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maggies's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
A beautiful and poetic meditation on love and loss
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
bananabeard812's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide attempt
leanneymu's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
I absolutely loved this book. A tender and at times painful exploration of families, loss, and addiction, that was fully relatable to me (even though I don't share the same background as the characters). The audiobook was beautifully read, and I cared deeply about the characters, who were all treated with respect by the author. A layered and nuanced portrayl of human relationships.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, and Death of parent
mothebad's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide attempt
artemisg's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
Life-changing. I’m not kidding.
I don’t know if I have sufficient words to sum up how good this book is and how many emotions it made me feel. But I’ll try.
This book follows our narrator, Gifty, as she tells the story of her parents’ immigration to The United States from Ghana and the gifts and trauma that journey brought. She tells the story of her father’s leaving, her mother’s perseverance, and her brother’s radiance. She tells the story of her brother’s addiction and overdose and her mother’s depression. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at Stanford, studying neuroscience. Her research surrounds addiction and reward-seeking. Additionally, her mother has fallen into another depressive episode and has come to stay in her apartment, and we see Gifty try to reconcile the mother she once knew and the mother she now has, as well as reconcile her religious identity and her identity as a scientist. She was raised Evangelical in Alabama, and her religion defined her for the longest time. Then, her atheism defined her. And now, what defines her?
I trembled, and in the one second it took for the tremble to move through my body, I stopped believing in God.
This is a heartwrenching story about identity, religion, addiction, and family. It is a story about loss. The loss of family members, the loss of religion, the loss of yourself. When something is such a significant part of your identity, who are you when it’s gone? When Gifty loses her faith, in one fell swoop, she does not know who she is. She does not know how to navigate the world without prayer. And as she navigates her young adulthood without God, she is confronted by many scientists who disregard and look down upon religion. Something she cannot do because, despite casting her own religion away, she has seen how it saved her mother’s life, and she has felt something; she has known God to be there.
… but the more I do this work the more I believe in a kind of holiness in our connection to everything on Earth. Holy is the mouse. Holy is the grain the mouse eats. Holy is the seed. Holy are we.
This was such a beautiful examination of redefining relationships with God and other people. It was also a wonderful examination of how people interpret the Bible, how indigenous religions and spirituality intertwine with Christianity, and how blackness and Christianity co-exist. Of course, this is also a story about being black in Alabama and being black in academia. The need to go above and beyond, the need to prove something, and the understanding that you are, always, the other.
We read the Bible how we want to read it. It doesn’t change, but we do.
It is also a story about addiction and loss and has some heavy scenes and themes because of that. It is about loving and hating someone with an addiction and losing yourself when you lose them, both to the drugs and, eventually, to death. It made me cry a lot.
It’s true that for years before he died, I would look at his face and think, What a pity, what a waste. But the waste was my own, the waste was what I missed out on whenever I looked at him and saw just his addiction.
I don’t know if I have sufficient words to sum up how good this book is and how many emotions it made me feel. But I’ll try.
This book follows our narrator, Gifty, as she tells the story of her parents’ immigration to The United States from Ghana and the gifts and trauma that journey brought. She tells the story of her father’s leaving, her mother’s perseverance, and her brother’s radiance. She tells the story of her brother’s addiction and overdose and her mother’s depression. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at Stanford, studying neuroscience. Her research surrounds addiction and reward-seeking. Additionally, her mother has fallen into another depressive episode and has come to stay in her apartment, and we see Gifty try to reconcile the mother she once knew and the mother she now has, as well as reconcile her religious identity and her identity as a scientist. She was raised Evangelical in Alabama, and her religion defined her for the longest time. Then, her atheism defined her. And now, what defines her?
I trembled, and in the one second it took for the tremble to move through my body, I stopped believing in God.
This is a heartwrenching story about identity, religion, addiction, and family. It is a story about loss. The loss of family members, the loss of religion, the loss of yourself. When something is such a significant part of your identity, who are you when it’s gone? When Gifty loses her faith, in one fell swoop, she does not know who she is. She does not know how to navigate the world without prayer. And as she navigates her young adulthood without God, she is confronted by many scientists who disregard and look down upon religion. Something she cannot do because, despite casting her own religion away, she has seen how it saved her mother’s life, and she has felt something; she has known God to be there.
