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Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
34 reviews
koboldmartian's review against another edition
5.0
I do not really have any good experience reading non-fiction so forgive me if this review is not as eloquent, but this was the most gripping and fascinating non-fiction story I have ever read. David Grann's writing is so immersive and clear and painted such a vivid picture of the turmoil, and horrors that these men were put through.
The book is structured beautifully, it flowed well, I was angry at people, I sympathized with people, I was disgusted by what they did or what they had to do, I was all the proper emotions needed to read this book.
This book was so educating and the life that people had to live back then on the ocean is just absolutely terrible. The entire time, I felt pulled by both "parties" involved in this stories and I don't think you can really blame anyone of the decisions made in this situation; it really makes you think about what you would do put in these men's shoes.
I will be picking up Grann's other works to read and this book has opened the floodgates for non-fiction for me. I hope to read more especially if they are this engaging.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
jhbandcats's review against another edition
4.5
He describes the plight of the officers, trying to outfit their ships with no money and few worthy crewmen, as well as that of the unwitting men press ganged (ie, kidnapped by the Royal Navy) onto ships they were ill-equipped to crew. No matter that some were sick, criminal, juvenile, or elderly, all were rounded up in a time of war and forced to serve.
The ship split into factions rather than working as a whole so in a time of crisis, it was no surprise that any discontent would devolve into mutiny. Alcohol, disease, starvation, and fear exacerbated the stresses on everyone. Before the benefits of vitamins were known, scurvy could wipe out a crew both physically and mentally. On top of typhus and shipwrecks, sometimes less than 20% of a crew made it back home.
Grann explains how this volatility affected the voyage of the Wager, and how the chain of command fell apart once the shipwrecked men were on shore. His copious research reveals that there were too many different versions of truth to know which was the most factual. The Admiralty wanted the embarrassment to just fade away so the court martial didn’t address any of the real issues.
I didn’t feel as much a part of this book as with Killers of the Flower Moon. I was wracked with guilt as I read what the white people did to the Osage and I felt complicit. I didn’t have that closeness to The Wager. Considering how dire the circumstances, that’s likely a good thing.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
cait's review against another edition
3.5
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
sampcupp's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery and Alcohol
daughterofatom's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Animal death, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Child death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
erica_reads_everything's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
captainpash's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Racism, Cannibalism, and Medical trauma
c_serpent's review against another edition
4.0
This book contains disturbing cruelty against people and animals.
Unrelated, I think it's ridiculous that I picked up Killers of the Flower Moon and then learned that it was being made into a movie with Leo DiCaprio, and then I picked up this book only to learn it, also, is being made into a movie with Leo DiCaprio. What's up with that?
Four stars have been awarded for Byron, who was really trying his best. One star has been removed and eaten by the other stars.
Total Score: 4/5 stars
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Abandonment, and Colonisation
maison's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Racial slurs, and Slavery
Minor: Child death and Cannibalism
mondovertigo's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Cannibalism, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Moderate: Body horror, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood, Excrement, and Vomit