life I've got is going to be spectacular, after all."

I went into the book with lots of fear; however, I am very glad I read it. I felt seen in Stephanie's story, and I learned a lot about C-PTSD. Although the abuse I experienced was not as severe as Stephanie's, I had symptoms that she experienced from C-PTSD. Stressful situations and mistakes pushed me into self-chastism and depression. While I was constantly scared of being punished, I continued to punish myself internally. 

I recommend this book to everyone who has experienced traumatic events or any abuse including a lack of love from a childhood caregiver. You will learn a lot. Not only you will gain knowledge, but you will also get empowered through Stephanie's narrative: Our PTSD is a precious part of ourselves, and it can manifest as our superpower. 

Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in June 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment

Moderate: Xenophobia and Racism

elizastudying's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Abandonment

celine5's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Cursing

Minor: Alcohol and Suicidal thoughts

avoticat's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

Such a fantastic read. I feel like this is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand more about cPTSD. It is a personal experience mixed in with academic evidence. It can be a tough, emotional read but it's well worth it. Highly recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

This is about parental abuse, the culture around it that perpetuates it, the long-term effects of cPTSD, and struggling towards healing

kellygom's review

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Mental illness, and Child abuse

kewillard's review

emotional funny hopeful informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Child abuse

hanlhs's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

best book i’ve read in a while. would recommend to anyone, whether they have c-ptsd or not! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Abandonment

thoughtsfromtheafro's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

3.75

This was a fascinating read as it relates to CPTSD; there aren’t always many books about it out there. The narrative of the author’s experience(s) with her parents needs countless content warnings. The latter part of the book where she details her therapy modalities and audio clips are included is quite helpful for one’s own reflection and consideration in types of healing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, and Emotional abuse

kerileilareads's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Child abuse and Abandonment