Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires

8 reviews

jayisreading's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.25

Smart, dark, and humorous, this was a really fascinating collection of short stories that had me snickering one moment, followed by a heartbroken sigh. Thompson-Spires has a vibrant cast of characters, some making reappearances, that reveals the struggles of modern Black Americans in various spaces. I was really drawn to the the decisions Thompson-Spires seems to have made to create Black characters taking part in activities and be in careers that so frequently exclude them. Whether it be anime or academia, it was wonderful that she never failed to assert the presence of Black people.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Ableism, Death, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Gun violence and Eating disorder

Minor: Suicide and Fatphobia

madelinequinne's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. It was very informative about the lives of black people in this day and age, and I feel like I learned a lot from it. I definitely recommend to anyone interested in reading about the experiences of black people in the modern world

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Mental illness, Police brutality, Suicide, Body shaming, Bullying, Grief, Hate crime, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Chronic illness, Classism, Gun violence, Infidelity, Child abuse, Child death, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

heybrownberry's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Suicide, Child abuse, Death, Racism, Ableism, and Gun violence

leahb88's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

I loved the writing style of this collection and found the voice to change a bit, depending on who was narrating. Each story building on each other and the ways that they became connected as you read was super interesting. I found the stories to read as very introspective and kind of live within the minds of the characters, but taken together this collection is a reflection on the ways that Black bodies exist in society. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Racial slurs, and Mental illness

Moderate: Gun violence

ebonykashan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Racism, Police brutality, Mental illness, and Death

krisharris525's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Moderate: Police brutality, Eating disorder, Suicide, and Body shaming

balladofreadingqueer's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

I listened to this audio book while driving the final stage of our journey in New Mexico and I really enjoyed it. 

This satirical book covers a lot of important and interesting themes such as police brutality, disability fetishisation, tokenism, competition between black women, the insidiousness of the white gaze and colourism.

The first story was interesting but very meta, it was a series of related vignettes with most of the action happening off screen and a self-aware narrator. My favourite stories were This Todd, the story of a woman who fetishises and diminishes the disabled men she dates by calling them all ‘Todd’ despite their criticism of her she lacks all self-awareness. Belle Lettres is 2 mothers writing each other petty letters via their daughters schoobags, a tense competition with the only 2 black girls in the grade. I also enjoyed Suicide, Watch a damning indictment of the impact of social media on young women. The main character wanting attention on social media writes a suicide note but did not intend to kill herself 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide, Police brutality, and Racism

bodagirl's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide