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51st out of 402 books
—
913 voters
Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction
by
Sabrina Chapadjiev (Goodreads Author) ,
Nicole Blackman (Goodreads Author) , Eileen Myles , Fly , Diane DiMassa , Inga Muscio , Kate Bornstein , Toni Blackman
,
more…
A visceral look at the bizarre entanglement of destructive and creative forces, Live Through This (a finalist for the 2008 Lambda Literary Awards) is a collection of original stories, essays, artwork, and photography. It explores the use of art to survive abuse, incest, madness and depression, and the often deep-seated impulse toward self-destruction including cutting, eat...more
Paperback, 250 pages
Published
April 1st 2008
by Seven Stories Press
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This book helped me come to terms with some of the damage I have done to myself in the course of trying to create, to write and sometimes just exist. Sometimes it just helps knowing you aren't the only one, you know.
Briefest discussion I have ever written but really nothing more needs to be said.
Briefest discussion I have ever written but really nothing more needs to be said.
The collection of writers Sabrina has pulled together is impressive, and their honesty about really hard shit in their lives is inspiring. Read it and pass it on to your friends.
the introduction is skippable, as it usually is in any compilation like this. once again i feel the editor should have kept quiet and let the pieces speak for themselves, because boy, can they speak. also fantastic is that the pieces are not limited to essays, but include poems, drawings, cartoons and photographs. it's almost a more sophisticated, art-specific version of bornstein's 'hello cruel world'. really, really powerful.
also, the one thing the intro does do is explain that the impetus fo...more
also, the one thing the intro does do is explain that the impetus fo...more
I had such higher hopes for this book. It's edited by a friend and included many all-star contributors, and I came across it at a time I thought I really needed it, but now that it's a few months later and I'm finished with it, I see that only one essay really made me sit up and take notice. It was all right, and maybe it shows that I'm further through some of my shit than I realized... maybe it's a lot more useful to folks a lot more confused and desperate than me. Still, I felt that most of th...more
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While I expected this book to be a mixed bag (as most compilation books are), I thought I'd like more essays in this than I did. I found myself getting through each essay hoping the next one would be better, but unfortunately, they rarely were.
The only essay that really stood out to me was Patricia Smith's, which was extremely well written (and it feels like a crime to not give the notable authors in this book praise.) Most of the essays did not give adequate context to self destruction; their b...more
The only essay that really stood out to me was Patricia Smith's, which was extremely well written (and it feels like a crime to not give the notable authors in this book praise.) Most of the essays did not give adequate context to self destruction; their b...more
Aug 31, 2008
Lillian
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Lillian by:
Lovely Lissa
Shelves:
crafts,
getting-better
oh man. this book is perfect in so many ways!!! firstly is that it was such a thoughtful souvenir from my special lady. second is that some of my all time favourite artists are represented (nan goldin, kate bornstein, nicole blackman). and tertiarillest, it is a wonderful introduction to other, new, females that i totally relate to. their expression is so honest that it simultaneously breaks my heart and makes it soar.
I was a little disappointed by this book. It’s difficult to put my finger on exactly why. There were some interesting stories but they were all quite loosely thrown together and, to me at least, didn’t all fit the self-destructive specification of the book’s subtitle: ‘on creativity and self-destruction’. One of the most affecting stories was about breast cancer survival – definitely an interesting perspective on ‘living through’ something bad and expressing it creatively but not self-destructiv...more
Collected writings by women on the relationship between the creative process and self-destruction, whether it be alcoholism, eating disorders, cutting, drug abuse, etc. Some essays were great, others lacked. I was very excited about this collection because it is something I have put a lot of thought into but have never seen written about. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the results (with the exception of a few great essays, which are listed below).Looking back through the book I realize t...more
Aug 23, 2008
Lance
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
survivors of abuse.
Recommended to Lance by:
Madigan Shive
20 women, 20 stories of living through or dealing with trauma and dealing with it through art and creativity. This book is amazing, especially if you have ever suffered from depression, or gone through abuse. It helped me to discuss the abuse that happened to me in my childhood with my mom, and she told me of hers when she was growing up. Brilliant!
