Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
9 reviews
elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
I will likely never read this book all the way through again without taking breaks because I was deeply affected by the Jeffers’s nuanced portrayal of trauma. I hesitate to use the word triggered because it is so often weaponized by critics of books like these that deftly detail and describe the legacy of slavery in America and that discuss the intersectionality of abuse (domestic and sexual most prominently throughout this book) as well as racism and sexism. I experienced significant distress at certain parts of this book and I would recommend that all readers take the time to look through the trigger warnings and protect their mental health while reading, because I do highly recommend this book.
I cannot really put a numerical rating on this book - its value as literature and as a historical and cultural text cannot possibly be encompassed by assigning a number of stars - so I will instead say this: Read it.
Graphic: Medical trauma, Body shaming, Mental illness, Rape, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Child death, Self harm, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Incest, Classism, Infidelity, Sexism, Blood, Colonisation, Racism, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Dementia and Homophobia
Minor: Vomit
brynalexa'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? No
5.0
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
noteworthy_fiction's review against another edition
Graphic: Incest, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Xenophobia, Racism, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Abortion, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Body shaming
satashii's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
So why such a low rating?
Because this is a book that, imo, needed an editor to make it a tighter story. There’s a good 200 pages of this book that make the story drag on and on. If I hadn’t already hit the halfway point when it really started to slow it’s momentum I’d probably would have DNF’d it but I slogged ahead determined to finish.
Was the end worth it? Yes. Did I think the main character Ailey had an effective character arc? Somewhat.
So subtracting one star for the need for editing and another half star for what felt like, to me, like gratuitous lingering on sex scenes that weren’t really driving the narrative further and felt distracting.
Overall, I’d recommend it as a read if you haven’t read Toni Morrison’s work or Octavia Butler’s Kindred… but I’d probably recommend them over this book.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Drug use, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Slavery, Racial slurs, Rape, Drug abuse, Racism, Grief, Addiction, Body shaming, Body horror, and Child abuse
etl's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Addiction, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Grief, Incest, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Sexual violence, and Slavery
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Self harm, Abortion, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Cultural appropriation, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, and Gun violence
just_one_more_paige'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: Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexism, Racism, Hate crime, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Classism, Addiction, Violence, Rape, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Abandonment, Ableism, Abortion, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Cursing, Medical content, and Murder
jessgreads'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: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Slavery, Sexual content, Racism, Rape, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Suicide, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Incest, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Trafficking, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Addiction, Stalking, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, Child death, Classism, Child abuse, and Abortion
Minor: Self harm, Body shaming, Bullying, and Sexism
nyssbomb'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Racism, Addiction, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, Slavery, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Bullying, Cursing, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Incest, Infertility, Child death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Genocide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Lesbophobia, Body shaming, and Ableism
trippalli's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Suicide, Rape, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Racism, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infertility, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Police brutality, and Slavery