Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Our Bodies, Their Battlefield by Christina Lamb

6 reviews

camijupiter's review

emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, War, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Torture, Racism, Murder, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Child death, Violence, and Suicide attempt

annniina98's review against another edition

4.5

May be clear to everyone, but to check content warnings. This book is definitely not for everyone. But if you can read about these topics, I'd highly recommend this book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Death, Child death, Child abuse, Self harm, Rape, Infertility, Hate crime, Gun violence, Gore, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Grief, War, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Mental illness, Abandonment, Torture, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Violence, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mass/school shootings, Islamophobia, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Abortion and Cannibalism

lucywadley's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Suicide attempt, Police brutality, Abortion, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Body horror, Torture, Incest, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, War, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Self harm, Trafficking, and Sexual violence

katie_biggs7's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Abortion, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, and Violence

amanda_'s review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad slow-paced

3.0

○ Important reading on the sexual violence forced upon women in war and conflict. Lamb covers several conflicts during which sexual violence was not just 'something that happened' but rather was used as a tool for inducing fear in women and their communities. She described how society has -- and still -- largely ignore these crimes even though they are now considered war crimes. Yet, even with this acknowledgement of them as such crimes, when put on trial war criminals are rarely accused and/or convicted as it is often 'easier' to convict for other crimes, for example murder.

○ A number of women tell their stories in this book, each one as horrifying as the next. Painful memories are brought up and discussed how they have affected the women, many of whom have still not seen justice been brought. It also goes into details on how, just because the conflict(s) ended, the women are in some cases shunned from society as speaking up against their abusers meant they were looked down upon by their own communities.

○ At times repetitive, although understandable given the topic at hand. It is not easy reading, following one conflict and the women's accounts of how they were abused, some in one instance, others kept as sexual slaves for weeks, months, years. Each story deserves its place in history, for sure, but in this narrative they start to blend into each other some eerily similar. Which of course is a good point, showing that despite international condemnation, this type of violence directed toward women keeps on happening. But the book manage to convey this message and would have done so without such density of violence. A broader analysis is missing and could've easily fit in between the women's stories for a larger picture.

○ One complaint: Lamb tends to insert herself in the narrative, often commenting on how she did something, said something, that is not necessarily relevant to the narrative. She mentions her own trips in the countries she visits between her meetings with the women, commenting on how it's difficult to understand how blood had run in a certain building just years before. Or how she many times mention how someone told her, as if it is special that she's telling it to her and not someone else. It's a minor thing maybe, but not to me, because it jars with the idea that the books is about the women who suffered during the wars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence

tabitha_isabelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Incest, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence