Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller

11 reviews

sierrabowers's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

If you like reading about science and taxonomy, this would be a good book for you. If you’re loosely interested, maybe you would as well. I am not interested in these subjects but the way the author tied the subjects into her own story about life and how the universe is not as it seems… well I was interested to know why fish don’t exist. It was good book! Definitely not what I was expecting but it was enlightening and relaxing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Slavery, Suicide, Homophobia, Infertility, Pregnancy, Classism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Ableism, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gun violence, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

rin_dawg's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Rape and Pedophilia

inthemoonlight's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I genuinely have no words for much this impacted me. It is truly beautifully and completely done. 

My only warning would be to look at any trigger warnings if that's something that would impact you. I personally went in blind, not even knowing what it was about, and did not realize how dark things would be. Vital to talk about, but still potentially triggering nonetheless.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Genocide, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Racism, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death, Rape, Child death, and Physical abuse

cass_lit's review against another edition

3.0

There is a certain category of nonfiction that doesn’t work for me. This started off like that and I was worried. 

I had no idea where this was going for most of this book. It seemed in the beginning like a stream of consciousness about “chaos” as the author worked through some thoughts on dependency (her dad, her ~curly haired~ ex-boyfriend). (All of her thoughts there are totally valid, I just don’t get a lot of enjoyment out of reading them.) I did not understand her obsession with David Starr Jordan at first, but then she started telling us all of the shitty things he did and I REALLY did not understand why he deserved a book that wasn’t focused on setting his reputation straight. When someone uses his power to cover sexual assault with threats and potentially murders someone (and definitely gaslights the hell out of her after her death), I’m simply not interested in the psychology behind why he did it. He did it and he was wrong. In my opinion, the author’s desperation to find out why Jordan was like this felt like she was trying to find an excuse for him. 

The last ~1/4 or so of the book truly saved it for me. Miller felt like she was unequivocally calling Jordan a bad person, and she even got a little vindictive - deservedly. The threads of the story finally started to make some sense and I could find a point to why she wrote this. I am in awe of Anna and Mary’s strength for getting through what they did; they’re a great model of what women (and all humans!) can be, no matter what depraved narcissists have said. I also didn’t know that “fish” wasn’t considered a scientific classification any longer, so it was equally as interesting as it was satisfying.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Medical trauma

Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, and Suicidal thoughts

bi_n_large's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Racism, Ableism, Forced institutionalization, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Murder, Death, Rape, Physical abuse, Infidelity, and Child death

okarenhelena's review

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Death, Child death, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Racism, Torture, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, and Antisemitism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Alcohol, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, and Lesbophobia

emhunsber's review

challenging dark informative slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Abortion, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: War, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Infertility, Homophobia, Hate crime, Grief, Gore, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Colonisation, Child abuse, Car accident, Body horror, Blood, Biphobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Ableism

slynn's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Self harm, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Rape, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, and Murder

thewordshaker's review

dark informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

What an unexpected book! Lulu challenges assumptions and belief in her quest for hope and purpose, without deluding herself on white lies to tell herself. 

Part memoir, part recounting of ichthyologist history, the book comments on the short coming of science and scientists as well as explaining the misunderstood. 

I feel some of the topics covered here should have come with a warning. Lulu talks about suicide, rape, and forced sterilization with an occasional warning to not be squeamish - but being squeamish or sensitive to these subjects is only human and also based off of experiences. It may come from a place of trying to protect her vulnerabilities but it is wrong, and it made the book an uncomfortable reading, and why I chose not to give it 4 stars. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, and Trafficking

jeanneerin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Torture

Moderate: Alcoholism, Ableism, Addiction, Violence, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Grief, Death, Confinement, Death of parent, and Child death

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, and Car accident

Forced sterilization, eugenics, depression, Trump, Confederate statues, Proud Boys