A Little Life is my favorite book of all time. This book resonates with me in certain areas, and highlights the cold reality of life and how some people end up. I appreciated the brutal honesty and realistic outcomes.
where does he overcome it? man gets worse and then dies. the author said the book was meant to provide an example of somebody too "damaged" to live which is bullshit. and the friends are all pretty terrible, just enabling jude to harm himself. if you boil it down it's essentially yanagihara's treaty on why doctors and loved ones are useless if you're a certain level of mentally ill or disabled and you should just end it. no research done, no basis in reality. it's cynicism at best and quasi-eugenics at worst. and i'm someone who's favourite book is about child murder. so for me it has nothing to do with squeamishness
I respect your opinion but just because something is uncomfortable to read doesn’t make it bad. Books aren’t just for giving you life lesions, I mean it’s fiction it is suppose to covey various different messages. Books have many effective functions for instance, making the reader emotional which clearly this book succeeded in.
There’s a difference between being uncomfortable and literally writing trauma porn for the sake of it. What makes things uncomfortable is because they’re realistic. Jude is not realistic, no one can go through this much trauma in one life while simultaneously never wanting to get help.
@@tapewoerm yeah, but you’re speaking as someone who hasn’t gone through all of Jude’s trauma. You wouldn’t know if they would or wouldn’t want help or how realistic it would be either way. You can only imagine. But you’re bashing others with a different perspective and that’s wrong.
I know this is a difficult concept for some people, but there are trauma victims who don't get happy endings. And guess what? That is life. It happens. Some people will never heal. Some people will never get the happiness they deserve. It's a hard, heart-breaking concept, but it's life. This is one of the most realistic books you will find.
Do you really think that this book helps trauma victims? In a interview Hanya Yanagihara said that sometimes it’s okay to ‘give up’ on life if that is the message she wants to promote with this book. Then she is a disgusting person and this book is too
@@snapify3711 I don’t think this is a book that trauma victims should be reading in the first place. That is the definition of stupidity. They need to get counseling and actual help from books that promote healing. And i didn’t know that’s what the author said. If that’s true, that’s really disgusting and deplorable.
@@snapify3711I’ve seen her interviews. She neverrrr said it’s “okay” to give up on life. And also, she did not write this book with the intention on being a support system for those struggling. If you wanted that, then there are many other books out there who go in depth about topics of psychology and depression that’ll give those struggling a better perspective. This is a drama. This was meant to be for the ride, not some lesson for those struggling to get better. And that is not to say Hanya is encouraging suicide or giving up. She is simply telling the story of one who has been through astronomical levels of abuse and, just like many in REAL life, succumb to their grief. This is life. This actually happens.
Hi. Former suicidal and victim of abuse here. The apathy is,,, insane. For you, its melodramatic torture porn, for me, it was validation. Jude's end was tragic but it shows that it's a personal decision to be happy or not. You need to reflect. These are real things that happen. Get ahold of yourself mate.
@chedderman101 that's the problem with the book though. Sure, if you are sucidal it will feel validating to have how you feel reflected, but the thing is, haya wrote this specifically with the idea in mind that some people should die because they are too emotionally devastated. And if you are sucidal, you will relate to that feeling. That you can't be fixed. This book plays into that idea and makes people think that life might be impossible to enjoy, and it's better to end it. This is incredibly dangerous. And I'd have more room to understand this book if it came from someone who was suicidal, who was just writing their experiences. But it's not. The author has said she's never experienced anything the character has, that she's never done any reasurch. Writing a book that essentially tells sucidal people that they cannot be fixed and they should end their lives is horrific. Especially when you don't even know what you're talking about. I'm glad that part of this felt somewhat validating to you, and maybe you are in a place where you can read this safely, but there are many, many people who can't. I wouldn't even mind if this book was just trauma porn. I think writing trauma porn has it's place. But this book isn't that. This book is a tacit enforcement of euthanasia of sucidal people, and for that it automatically makes this a bad book in my opinion
It's one of the best books I've ever had. It's extremely profound. I'm convinced that people criticizing it just expected a nice happy endings and are not used to deal with heavy themes - which is fine, literature is amazing because it encompasses every single shade of the human experience. But please stop saying it's a bad book, stop telling people to not read it: it's beautifully written, one of the best modern works you can find around.
"This Book will give you nothing but sadness, depression, and mental illness" idk, but if you, as an author, can deliver those to a reader, well done man.