… but the more I do this work the more I believe in a kind of holiness in our connection to everything on Earth. Holy is the mouse. Holy is the grain the mouse eats. Holy is the seed. Holy are we.
This was such a beautiful examination of redefining relationships with God and other people. It was also a wonderful examination of how people interpret the Bible, how indigenous religions and spirituality intertwine with Christianity, and how blackness and Christianity co-exist. Of course, this is also a story about being black in Alabama and being black in academia. The need to go above and beyond, the need to prove something, and the understanding that you are, always, the other.
We read the Bible how we want to read it. It doesn’t change, but we do.
It is also a story about addiction and loss and has some heavy scenes and themes because of that. It is about loving and hating someone with an addiction and losing yourself when you lose them, both to the drugs and, eventually, to death. It made me cry a lot.
It’s true that for years before he died, I would look at his face and think, What a pity, what a waste. But the waste was my own, the waste was what I missed out on whenever I looked at him and saw just his addiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Drug abuse
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
siobhan28's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Such an amazing, lyrical book that made me tear up multiple times. The writing was so beautiful and captivating and I finished the book within 24 hours. A lot of parts of the book were heavy but there was always a glimmer of hope
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt
jenmcreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Religious bigotry
baguettegay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
This book was a gut punch. The intricacies of grief, mental health, and ripples caused by addiction within a family. I loved the way Gifty was so tied to her scientific research that connected so deeply with what she had gone through with her brother’s death and addiction. It is hard to deal with grief head on, and I think showing how someone can be processing things without actually processing them is important.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Racial slurs, and Grief
kaattie's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Mental illness
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide attempt
kelly_e's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
Title: Transcendent Kingdom
Author: Yaa Gyasi
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: August 31, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Captivating • Heart-wrenching • Introspective
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Gifty is a sixth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience at the Stanford University School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Her brother, Nana, was a gifted high school athlete who died of a heroin overdose after an ankle injury left him hooked on OxyContin. Her suicidal mother is living in her bed. Gifty is determined to discover the scientific basis for the suffering she sees all around her.
But even as she turns to the hard sciences to unlock the mystery of her family's loss, she finds herself hungering for her childhood faith and grappling with the evangelical church in which she was raised, whose promise of salvation remains as tantalizing as it is elusive.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Transcendent Kingdom came highly recommended to me by several book friends, yet I knew because of my deeply personal connection to the content that I would need to be in the right frame of mind when I finally picked it up. This awareness helped create a safe, deeply emotional reading experience for me that I am grateful for.
What an absolutely powerful book! Yaa Gyasi delivers a raw and compelling take on how science and faith merge and diverge. Written from the first person perspective with short chapters, it read more like a memoir, allowing a deep look into Gifty's internal battle in her search for understanding. Snippets from childhood and the past, really brought each of the characters to life, making them real and relatable. The writing is profoundly beautiful. Every word, every sentence has it's place. The science is easily digestible and the religions aspect aren't preachy. In all honesty, the author tackles mental illness and addiction with grace and respect, while also exploring themes of love and loss, of healing and belonging, and of family and identity. Underneath some of the bigger themes also lies an exploration of the immigrant experience, including racism.
There are so many emotional and thought-provoking passages sprinkled throughout the story, a few of which I have chosen to highlight below. However, it is how in the end the reader is left without answers that truly sticks with me. Isn't that the whole point? It's a testament to how we can search for answers, yet there are some things we can never know and therein lies the beauty of being alive.
Every now and then there is a book comes along and burrows itself deep into your soul and changes your perception, Transcendent Kingdom was one of those books for me. It is a book I will revisit in the future. One that contemplates what it means to live without answers. And one I hope is an invitation for readers to consider people living with mental illness and addiction with more understanding, empathy, and compassion. I will definitely be looking to get my hands on a copy of Gyasi's debut, Homecoming, and look forward to hearing about future books from this incredibly talented author.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who love profound writing
• anyone looking for a thought-provoking read
• book clubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"The truth is we don’t know what we don’t know. We don’t even know the questions we need to ask in order to find out, but when we learn one tiny little thing, a dim light comes on in a dark hallway, and suddenly a new question appears."
