Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Wade in the Water by Nyani Nkrumah

3 reviews

beeeverly's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Slavery

Moderate: Medical content, Alcohol, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness

cc_shelflove's review

emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

To date, I’ve read quite a few historical novels surrounding slavery and the civil rights movement. Up there with Take My Hand, this may be one of the most gripping, cruel, and powerful accounts of racism I’ve encountered. When the “white lady,” Miss Katherine St. James, turns up on the black side of Ricksville, Mississippi, all hell breaks loose. A young girl named Ella becomes increasingly curious about Miss St. James’s intentions. While Ella is snooping, the two form a highly unexpected bond. There is a lot I can say about Miss St. James’s past, but I think it is best to go into this one blind. Nkrumah did such an amazing job with this novel, including pieces of true American history such as the story of three civil rights workers who were killed by the KKK in 1964. A book I will not easily forget, and it was a debut?! Wow.

“On the way home from Nate’s, I thought about what I had heard. I wondered why some people hated black people so much when they had gotten so much out of them. Worked them to the bone in slavery and yet called them lazy. That didn’t make sense.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Sexual violence, Slavery, Cursing, Racial slurs, Murder, Sexual content, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Racism, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Blood, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Minor: Self harm, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content

joyfulfoodie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is a beautiful book. The descriptions are vivid and artistically painted. The characters have a complex depth that develops throughout the story. The race relations of the 60s and 80s are so painful, as our history actually is, and you hurt with the people as their story unfolds. There is hope and growth but also many challenging dark moments. I expect I will be thinking about this one for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death, Racism, Rape, Murder, Hate crime, Slavery, Classism, Sexual assault, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Cursing, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Blood, Infidelity, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Police brutality

Minor: Antisemitism