Isn't the point of interacting with fictional media to make yourself feel? If you just want to feel happy all the time from consuming media that's perfectly fine, there's an endless life-supply of comedies for everyone to enjoy, but deciding that a story that makes you feel sadness is an inherently bad story is such a weird take imo. The worst offense a storyteller can make is not make you feel *anything* , and I guess some people prefer that over feeling anything remotely negative and I find these people really weird lol
@user-ly2ll5od1r (I think this was meant to be a reply to the video, not my comment, but I'll still reply) Truly!! What IS literature if it doesn't speak to every damn aspect of the human experience, whether beautiful or downright horrifying?!
@@karimshawagfeh3630ok, but it’s important what you say. Would you go on the same spiel if you were talking about Mein Kampf here? What the book communicates is an overly romanticized and unrealistic view of suicide. That’s what’s upsetting. To say to someone that their life can be unsalvageable is horrible. As someone who has contemplated suicide, this book is dead wrong. My life did get better. I did learn to feel happiness again. I learned to move on with my life. If had killed myself, I would’ve missed out on so much. I’m not going to be told the opposite by an author who doesn’t believe in therapy.
yall people thinking the only reason people dislike this book is because it doesn't have a happy ending......... like you seriously can't think that's the only reason people don't like it. there's NUMEROUS reviews and articles online talking about the, to put it simply, "bad" stuff regarding the book and trust me, happy ending is the LEAST of its problems. nobody even criticizes that.
Yes, that's seriously such a superficial take, there's so many solid and valid criticism about this book, I gave it 3 stars so it wasn't bad at all for me and i still agree with a lot of the criticism it received
people read books for entertainment and recreation not necessarily always for education purposes. A lot of people read books because they want to relate to them. Sad books mainly exist for people to relate to the sadness and for people to want to feel empathetic towards said sadness. Happy endings with rainbows and sunshines aren't the only things worth reading.
I don't consider this a "gay" book, I think this is a book about love in its many forms. It didn't leave me "empty", but hopeful: the protagonists go through so much only thanks to love (even if at times it is just the hope of love to keep them alive). It is hauntingly beautiful.
I understand how this book can be uncomfortable to read, but I think you can gain from it. I haven’t lived 1/100 of what the main characters have gone through, but could relate to things about self-harm or difficulties in his sexual life linked to trauma. Those things are rarely brought up in books. It made me feel a bit less alone. I also think the book makes us reflect on how other people’s pain sometimes makes us uncomfortable, so we prefer to ignore it. Of course, it touches on sensitives topics, so I wouldn’t recommand it to everybody, but it definetly can help some
Life ain't always sunshine and rainbows... I've read it and I was so impressed by the way feelings and emotions are expressed. It's just your opinion ;)
I find interesting how people react to this book. Some will find it impossible that someone can go through so much pain like Jude, and they rather think it's the author "hating" on this character. The way i see it is actually, when someone goes through this amount of trauma and pain, the fantasy in the story is all the amazing positive things that happen, like the amazing job, the money, the found family. When you're that broken, it is beyond hard to find a great environment full with people who actually deserve your trust, and to succeed in a world where empathy is so... Inexistent. So yeah... There's a thought for you 😊
I am currently reading this book and let me tell you this is an amazing book which is well written. The thing I learned as a reader is that a book doesn't always have to give you a happy ending, or give you a moral or educational value. It can be as simple as a story telling. The author created a world and character and you choose to read it. It's fictional and if it doesn't suit your taste, you can pick another book of your like. One thing to note is that this book comes with many triggering topic. And a traumatic life can be messy. We wouldn't knw it until it is told. And the male friendship here is something pure.
Hanya mentioned the point of the story was to see what would happen if a character never fulfilled the redemption arc in a story and kept on getting worse and worse. Personally, her objective was fulfilled really well. I "enjoyed" the book, but won't recommend it to people
facts! idk how someone could read this book and not take away from it that compassion is an amazing thing that at the same time happens to be too rare in this world. i can imagine someone who has never gone through heavy trauma learning how to handle situations like when jude couldn't even hug the person he loved because his demons crept up from the back of his mind. its so beautiful and helpful in endless ways too
Is it so hard for you to understand that people will have different opinions than you do? You don’t need to agree with the review, just like how the reviewer doesn’t have to love the book. Let people express their opinions!
@@marsisbae ironic how your message contradicts the intentions of this video creator. like you said, let people express their opinions, if they like it, they like it. if they don’t, they don’t. the reason why so many people are disliking this video is because of the way he’s delivering his message. he doesn’t like it, it’s his business. but his hostile tone and word choice from the beginning of the video is not contributing to forming any form of productive discussion here.
