Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

10 reviews

orangepeaches's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This book is really informative in the native ways of thought and theory. I'm reading it for a native American Literature class and it really is a decolonized lens through the whole book. Everything is cyclical and the timeline is jumbled but in a way the story makes sense and shows growth, place, and time as cyclical. Most of the book I would say is also dedicated to the place, the setting, in that there is strong connections to the land and the place the story occupies. It is a story of resistance healing and love at the end of it all. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, War, Grief, and Alcoholism

Minor: Abandonment, Colonisation, Death, Racism, Medical content, Torture, and Medical trauma

laindarko2's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Blood, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Grief, Violence, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Animal death, War, Xenophobia, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, and Adult/minor relationship

wellreadandhalfdead's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, War, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Rape

dxlltopia's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Cursing, Death, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, War, Alcoholism, and Torture

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Body shaming, Cultural appropriation, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Classism, Rape, Trafficking, Racism, Physical abuse, Animal death, Sexual content, and Misogyny

Minor: Genocide, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Vomit, Dementia, Medical content, Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, and Animal death

margaretahall's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Torture, War, Addiction, Violence, and Racism

Moderate: Vomit, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Gun violence, Grief, Sexual harassment, Murder, Excrement, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry

c_lizziebeth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Medical content, Death, Mental illness, Grief, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Genocide, Body horror, Torture, Blood, Colonisation, Sexual harassment, Racism, Murder, and Cursing

Minor: Gun violence

lonnahroyale's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious 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

3.75

Such interesting views of Indigenous religion, eye opening to what colonization has done to Indians but also takes the stance on not treating American Indians like the victims. Really really loved this, it has haunted me for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Racism, Rape, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Addiction, and Torture

b0ygenius's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and War

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, and Misogyny

Minor: Gun violence and Car accident

caedy's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism

catapocalypse's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

 I first read this over 15 years ago through a university extension course as a high school senior. Many things from it stuck with me over the years, and it was past time to read it again.

This is a brief but powerful book about dealing with PTSD and loss, and finding healing in nature and tradition. Tayo, a man from a Laguna Pueblo family, returns home with severe PTSD after serving in the Pacific in World War II, being captured by the Japanese military (he survives the Bataan Death March), and losing loved ones both in and outside of the war. Neither a stay in a psychiatric hospital nor resting at his family's home do much to improve his condition, and the alcohol his friends turn to only gets him in trouble. Ultimately, he turns to his tribe's traditions in an effort to reconnect with their history, the land, and humanity, to heal and to see to some unfinished business.

The story includes many flashbacks from throughout Tayo's life and snippets of tribal songs and stories in verse. The mix is chaotic at the start, but focuses in on the present as Tayo regains his clarity. It's beautifully crafted. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Sexual content

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, and Misogyny