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57th out of 279 books
—
336 voters
Skin Game
Caroline Kettlewell's autobiography reveals a girl whose feelings of pain and alienation led her to seek relief in physically hurting herself, from age twelve into her twenties. Skin Game employs clear language and candid reflection to grant general readers as well as students an uncensored profile of a complex and unsettling disorder. "[This] mesmeric memoir examines the...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
June 7th 2000
by St. Martin's Griffin
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I started reading this book strictly as professional research. I had a group of kids in my grade this year who--one after the other--came to my office to tell me about a friend they knew who was cutting and they were worried. It became such a complex series of office visits that it took me a few days to sort out exactly who was cutting. It ended up being this entire group of girls who were all friends, and each of them came to tell me about a different girl until all 7 of them (yes, 7) had been...more
I saw this book in the self-help/Mental illness section of a bookstore. The grey cover shows a woman's torso and the cover itself is designed to look as if it had been systematically slashed over the woman's bare stomach with a razor blade. It called out to me, as did the simple title Skin Game. It's a very moving and brutally honest memoir of one woman's battle with self-mutilation. I easily found parts of myself within her story. I was so engrossed in this memoir that I finished it in one day,...more
I wish her thoughts, although good, weren't so scattered. If you're going to write a book you might as well take the time to organize your thoughts. For this kind of book, a little bit of scattered wandering would be acceptable (in fact it would even lend itself very nicely to the overall feel of the book and make the book better), but Kettlewell's just a little too scattered. I'm not criticizing the story as it is a very unique one and must take some serious guts to reveal to the world (althoug...more
Dec 04, 2008
Nicole
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in psychological disorders/knows someone with a 'cutting' problem
Recommended to Nicole by:
I read this book in a sociology course in college
This book was about a young women that had a problem with "cutting" and used this to escape from negative emotions and events in her life. The book provides insight into why cutting provides an outlet to some, unhealthy as it may be, and how it becomes almost an addiction. I thought it was a somewhat slow read and at times a bit unpleasent, but the story gave me a sense of understanding about the causes, stages and recovery of the disorder. Unfortunately, cutting is more common than most people...more
This memoir delves into the mind of a girl who is desperately unhappy in her supposedly ideal middle class life and starts down the path of secret self-destructive behavior. Because there was nothing she could point to as to WHY she was so unhappy she felt very ashamed of it and didn't think other people would understand. I felt like the author told everything she could and as honestly as she could, but still the book felt a little incomplete to me. There wasn't quite enough detail in many of he...more
My novel is Skin Game by Caroline Kettlewell. I like this book because I was a cutter. This book was really close to me. If I didnt have people who love me I probably wouldnt be hear today. I am lucky that I am.
This is about a girl who feelings built up and she couldnt take it anymore, so she started cutting. She started at the of twelve to her twenties. I would recommend this book to anybody who has lost a loved one from cutting or if you have or still do. This could change your mind about thi...more
This is about a girl who feelings built up and she couldnt take it anymore, so she started cutting. She started at the of twelve to her twenties. I would recommend this book to anybody who has lost a loved one from cutting or if you have or still do. This could change your mind about thi...more
It all started at age 12 for Caroline Kettlewell. Cutting became an escape for her, a defence. "I know cutting was my defence against an internal chaos, against a sense of the world gone out of control." (60). This memoir spans almost two decades of her life, in which she cuts and tries to hide it.
I absolutely loved this honest, straightforward memoir. The amount of background information given about Caroline and her family built a vivid picture of a girl and her struggle without being too word...more
I absolutely loved this honest, straightforward memoir. The amount of background information given about Caroline and her family built a vivid picture of a girl and her struggle without being too word...more
Skin Game follows Caroline Kettlewell from when she first picked up the razor at twelve, to when she finally put it down, many years later. It's a very candid look at self-injury, and the way it affects a person throughout their life. I went into this book with high expectations, and it didn't disappoint.
This book was extraordinarily hard for me to read. I literally had to put it down and take a breather a couple times, which is why it took me several days to read such a short book. As a warning...more
This book was extraordinarily hard for me to read. I literally had to put it down and take a breather a couple times, which is why it took me several days to read such a short book. As a warning...more
Though I don't believe I went in with grand expectations, I was actually a bit disappointed with this book. I have always had a fascination with mental illness, and its manifestations in a variety of ways, and I tend to be drawn towards memoirs in general. The potential seemed high of a book that claims to be about "the first former cutter to tell her own story about living with and overcoming the disorder".
