Reviews tagging 'Racism'

There There by Tommy Orange

115 reviews

biobeetle's review

dark emotional informative 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Child death, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Violence, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Pregnancy

lboits's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Physical abuse

katekatiekait's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative reflective sad fast-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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Addiction, Murder, Alcohol, Racism, Violence, Drug use, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Grief, and Genocide

Minor: Physical abuse, Cultural appropriation, Excrement, Bullying, Cancer, Terminal illness, Suicide, Pregnancy, Abortion, and Car accident

annewilgenbusch's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Alcoholism, Colonisation, and Xenophobia

stellahadz's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• 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

3.75

Tommy Orange can definitely write - the prologue was powerful and pulled me right into the book. It was interesting to read about urban Indigenous people in the US, and I really liked the premise of the story. That being said, I felt like there was something missing, but I can't put my finger on exactly what it is - maybe there were too many characters? It took me a while to remember who was who, which I think made the story drag a bit. There are quite a few loose ends by the end of the book, which is odd because the ending itself feels extremely rushed. I know there's a sequel (which I will probably read), but I feel like the story could have been wrapped up in a single book. 

If you liked this book (particularly the multiple-narrator technique), you might also enjoy Katherena Vermette's The Break (and the two follow-up novels, The Strangers and The Circle). It follows various members of a Métis community in Winnipeg and recounts the story of a crime and its aftermath through all of their perspectives. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide

Moderate: Colonisation, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Racism

Minor: Excrement

siaeme12's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.25

Other people here have explained far better than I could so I'll leave it at this: There There was lyrically written and thought provoking. It was real, intense, and well woven. Definitely recommend, but know that there is discussion of substance abuse, violence against women, gun violence, poverty, and other things that come alongside deep rooted systemic oppression. This isn't a light read by any means, but it is certainly an important one

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Gun violence, Death, Drug use, Alcoholism, Addiction, Grief, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Colonisation, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Racism, and Physical abuse

Minor: Cancer

rei_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Racism, and Domestic abuse

rileydobereading's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, and Racism

Moderate: Genocide, Violence, Drug abuse, and Cursing

Minor: Pregnancy and Colonisation

bibliomich's review against another edition

challenging informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

As I made my way through There There, I found myself thinking repeatedly that my schooling must have failed me. I know so little about the history of Indigenous peoples here in the Bay Area. At a certain point, though, I have to acknowledge that I am a grown adult who is more than capable of learning more, regardless of what I failed to learn in my youth, and that's one of the reasons why I need to read more books like There There.

Tommy Orange’s novel is a story about family and history and violence and Indigenous identity. But also, it is very much a story about Oakland. I am so grateful for the recent release of Wandering Stars (which I’m planning to read next), as it brought There There back into the spotlight, without which I may have never discovered this phenomenal book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Colonisation, Murder, Addiction, Alcohol, Racism, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Violence, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Body shaming, and Fatphobia

signeskov's review against another edition

emotional informative sad medium-paced

• 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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Murder, Colonisation, Genocide, Death, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Addiction, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Abandonment and Fatphobia