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rileydobereading'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
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Rape, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Genocide, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy and Colonisation
bibliomich's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexual assault
signeskov'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
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Fatphobia and Abandonment
spicycronereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The narrative is made up of many different points of view of “urban Indians,” mostly in and around Oakland, CA. With the multiple POVs you see the vast interconnectedness of the characters that leads toward the climactic event but you do lose out on a sense of depth with any given character. Nor do they have time to develop. So it is more like sketches of the various actors who all meet at the powwow event in the climax.
Each of the characters is dealing with their indigenous identity as well as various class-based and family traumas, that are undoubtedly connected to the historic violence against Native Americans. I do wish that with one or two characters we could have focused more on community, or their successes, or joy. The focus was almost entirely anchored in trauma and deficit, exploring the “there there” that is gone. I suspect that contemporary indigenous identity is more multi-dimensional than that.
There are many moments of poetry throughout the book. One of my favorite lines is “To cry is to waste the feeling. He needs to dance with it. Crying is for when there’s nothing left to do.”
The ending is ambiguous and I didn’t mind that though there were a couple of loose ends I would have liked to have seen tied up.
Overall a gorgeous read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Graphic: Gun violence and Racism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Violence, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Sexual violence, and Abortion
sydneylount'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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, and Death of parent
kimmykelly'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? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, and Cultural appropriation
sponberry'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, Genocide, Racism, Rape, and Suicide
cheazcakeguy'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
4.75
Highly recommend, though this isn't a light read and it will tear your heart out.
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, and Colonisation
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
placeholder13's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Car accident, Abandonment, and Alcohol
pferdina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racism, Car accident, Abortion, and Pregnancy