@@marsisbaei think it’s very hypocritical to apply your message in this creator’s defense. “people will have different opinions”. tiktok obviously likes the book, that’s why it’s hyped, doesn’t mean he have to bash 'em for his own distaste toward the book. let people love what they love!
it might be difficult for some to appreciate it but it doesn’t make it a bad read It is a tragic end with a lot of pains behind so yeah you have to be ready if you’re sensible in general But the book itself is literally about life and all the turns of it like how people put all their efforts to improve or get something and how some do get better and other worse ; you can’t expect that, for the sake of morality, it will always get better And honestly it’s worth to be read bc it’s not all about sadness, the book have amazing friendship, details you could relate, different forms of love and the caring characters
the book was ok. some parts REALLY annoyed me, like Caleb... I mean its just one thing after another where it almost became unbelievable at that point.
If you want a happy ending read fan fiction. This book dives into the depths of the human mind and how we process trauma. And personally I learned a lot from it
…Just my personal opinion, but there are people (probably more than most would realize) that have struggles with abuse and self image. For some people, it may have been one experience and for others (like in this books case) their entire lives. People don’t like this book because of the terrible things that occur, but the facts of life are some people are heavily exploited and taken advantage of. Some people unfortunately go through situations like this. So to say this book should’ve never been written confuses me. It’s not meant to be happy; it’s not meant to be relaxing: it is a tragedy from start to end. At the end of the day this book reflects someone’s life (fictional or nonfictional) and I think it is not something that should be burned at the stake just because some people couldn’t stomach it. I can understand that some people may say it will be an egregious piece of well-written garbage, but i disagree. What I do agree on is that it’s not a gay novel: Though I love that Jude has Willem the book is so much bigger than them dating. This would in fact be a somewhat horrible novel to depict LGBTQ+ love. 1.) because it’s not like this for many people and 2.) gay characters are always put into a tragedy ( at least from what I’ve read) Instead it just depicts Jude’s absolute difficulty with intimacy and self love- even with the person he cherishes and loves most in the world. I have about 200 pages left but I have an inkling on where it may (or may not go) I wish it could’ve began and ended better than it did, but again, for some people their trauma is so heavy it is all consuming. If you cannot stomach the topics in the book PLEASE be sure to read the review warnings ahead of time as-even for someone like me who can stomach tough topics- from time to time think about portions of this book and feel highly disturbed. (Also, if you see this same comment verbatim under different videos is because I genuinely worded my opinion on this book and can’t care to reword it, lol.) ((Also to be said: everyone has their own opinion which is completely valid!- Please do not feel that my opinion is to somehow invalidate your own uncomfortableness or trauma. Everyone has their limits which is totally normal!)) ((((Also anyone who abuses people (and/or animals) like in this book deserves to die a death so indescribable it’d make satan cry!!!! I said what I said and I don’t care 😊))) Stay safe and healthy y’all!
i genuinely believe that traumatic stories can be useful for people who also suffered from various problems like books' characters. i personally related to jude's thoughts a lot. yes, these thoughts are not healthy or rational at all but it was somewhat relieving for me to see that i'm not insane, that there is a person (the author) who understands that some experience in your life may cause you to start losing your mind, to wish the most horrible things to happen to you. this book also let me learn some things about friendship and general relationship between people - i reflected on my own relationship with my family and one of my closest friends.
Books aren’t always going to end with happy endings. Dramas since the beginning of time are notorious for ending badly. This is one of them. Not every book you walk away from is going to end the way you want, and what should be emphasized instead is the ride there. The writing was brilliant, the timeline of Jude and his character gradually changing was heartbreaking and eye opening. Also, you’d think if Hanya Yanagihara actually hated Jude she’d rewrite him before publishing it. And finally, it’s a gay book. Jude was gay.
My depression skyrocketed since I read this book as I have tendency to feel too much. Since this day I haven't forgotten it. Plus the most important person in my life right now has gone through trauma similar to this and I can't even share with her how much pain I really am in. I daily wake up and practice for an hour in front of mirror so I don't end up crying. I have been hollow since that day. So please don't read this book if you are not strong mentally.
I cannot even concede that it is well-written. It's readable, but she didn't even try to be artful. The language is so plain and the content is handled without care, that it's shocking so many people enjoyed this.
There is also a center theme about loving someone through tireless mental illness, loving them at their worst. Many books dont end happy or fulfilled, it is real life. Reflecting on how our adulthood is a reflection of how we grew up, how everything manifests.
