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476 reviews by:
notartgarfunkel
Graphic: Death of parent, Outing
Moderate: Sexual content, Terminal illness
Minor: Sexual assault
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Hate crime, Blood, Police brutality
As indicated by the title, one connection between these essays is Irby’s lived experience of her body. She discusses sex, chronic illness, race, fatness, mental health, and gender, among other things. There are also accounts of her mother’s illness and death. I really appreciate Irby’s irreverent approach to these hard topics. I laughed a lot, but I was also struck by how much she has had to survive.
Some of these essays were hard for me to read (thanks, OCD!), but I’m glad I did. I can’t wait to get to her later collections and see how her life and writing have changed. She’s a real gem.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug abuse
I kept thinking of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road as I read this. The post-apocalyptic world is just as well-developed and you root for the main characters in the same way as they struggle to survive. I’d even say it’s a more interesting book because it considers race, gender, social inequality, etc. (not to mention the main character, Lauren’s, hyperempathy). It seems like the only reason Parable of the Sower is not as widely read as The Road is because it’s by a Black woman author with characters that are mostly people of color. I think it’s more worth reading for that reason.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Death of parent
Moderate: Incest, Racism, Suicide, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism
Moderate: Racism
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Sexual assault, Medical content, Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence, Murder
Minor: Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Sexual assault, Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Death of parent, Murder