I think these essays display an important narrative for women artists who have, at times, felt alienated or self destructive. There is a specific kind of sexism that effects artists, and that is that not only are female artists are less represented and recognized than male artists, but male self-destruction and even abusiveness towards women is romantizied greatly. Throughout history art has tended to mainly represent the ways in which males are alienating themselves through the abuse of their f...more
The introduction of this book is as amazing as the contents, which is pretty rare. Each chapter is by a different female artist who has created and has destroyed. Self-destruction, of one kind or another, a few of which I am intimatly acquainted with. What's the connection? Is it the same force that drives both urges, or is it the creative force that saves from the destructive? Sometimes it feels like we're walking a tightrope, gravity trying to pull us down on one side or the other. Which way w...more
Aug 30, 2008
Annie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Women, artists, and survivors
Recommended to Annie by:
Sabrina
This book is fantastic - it has the power to change lives. Sabrina is a visionary, as are all the empowered, fascinating, talented female artists whose work comprises this collection. A must-read for all women who've battled their emotions and their selves.
Sabrina Chapadjiev manages to assemble a collection of essays and pieces of memoir that create an alternative place for self-destruction. Sometimes accomodating, the contributors discuss the ambivalent relationship between art and pain, an affair that can both feed and starve the axels of creativity. I particularly enjoyed Daphne Gottlieb's "Lady Lazarus: Uncoupleting Suicide and Poetry," (not only for my love of the word 'uncoupleting').
I could have used a little more contribution from Chapadj...more
I could have used a little more contribution from Chapadj...more
Sorta hard to not like it since I worked so hard on this book. If you like it- check out the youtube interviews I did with the authors. Just type my last name 'Chapadjiev' into youtube and you should find em. There are interviews with Carol Queen, Nicole Blackman, Bonfire Madigan, Daphne Gottlieb, Cristy Road, Silas Howard, Inga Muscio, Stephanie Howell and others! They have some great things to say! Also- if you're at a college- I speak and do workshops on the gender, self-destruction, and art...more
Mar 03, 2012
Rosa
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
feminism,
memoirs,
queer,
mental-health-illness,
owned,
poetry,
addiction,
eating-disorders
A wide spectrum of topics addressed in a variety of media, with varying clarity and quality. My favorite pieces are the ones by Silas Howard and Eileen Myles. It tries to strike a balance between gritty and hopeful, acknowledging the reality of pain without minimizing, moralizing, or martyring, and to talk about healing without getting all cliche and glossing over how hard it can be. It sort of works, some of the time. It's a valiant effort anyway, and certainly worth a look, though it probably...more
Oh you stinker, the contemporary sort-of-minority essay anthology, you!
So easy to read, so briefly touching on concepts of meaning, and so disposable in the end! I think I got to this by way of something else that was recommended by Dorothy Alison...or maybe because Kate Bornstein had contributed. There were some great contributions (many of them illustrated!) and a lot of meh/obvious ones and a few infuriating ones (the lady who wrote a poem about anorexia without ever having been anorexic and...more
So easy to read, so briefly touching on concepts of meaning, and so disposable in the end! I think I got to this by way of something else that was recommended by Dorothy Alison...or maybe because Kate Bornstein had contributed. There were some great contributions (many of them illustrated!) and a lot of meh/obvious ones and a few infuriating ones (the lady who wrote a poem about anorexia without ever having been anorexic and...more
POWERFUL. INSIGHTFUL. AMAZING. AWESOME.