@@Ksjdisbdiwbdisbdos all im saying is this books has some dangerous messages, which kay harm people who are already struggling through something, and may read this book to find their trauma be validated by the main character. What the book doe sinstead, is say that people with such experience, have no way to be happy, because no matter what they do, it will always come crashing down for them. Now i recognize that there are some rare cases( very rare) where someone may live a life tgat is just as filled with despair as yhe main character's, but just because it may be potrying that, doeant mean it is safe for someone in a vad place to read this. It is also incredibly diatrustful ofmental health institutions and facilities, and hanya herself has openly said that sometimes, life just needs to be given up on. Idk about you, but that sounds like someone who is hurting themself, spreading their biased beliefs through their book to me.
I haven't finished this book, but so far I love it. There is so mich to take away from it because although itms a lot put onto one character, the few things I can relate to are so accurate. And while it is incredibly intense and heavy, there are also so many sweet things that happen that it's unkind to boil it down to just the sadness. This book made me cry happy tears at parts because of those sweet parts. And maybe this is just me, but it's the first book I've read that details what happens after college, what it's like to live on your own, how friendships drift apart, getting a real job, etc. Again, I haven't finished it, but I love it so much. The one thing I will say is that it isn't good to advertise it as a gay book. It's not. It's an aspect, and there are gay characters, but most of the time it's not what the book is ABOUT. It's about life, disability, friendship, dealing with mental illness (poorly in this case, which is a lesson in itself), and family. I think the other thing is that it does drag the reader through hell. Because the character went through hell. So much of it. I think this is also the first book that doesn't shy away from it, and doesn't numb you to the things that happen. It GOES there. You feel every bit of it. And I think there aren't a lot of books that can do that.
I love this book, even though it was really sad and I felt like somebody is punching me in the heart over and over again, but it was inspiring, how Jude tried to go on, to be successful, to trust people again, to allow himself enjoy some moments even though they weren't much, and how people around you can change your life and very being, It is a good book very well written, the ending is sad but maybe there is a reality behind it, coming out of trauma is not for everybody, many people go through life that way and never seek help or have the opportunity to get help
Finally, somenone who I can agree. Plus you have the right to dislike and talk about bad about this book, because you are not ofeending anyone. If you like it good, but let the other dislike things in peace.
@@fajarsetiawan8665uh? Now you have to have reasons to dislike something? And not only that but valid ones according to who? You? No, if you don't like a book is ok. I also didn't like it. Also you are not even saying why his opinion is not "good". Look you can like this book just like him and me, and other readers don't like it.
Yo everyone has their own view, but I felt a lot specifically at the end of the book. I haven’t had such a difficult life but I am feeling lonely and more … this book reminded me why people around us are important, how they are lessons in our life, how they are the meaning… good book, good story telling so sad but at the same time as I finished …so free I’ve been crying like I have nothing better to do but it was tears from kindness, love, hurt, memories…
This book is basically 95% sad and traumatising and I think that’s what makes people so disappointed because us as human being we always seek out a feeling in everything and that is hope , hope for things to get better after all the failures and tragedy but this book doesn’t contain that ! Anyway I think for those which dislikes it they’re just not used to heavy themes and that horrible side of the world and reality so it’s hard for them to actually comprehend
“There’s nothing to gain”: it teaches us that nothing in life is a guarantee, and that some victims of trauma will never heal from their pasts. It makes us appreciate the restorative power that love and friendship can give to a person suffering from trauma, but it also shows us that sometimes this isn’t enough to save them and while this is unbearably tragic, it’s real life. “It’s not a gay book”: one of my main takeaways from the book is that things aren’t “gay”, people are. Just like how Willem doesn’t see Duets as a gay film, this is not a gay book, only because there’s no such thing as a gay book. It’s a book that contains gay relationships and characters. Nothing else, nothing more. “The author ended up hating her main character”: Yanagihara wrote this with the intention of him never getting better, it’s the entire point of the novel. I understand that this isn’t for everyone but I really hate when people mischaracterise this book. It’s so much more than “trauma porn”. Yes, it’s obviously sad, but it’s a masterpiece of character-driven writing and I think a necessary portrayal of trauma, because there are people out there that this relates to and they don’t deserve to have this labelled as implausible or gratuitous. It’s a massive disrespect to their lives and experiences.
There are lessons about life, death, relationships, resentment, trauma, and so much in this book. I didnt always love the writing style but this book really isnt just sad stuff then boom its over. There is so much to be gained from it.
