Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

69 reviews

amalas_bookstop's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

I think I am still gasping for breath. I am clapping, if all dark academia is not written like this I do not want it. She was able to write what could have been such an elitist topic to something that was very easy to grasp, you don't even have to go searching. I want more!

This book is a straight masterpiece. It is so refreshing to read a victorian age dark academia novel through the eyes of people of color. I cannot fully grasp how she was able to touch on so many topics. From classism to racism to economics she covered it all masterfully. I was learning new scopes of language as I was trying to read this. 

Her characterization of Letty and the and white guilt was so spot on. My mind is still reeling. Her characterization of being a person of color who is provided opportunity and the guilt/shame you can sometimes feel was also spot on. I did not know that my soul needed to read a view point of this age that is not told by the white majority. This was like therapy and a history lesson all in one.

A required read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Suicide, Racial slurs, War, Toxic relationship, Gore, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Violence, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Misogyny

Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use

Minor: Slavery

alainral's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Racism, Xenophobia, and Child abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

cherryfreckle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Hate crime, Classism, Death, War, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Grief, Emotional abuse, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Physical abuse, Murder, Sexism, and Racism

Moderate: Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Death of parent

Minor: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, and Alcohol

toxicthunder's review against another edition

emotional informative 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? Yes

5.0

This book broke me in the best way possible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Racial slurs

honipoems's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring tense slow-paced

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

5.0

it was quite slow and really deeply in the oxford universe for à long time which made me romanticize it a lot. but when the plot twist happened, everything got Foster and more violent all of sudden. it saddens me soooo much. I really like how it ends, very realistic not too optimiste. I learned a lot and I love langage <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Death, and Deportation

aralynn26's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

This book was fascinating, enlightening, and emotional. I loved the school setting and the lectures about translation. The magic system with the silver bars was very unique. This book dealt with a lot of serious topics and it was very thought-provoking. The ending was quite sad and violent. I wish that it had ended a different way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Violence, Murder, Religious bigotry, Death, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Slavery, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Racism, and War

lisslovesbooks's review against another edition

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? Yes

5.0

There is so much I wish to say about this book, but I simply cannot form the words (Trust me, I've typed and retyped this review many times). You'll have to take my word for it when I say Babel has made me rethink everything I thought I knew about the languages we use every day. It is not only a retelling of the translators strike, but of the original tower of Babel, a testament to how mankind's greed and aspiration for power and glory leads only to its destruction.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, and Racism

trina8945's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-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

This book was hard for me to get through being slower paced but it was very much so worth it. I understand why some people thinking about it daily. It’s took me a few weeks to finish and I absolutely thought about its context in my day to day life. R.F. Kuang has done another beautiful job on  a incredible intersectional subject. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Racial slurs, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Colonisation

Moderate: Suicide, Physical abuse, Violence, Toxic friendship, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Gun violence

Minor: Sexual harassment and War

anotherbigapple's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense fast-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

4.75

What a wonderful read that deeply challenges identity, colonialism and the power of language. A touch of the magical very firmly rooted in all too real settings, a great read! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery, War, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, and Colonisation

lamoore72's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Blood, Racism, and War

Moderate: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Suicide, Classism, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Racism, Abandonment, Addiction, Drug use, and Murder