This book is an excellent collection by women who create -- be it fiction, non-fiction, poetry, spoken word, photography, performance art, graphic novels, etc. These essays, poems, photo collections, performance pieces, etc. address the pervasive issue of women+self-destruction+creativity, whether or not they've lived through something awful or relate to something women experience in their lives. Every selection provided something profound, to me, and ever...more
This book is an excellent collection by women who create -- be it fiction, non-fiction, poetry, spoken word, photography, performance art, graphic novels, etc. These essays, poems, photo collections, performance pieces, etc. address the pervasive issue of women+self-destruction+creativity, whether or not they've lived through something awful or relate to something women experience in their lives. Every selection provided something profound, to me, and ever...more
Dec 31, 2008
Ciara
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
lady artists of all mediums, people who worship sylvia plath, the punks, counselors
i was really iffy about reading this book. the topic of creativity & self-destruction in women artists is an interesting one. (remember the bikini kill song, "bloody ice cream"? "the sylvia plath story says all girls who write must suicide. we are turning cursive letters into knives!") but it can go down a bad path, of nurturing the connections between creativity & self-destruction, implying that creative types are inherently more prone to self-injury or drug addiction or whatever, or th...more
i've owned this book for a long time but resisted reading it; was reluctant to enter this kind of emotional space. then eileen myles read her essay that's in here (which is worth the cost, really) when she read in chicago, but i still couldn't bring myself to touch it. then i met the editor (whose stage name is sabrina chap) when we both performed at sappho's salon, at a time when i was finally allowing myself to enter this space again with my own writing, so i took the book off the shelf, and w...more
Feb 15, 2013
Tam Starita
added it
I picked up this book initially as some of the stories resonated with me. I was curious about the relationship between self-destruction and creativity. It was really heart-felt to go inside the minds of these amazing artists as they fight for themselves. Some of the stories are so deep and dark. The artwork and illustrations are amazing (and often quite dark). I quite admired all of these artists who are willing to share their stories in hope that others can learn from it.
I'm really enjoying the great variety of perspectives and styles that are included in this. Yes, some of it is heart-wrenching to read, because I can relate or because it's just tough stuff that hits my heart. It's not necessarily as inspiring, as say, Tiny Beautiful Things, but I think it's also a slightly different genre: Live Through This is more about musing on why creativity and self-destruction go together so often, particularly for women. On the other hand, Tiny Beautiful Things was more...more
Why is it that creativity and self-destructive behaviors so often go hand-in-hand? This book features essays from female artists ranging from Margaret Cho to Carol Queen. Each artist speaks about her own experience - be it about depression, bipolar disorder or surviving physical or emotional abuse in away that is both heartfelt and hopeful. A recommended read for anyone who has struggled with any of these issues, is creative, or knows or loves someone who has.
The essays in this volume are a disturbing repeat of what Alice Miller and Julia Cameron have been saying for years - turn your trauma into art - so why have another book on the topic? What new insights do the essayists bring that I haven't heard before? Add
Fat and Furious
to the mix, and honestly, there is nothimg more to say.
My disappointment lies in the fact that I was under the impression that I was buying a book about Sylvia Plath/Anne Sexton ... but I read it anyway and feel the obscenti...more
My disappointment lies in the fact that I was under the impression that I was buying a book about Sylvia Plath/Anne Sexton ... but I read it anyway and feel the obscenti...more
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I really loved the themes and focus of this book, but did find the approaches uneven. Then again, narratives I perceived as being "fluffy" would frequently strike me unexpectedly. I think a volume like this is difficult because "women's" issues like the body, rape, problematic relationships, have so frequently been discussed in tired ways that it's easy to slip into those ways of narration. I was happy to see that a lot of the authors, although keeping away from theoretical/academic language, of...more
i'd recommend this book to everyone - especially women identified folks struggling with creativity & the multiple forms of self-destruction. really helped me to see how i'm not alone and i can & will live through this.
i was hoping for a "this is how i used art to help me process/get through/understand/better my self" and it was more of a "this is how fucking depressed i was when i was addicted to coke and sex" kind of book.
Pretty awesome and exactly what I wanted to be reading. How can creativity save your life? From Carol Queen to Eileen Myles, I devoured it and wanted more.
For mine own perhaps, to explore-without-exploring if of interest, or her friends...
This book literally changed my life. Seriously. Read it. Now.
Dec 22, 2012
Dreamersemporium
added it
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