"Nothing teaches you the true nature of your friendships like a sudden death, worse still, a death that’s shrouded in shame."
"If I've thought of my mother as callous, and many times I have, then it is important to remember what a callus is: the hardened tissue that forms over a wound."
"What I can say for certain is that there is no case study in the world that could capture the whole animal of my brother, that could show how smart and kind and generous he was, how much he wanted to get better, how much he wanted to live. Forget for a moment what he looked like on paper, and instead see him as he was in all of his glory, in all of his beauty. It’s true that for years before he died, I would look at his face and think, 'What a pity, what a waste'. But the waste was my own, the waste was what I missed out on whenever I looked at him and saw just his addiction."
Author: Yaa Gyasi
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: August 31, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Captivating • Heart-wrenching • Introspective
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Gifty is a sixth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience at the Stanford University School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Her brother, Nana, was a gifted high school athlete who died of a heroin overdose after an ankle injury left him hooked on OxyContin. Her suicidal mother is living in her bed. Gifty is determined to discover the scientific basis for the suffering she sees all around her.
But even as she turns to the hard sciences to unlock the mystery of her family's loss, she finds herself hungering for her childhood faith and grappling with the evangelical church in which she was raised, whose promise of salvation remains as tantalizing as it is elusive.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Transcendent Kingdom came highly recommended to me by several book friends, yet I knew because of my deeply personal connection to the content that I would need to be in the right frame of mind when I finally picked it up. This awareness helped create a safe, deeply emotional reading experience for me that I am grateful for.
What an absolutely powerful book! Yaa Gyasi delivers a raw and compelling take on how science and faith merge and diverge. Written from the first person perspective with short chapters, it read more like a memoir, allowing a deep look into Gifty's internal battle in her search for understanding. Snippets from childhood and the past, really brought each of the characters to life, making them real and relatable. The writing is profoundly beautiful. Every word, every sentence has it's place. The science is easily digestible and the religions aspect aren't preachy. In all honesty, the author tackles mental illness and addiction with grace and respect, while also exploring themes of love and loss, of healing and belonging, and of family and identity. Underneath some of the bigger themes also lies an exploration of the immigrant experience, including racism.
There are so many emotional and thought-provoking passages sprinkled throughout the story, a few of which I have chosen to highlight below. However, it is how in the end the reader is left without answers that truly sticks with me. Isn't that the whole point? It's a testament to how we can search for answers, yet there are some things we can never know and therein lies the beauty of being alive.
Every now and then there is a book comes along and burrows itself deep into your soul and changes your perception, Transcendent Kingdom was one of those books for me. It is a book I will revisit in the future. One that contemplates what it means to live without answers. And one I hope is an invitation for readers to consider people living with mental illness and addiction with more understanding, empathy, and compassion. I will definitely be looking to get my hands on a copy of Gyasi's debut, Homecoming, and look forward to hearing about future books from this incredibly talented author.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who love profound writing
• anyone looking for a thought-provoking read
• book clubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"The truth is we don’t know what we don’t know. We don’t even know the questions we need to ask in order to find out, but when we learn one tiny little thing, a dim light comes on in a dark hallway, and suddenly a new question appears."
"Nothing teaches you the true nature of your friendships like a sudden death, worse still, a death that’s shrouded in shame."
"If I've thought of my mother as callous, and many times I have, then it is important to remember what a callus is: the hardened tissue that forms over a wound."
"What I can say for certain is that there is no case study in the world that could capture the whole animal of my brother, that could show how smart and kind and generous he was, how much he wanted to get better, how much he wanted to live. Forget for a moment what he looked like on paper, and instead see him as he was in all of his glory, in all of his beauty. It’s true that for years before he died, I would look at his face and think, 'What a pity, what a waste'. But the waste was my own, the waste was what I missed out on whenever I looked at him and saw just his addiction."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Excrement, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
overdose, depression, sibling death