I didn’t hate the writing, it made me continue reading for 700 pages to finish it. However, at about the third time something traumatic happened to Jude and kept on happening I logged out, it became overkill, and even had psychiatrists scrambling because they had never ever met such a person with such a long history of things happen to them, I guess that’s the reason why it’s fiction. However it just made me not care anymore, I think Yanagihara tried to add any possible thing to Jude’s life but not to make it sad, as she said she never cried and those who cried are “just a bunch of pussies” - this obviously being a joke, but she didn’t cry and NEITHER did she do any research into anything within the book. Which is a lot more horrifying when taking into account Yanagiharas stance that some people should be ALLOWED to commit suicide because they’re too broken for getting better and that therapy doesn’t really work. The story becomes almost gruesome by the end when you take into account Yanagihara’s stance. Andrea Long Chu even said “the first time Jude c*ts himself, you are horrified; the 600th time, you wish he could aim” Yanagihara aimed to desensitise the audience, even though many weren’t, she was desensitised herself and that was her aim, to make us see how some people are beyond saving. Which imo is a frightening thing to believe and then secretly rope millions into reading :/
Y'all need to accept that we have different views and understandings about this book. It doesn't mean that I hate it, so you should hate it too, or that I like it, so you should too. That's why there were trigger warnings, readers should know the consequences when they are not mentally stable enough to read them. It's their choice, and you shouldn't care if they like it or not. Let them judge the story on their own; reading is free, there shouldn't be any rules here and there. I, myself, did have a lot of negative and positive feedback about this book. But I have no say or am against those who contradict my beliefs.
Most of us who read this book are well sheltered not realising there are millions of Jude out there , the extremes of human suffering do exist , not everyone has a good ending . Better to not live in denial but be aware and help when needed .
i have relatively severe ptsd and as much as this book hurt i could reflect on and understand things i didn't before. this book changed me positively. people need to understand books do not always have to make you happy od have positive endings. and if you can't stomach it, you can just close the book. literally nobody is forcing you to keep reading
I won’t lie but after doing some online research for this book I definitely added it onto my book list, I am also aware that it has very upsetting/triggering themes so I think I can handle it if I were to ever buy a copy of this book online or in person one day!
“Books don’t have to be happy and can have dark themes/endings!1”I agree but maybe the author could have some fucking tact when writing about something so sensitive, that too about two groups she isn’t apart of
Life is not all rainbows and unicorns. Even though it's fiction, i think that's the point - - to think that maybe out there someone has really gone through shit and yet there's still so much that life has to offer. Stories that portray feelings and emotions isn't something that people should shy away from rather have more conversation on. These types of books raise awareness of how we deal with our own.
I think reading a book is subjective to every reader. It’s a personal journey. Even though you feel it’s a sad book, there may be readers who would love to read this. Peace ✌🏻
Books not only let you know informations but also lets you explore emotions you never experienced before .So that you can understand other people's perspective better and be empathetic.This is life .Not everything needs to be logically useful.
This is the best book I’ve ever read, this along side “tin man” by Sarah wingman. It really comes down having the ability to read between the lines, this is not a “sad “ book, the reader is supposed to learn from the characters and realize that moving last trauma is important to grow. It’s sad this person didn’t understand what the author attempted to teach.
Boy, you're tripping. This is probably one of the most positive outlooks on life kind of story. Even though the ending is very bleak and devastating, but it's not like a meaningless trauma porn.
i thought it was amazing. i like how the book portrays mental illness and not only it’s effect on the main character but also the people in his life. even though most people cannot relate to the magnitude or severity of trauma discussed in the book, i think a lot of people can relate to how the main character feels and his inability overcome his opinions of himself, despite what the people who cared for him told him. so even though there wasn’t a happy ending, the human struggles depicted throughout the book have a lesson that people can apply to their lives.
I don't understand why everyone hates on it so much. I think it's frankly not nearly as dark or as horrible as everyone makes it out to be, and it's certainly not torture porn. I am a quarter through right now (300 pages) and i YEARN, CRAVE to open it again and read it on my train to uni every single morning and back home every evening. It is beautifully written and it portrays so many issues and problems that many people in college and after go through. And as someone who's struggled with many of the things Jude has, his stuggles and their portrayal hit home well and feel very well reflected and written, not in a sensationalized way but rather just a real way. I feel for him, for all characters frankly, and i know it's not for all but it also isn't this bad. You can have a lot of empathy and hate it, but it's not worth shitting on, cause not everyone will take it as badly as you did...
This book does a great job with developing its characters and giving a lot of insight into their emotions, the prose is just beautiful. There is definitely a lot of potentially triggering material that is really upsetting to read, but I think that it all serves a purpose in developing the characters and explaining the thoughts that come with experiences like that. This book is so touching and worthwhile if you’re in a good mentality for it (I do agree that it’s not a “gay book,” but other than that I disagree with your opinion).
