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hannahbailey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It made me feel more open-minded towards those that devoutly follow the Bible (I'm an atheist and quite the sceptic) and I always love it when I learn something new from a book - it's why I read! It's a great way to challenge your perceptions and grow as a person IMO.
Gifty's struggle understanding the events in her life in the context of God, and later in the context of neuroscience was a really powerful way to explore these issues. The impact of her brother's drug abuse in crushing her religious faith was interesting to follow, especially with the first-person narration. The strained relationship she has with her mother added another layer to this book making it a very captivating read.
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt
vaniavela's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
- As this book questions faith and religion, I think the author did a great job exploring the relationship between religion and science.
- There is an emotional depth within the writing so I came to empathize with the characters.
- The structure was confusing. The jumps in time and space were an interesting portrayal of reading how the pain and trauma affected her life, but it wasn't for me. Especially since these time jumps were not chronological.
- I would have loved to read the mother and brother's perspective, especially since so much of what Gifty narrates is related to them.
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Misogyny and Sexual content
jazzeeazz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
pages 228-229 actually broke me emotionally and i will never recover 🤪
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Medical content, Grief, and Religious bigotry
sarah_eggleton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Grief and Suicide attempt
Minor: Racial slurs and Abandonment
sydneybedell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
grboph's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Cursing, Infertility, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
The two main plot points driving this book are the main character's older brother becoming addicted to painkillers and then dying of a heroin overdose and the main character's mother becoming depressed and attempting suicide as a result.emi98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I understand this impulse. I, too, have spent years creating my little moat of good deeds in an attempt to protect the castle of myself. I don’t want to be dismissed the way that Nana was once dismissed. I know that it’s easier to say Their kind does seem to have a taste for drugs, easier to write all addicts off as bad and weak-willed people, than it is to look closely at the nature of their suffering. I do it too, sometimes. I judge. I walk around with my chest puffed out, making sure hat everyone knows about my Harvard and Stanford degrees, as if those things encapsulate me, and when I do so, I give in to the same facile, lazy thinking that characterizes those who think of addicts as horrible people. It’s just that I’m standing on the other side of the moat. What I can say for certain is that there is no case study in the world that could capture the whole animal of my brother, that could show how smart and kind and generous he was, how much he wanted to get better, how much he wanted to live. Forget for a moment what he looked like on paper, and instead see him as he was in all of his glory, in all of his beauty. It’s true that for years before he died, I would look at his face and think, What a pity, what a waste. But the waste was my own, the waste was what I missed out on whenever I looked at him and saw just his addiction."
Pain is unavoidable, but how long can suffering last? This is the question we must ask ourselves, and to others, next time we make our cruel and benevolent judgements.
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, and Grief
Minor: Abandonment
polina_and's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness
alisonannk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Medical trauma
Minor: Hate crime, Misogyny, and Sexism
andireadsawesomely's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, and Suicide attempt