Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

159 reviews

brynalexa's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? No

5.0

Perfect. It’s a rare long gem that deserves to be so. I loved making small discoveries throughout the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Genocide, Infidelity, Infertility, Mental illness, Body shaming, Abortion, Classism, Grief, Homophobia, Violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Self harm, Rape, Racism, Police brutality, Colonisation, Sexism, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Addiction, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Murder, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Physical abuse, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy

aweekinthelife's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

a stunning intergenerational saga that switches between Ailey’s current perspective and stories of her ancestors. highly recommend drawing out a family tree because having the family tree handy was really helpful for quickly remembering who the characters are, especially when i was just getting introduced to everyone. 

 

the writing is immersive and all the characters are given their full human-ness with space to have complicated feelings, make mistakes, etc. a brilliant story and i’m a member of the Uncle Root fan club. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Slavery

lns6519's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, and Drug use

Moderate: Violence and Abortion

ackaleigh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

I started this book hoping to read it throughout the year. Oh, how quickly I gave up that idea when I started reading! This book spans generations. It demonstrates the curiosity we have of family history and how those stories impact us. If you enjoy literary fiction with strong elements of family and community, you will love this book. It is not without its sadness, but it is beautifully and carefully written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Racism, Slavery, Addiction, Racial slurs, and Drug use

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

ennzito24's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective 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

Words can't describe how much I love this book. This was one of the most beautiful stories I've ever read and it's something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Theorizing was so captivating and elegant! While the book is fiction, the subject matter behind it is very much real. Honorée is truly a master storyteller and I can't wait to read more of her work. Everyone needs to read this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Toxic friendship, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Eating disorder, Death, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Rape, Racism, Police brutality, Miscarriage, Ableism, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexism, Mental illness, Hate crime, Grief, Genocide, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Colonisation

kerrin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, Slavery, and Sexual assault

lit_vibrations's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

It was written so good you’d think it was based off a true story. This book deserves all the stars‼️ If you don’t have it buy it and if you already own it READ IT . . . I used audio as I read along with the physical and it was such an amazing experience highly recommend this way. 

The dual timelines were well-paced and woven together perfectly. We journey between the past and present generations of Ailey Garfield’s ancestral lineage in Chicasetta, Georgia. There were so many hidden family secrets, unforeseen linkages, injustices, traumatizing and heartbreaking moments that created this remarkable story. 

The author showcases the importance of knowing one’s family history. Painting such a vivid picture both good and horrific with her words it’s hard not to envision all the characters and the situations they encountered. The family tree was very helpful with keeping up with them all.

Memorable Characters:

Ailey

Lydia

Uncle Root

Dr. Oludara

Most disliked characters:

Samuel

Victor

Gandee

Rebecca

Abdul

The plot was definitely unpredictable and crafted in such a way that made you want to know more. I still have questions about Coco since she was one character I felt the author didn’t shed enough light on. Coco mentioned her family not paying her much attention growing up. So, it’s almost as though the author made her character nonexistent until certain parts. We get so much more backstory on Ailey and Lydia but not much on the pain or trauma Coco experienced when they were all abused by Gandee. I wanted so bad for one of them to speak up. 

Overall, the book was worth the read and if nothing more the author knows how to evoke a reader’s emotions. The dialogue was engaging and continued to build with each chapter. We get themes surrounding family history, addiction, gender, self-discovery, racism, bondage, and education. If this book isn’t on your TBR I highly recommend you add it‼️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Pedophilia, and Racism

readandfindout's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

Style/writing: 4 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4.5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Colonisation, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Classism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Incest, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Violence, Torture, Rape, Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, Addiction, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abortion

cassielaj's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

This book has so much going on, and I still felt like I could’ve kept reading for 100 more pages because the writing is so beautiful. It is absolutely captivating. Beautifully written, informative, and engaging. It ties in major historical events with characters’ lives in a really impressive and effective way. It’s telling family history and American history at the same time, showing how they’re interconnected. It’s also expertly paced for such a long book. I love the jumping back and forth between timelines, connecting Ailey’s present and family history through her ancestral land. It’s horribly sad and challenging to read, but terribly important. And it has some uplifting moments as well. I really enjoyed reading about Ailey’s journey and the way everything connected. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Death, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Hate crime, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Trafficking, Genocide, Infidelity, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Cursing

letmetakea_shelfie_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Racial slurs