Scan barcode
ollie_again's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Drug abuse, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Rape, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Car accident, Colonisation, and Cultural appropriation
schorlett's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Gun violence, Alcoholism, Addiction, Colonisation, and Genocide
Moderate: Suicide, Abandonment, Animal death, Cancer, Car accident, Child death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
ellipalmer'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Child death, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Drug use and Fatphobia
Minor: Animal death
aligibbs24's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism and Gun violence
Moderate: Death, Child death, Rape, and Sexual assault
cheesepuppy's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Mass/school shootings, Classism, Death of parent, and Blood
Moderate: Colonisation, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Emotional abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment
Minor: Mental illness
kelly_e'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? Yes
3.75
Author: Tommy Orange
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: June 5, 2018
T H R E E • W O R D S
Urgent • Profane • Gritty
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Set in Oakland, California, There There is a debut novel following 12 Native Americans as they converge on the annual Powwow. Following the death of his uncle, Dene Oxedene has won a grant and has decided to put together a documentary in the hopes of preserving the stories of his people. Weaving together past and present, each character divulges their story of what life is like for them. Exploring themes of violence, identity, despair, family, community and history the story takes us into the urban experience of each character.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Tommy Orange has taken a lot of risks, and with unique style and voice has delivered an ambitious and healing debut novel. It tackles many themes through both cultural and political perspectives, opening the eyes of the reader to a history they may be completely unaware of. It shines a light on the daily victories and losses, the multi-generational trauma of displacement, and stolen identity of not just the individual but the collective. The writing is superb and it's hard to come away unchanged. This book is filled with so many big ideas and the power in telling our stories.
I listened to the audio while reading a physical copy, and this added to the richness of the story as the audiobook contains a full cast. Because the book follows so many different characters I was appreciative of the list naming each one at the start.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers wanting to expand their knowledge
• book clubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"'Life doesn't work out the way stories do.'"
"'Some of us got this feeling stuck inside, all the time, like we've done something wrong. Like who we are deep inside, that thing we want to name but can't, it's like we're afraid we'll be punished for it. So we hide. We drink alcohol because it helps us feel like we can be ourselves and not be afraid. But we punish ourselves with it. The thing we most don't want has a way of landing right on top of us.'"
Graphic: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Cursing, Drug use, and Suicide
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Excrement, Sexual assault, Rape, Child death, Abortion, and Domestic abuse
substance misuse, fetal alcohol syndrome, adoptionannreadsabook'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, and Rape
sarahmae531's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Car accident, Cursing, and Cancer
lyd41's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Mental illness, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Gore, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Cursing, Child death, Child abuse, Car accident, Bullying, Blood, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Fatphobia
gabbo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Colonisation, Slavery, Fatphobia, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol