Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

51 reviews

callunavulgaris's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I wish I was in a book club to discuss all the imagery & themes. Truly, Tananarive Due’s work should be required high school reading. Will likely be one of my favorite reads this year.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Racial slurs, Rape, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Hate crime, Racism, Xenophobia, and Police brutality

blacksphinx's review

challenging dark tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

If this book doesn't win the 2023 Stoker, I will riot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Grief, Racism, Torture, Child death, Cancer, Terminal illness, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Gun violence, Confinement, Vomit, Sexual assault, Slavery, Sexism, Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Bullying

Minor: War and Antisemitism

brandilovesbooks's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

This book is beautifully written.   It's a story that is going to stick with you.   Although entirely fiction,  the story opens your eyes to the unfairness of the past.

Robbie is sent to a segregated boys reformatory school after he kicks a white boy who had been making inappropriate comments about his sister. 

Just asking about kids who have tried to escape gets Robbie sent to the Fun House, a place for punishment.  

Robbie and Gloria are the main points of view.

Occasionally the warden has a turn with his point of view.   Due does an amazing job creating an evil character who leaves the reader with incredibly visceral reactions. 

I recommend this book to people of every color who need to know what Jim Crow was like.   I also recommend it for people who believe in haints (ghosts).  It is a wonderful story of friendship, sibling relationship,  and family. 

I do have some content warnings-  very detailed description of fire and dying in a fire,  very disturbing look into the thoughts of a sociopath, multiple forms of abuse, violence,  guns and gun violence,  rape,  racial slurs, cursing, death.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Child abuse, Racism, Child death, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Rape, Pedophilia, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Murder, Violence, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Gun violence, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, and Sexual harassment

sarahc_98's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Bullying, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Confinement, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death, Physical abuse, and Racism

nishtrbg's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

This book truly had me scared and it wasn’t because of the ghosts… iykyk. The story’s dual pov and imagery had me thinking about those characters even when I wasn’t reading. It was heartbreaking, shocking, anger-inducing, and such a needed story. Definitely a 5 star read and one I recommend everyone read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Hate crime

mondovertigo's review

dark emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Animal death, Violence, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Racism, Hate crime, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault

Minor: War

d0505's review

adventurous challenging dark hopeful informative mysterious sad medium-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, and Hate crime

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Pedophilia and Rape

I

lettuce_read's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Violence, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Child death, Sexual violence, and Rape

Minor: Pedophilia and Confinement

starbabe2529's review

challenging dark sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Book 12 of 101: Author Spotlight- Tananarive Due. 

This book was absolutely a 10 out of 10! It was 100 out of 10! I want to read everything Tananarive Due has ever written! I was admittedly very intimated by The Reformatory at first because of the size but I chose it for the author spotlight because I have a fascination with true crime and I have heard all about Dozier School for Boys. Then I found out just how deeply Tananarive Due's ties with that school went. This book is dripping with emotion, soaked with grief and rage and fear. I cried so hard I couldn't see the pages. The horror not only of the ghosts and the dead but of what the living can do to each other was so absolutely bone chilling that I think I need to read Legends and Lattes now to cleanse my palette. I love this book and I hate that the world made it possible for it to be written. I hope that Robert Stephens family found some sort of peace in even a small part of his story being told. I hope that he knows he isn't forgotten. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Racial slurs, and Child death

Moderate: Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence

Minor: Death of parent, Slavery, Confinement, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Rape

rhiannonafternoon's review against another edition

So. Bleak. 
Ghosts or not, these poor children are being traumatized and I just can’t listen anymore. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Blood, Sexual assault, Torture, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, and Racism