Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

42 reviews

disguisedposer's review

challenging dark informative mysterious 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

I thought this book was a horror story, and it was, but not because of the ghosts in it. It's a truly horrible story of the treatment of Black boys incarcerated at a reform school in the American south in the 1950s. It is fiction, but sounded all too real. I did a mix of reading and listening. It was beautifully written, and I absolutely adored the narrator of the audiobook even though I usually detest audiobooks. This is one that's going to stick with me for quite some time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gun violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Violence, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

erin_l's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Racism, Murder, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Violence, and Hate crime

Moderate: Police brutality, Medical trauma, and Murder

Minor: Sexual violence, Rape, and Pedophilia

helenoftroy08's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Racial slurs, Rape, Murder, Slavery, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Violence, Medical trauma, Racism, Torture, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

aliciawithoutkeys's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Murder, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

Moderate: Vomit, Rape, Child death, and Death of parent

eclipse799's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Torture, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Alcohol, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cancer, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, War, and Hate crime

danahh's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Death, Racism, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Blood, and Torture

Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Death of parent, Cancer, Rape, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, and Police brutality

30something_reads's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

 

UM WHAT?? This was incredible.

I did not know what to expect out of this since Historical Fiction is not typically a genre I gravitate towards but, damn. What a masterful blend of history and paranormal. A chilling tale that, although fictional, brings to light the real horrors of the Jim Crow era in the South.

I can't stop thinking about this one line-

And of course Haddock had never hit Colonel. Haddock couldn't train his bloodhound the way he trained the boys.

This audiobook was phenomenal. I would absolutely recommend that listening experience and I will be looking up other works narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt. <--- JK. I just realized that she narrated Legendborn (among many others- I will just be bumping some of these up the TBR.)
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Torture, Police brutality, Racism, Racial slurs, Child abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Slavery

Minor: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness

caidyn's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.5

SUCH a good book. I wasn't sure what to expect and ended up blown away by it. I loved the characters and the story. Not to mention the suggestions about books to read to know the real history.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Child abuse, Child death, Racial slurs, Confinement, Racism, and Grief

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Death of parent

mamaofperfectpayton's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

4.25

Wow. What a book. It was hard for me to read the first 250 because I have difficulty reading books about injustices during the Jim Crow era. I could only read a few pages at a time for about 4 weeks. But starting around chapter 20… BABY WHEW… the story took a turn and I was on the edge of my seat. The last 50 pages or so felt so real that it seemed like I was there while reading. There is an extremely long list of content warnings, so please beware. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Police brutality, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Bullying, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Sexual assault

fina44's review

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Death of parent, Cancer, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Grief, Classism, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Rape, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Torture, Confinement, Racism, Violence, Vomit, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Gun violence