I can't deny that the problem has nothing to do with the calibre of writing itself - it's...more
I can't deny that the problem has nothing to do with the calibre of writing itself - it's...more
okay. so it's not the most insightful book as to the motivations behind her actions. it's also not best about encouraging someone into recovery, or stopping self-injury, or whatnot.
but. i wish, wish, WISH that someone had given me this book when i first dealt with PTSD. because the book i was handed was Prozac Nation, and let me tell you, there was nothing i could find in there that really resonated with me - and i tried.
this is why, i think:
"I changed the subject, and he let it slide, which o...more
but. i wish, wish, WISH that someone had given me this book when i first dealt with PTSD. because the book i was handed was Prozac Nation, and let me tell you, there was nothing i could find in there that really resonated with me - and i tried.
this is why, i think:
"I changed the subject, and he let it slide, which o...more
I thought this book was very interesting. It wasn't my first memior about self injury but it was my first where I didn't actually like it that much. It was not comfortable to read and it was not because of the subject, it was because of the author's way of writing. Caroline wrote it using metaphors and similies that some things were lost to me. This book was ok but I would not reccommend it to those who are interested in this topic.
I liked the beginning and the end. Caroline's life were very interesting and a lot different from mine. It was hard to realize the truth reading this book that some self-harmers don't know why they do it. She was trying to dig as deep into her past as she could, yet not able to recognize the reason why she did it.
The book was very triggering in a way.
I was disappointed that her recovery wasn't more detailed because this was one of the main reasons I wanted to read this book (it always amazes me...more
The book was very triggering in a way.
I was disappointed that her recovery wasn't more detailed because this was one of the main reasons I wanted to read this book (it always amazes me...more
What is it with mental-health-related memoirs? Is there some unspoken prerequisite that the author must be tragically wealthy in order to grace the world with his/her deepestdarkest recesses of mind? Or is it that privilege allows one the luxury of time to simmer in one's own delusions, such that the only logical next step is to write a book about said delusions? Perhaps creativity overlooks a spoonfed private education, complete with proper dinner etiquette and a propensity to confer upon its r...more
Good book... I guess it didn't really end.. Which is legit since it's a memoir and life doesn't end until you've died, but whatever, it didn't really conclude.
I liked the way she wrote, it was very frank and just very real.
It did sort of scare me though because a lot hit close to home and well, I've already mentioned how it didn't really end...
I liked the way she wrote, it was very frank and just very real.
It did sort of scare me though because a lot hit close to home and well, I've already mentioned how it didn't really end...
I'm not too sure of what to make of this book, it's am extremely sensitive subject but I felt no empathy or compassion with the author, I felt her slightly pretentious which left me feeling almost alienated.
I love the writing style of this book. Kettlewell does a wonderful job capturing the readers attention with her vivid descriptions. I personally don't usually enjoy memoirs, but this has to be an exception. A must read for anyone that lived through the 90's.
I never understood the concept of self mutilation. How could someone willingly hurt themselves? After reading Skin Game, I have a better understanding of the inner struggle "cutters" go through. Granted this is one person's story, but Caroline explained her struggle through vivid imagery that helped me understand where she was coming from.
I picked up this book to better understand people who cut themselves, since a student of mine cut himself in class in front of my other students a couple of weeks ago. What I found in her work was a deeply felt, and compassionate account of a mind in turmoil, and honesty about how she dug herself out. The most revealing part of the text was that she could never articulate the reasons for why she cut herself while she was young and involved with self-mutilation. The understanding came later, afte...more
I will be watching for this book to purchase it. Well written and insightful. LOVED it! And will no doubt read it again.
As someone who used to self-injure on a regular basis, and had family who struggle to understand, this book is perfect
I read this for research on a paper at university. Not an easy read, but an interesting insight into the subject.
This is a good book to understand feelings and reasons for those who self-harm. Very interesting.
I am not shy to say that this book has changed my life. I could even say it's saved me.
I am a self-mutilator, and saw myself in every aspect of this book, except the anorexia.
Interesting to see what a 'cutter' thinks and why they do it
Really informative but, for me, overwhelmingly graphic at times
The fact that she gives no explanation for her actions was at first frustrating until I realized just how relate able this made the entire story. I guess I was expecting to find some sort of enlightenment and that's not at all what she was writing about. Sometimes there just is no concrete reason, we make up our own excuses and justifications and that is good enough.
I'm not generally a huge fan of the memoir (and I haven't read Girl, Interrupted or Prozac Nation), but I found Kettlewell's account of her illness and childhood movingly eloquent. She's a gifted writer.
Mar 23, 2010
Ashlee Dodds
added it
As a recovering Self Injurer, I think this was very well written.
Angsty teenage girls will love this
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Does beautiful wording make cutting pretty? | 2 | 10 | Dec 13, 2011 02:00pm |
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“The fear of an unknown never resolves, because the unknown expands infinitely outward, leaving you to cling pitifully to any small shelter of the known: a cracker has twelve calories; the skin, when cut, bleeds.”
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56 people liked it
“You might imagine that a person would resort to self-mutilation only under extremes of duress, but once I'd crossed that line the first time, taken that fateful step off the precipice, then almost any reason was a good enough reason, almost any provocation was provocation enough. Cutting was my all-purpose solution.”
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48 people liked it
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Jul 12, 2010 10:51am