Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

21 reviews

emily_mh's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful slow-paced

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

5.0

This was… incredible. I don’t think I’m going to stop thinking about this read for a very long time, much like I’ve never stopped thinking about Boulley’s debut (and the companion to this novel), Firekeeper’s Daughter.

In her Author’s Note, Boulley states that: “Ultimately, Warrior Girl Unearthed is about the need to control Indigenous bodies - both in the past and today.” I genuinely cannot think of a better way to describe the story here. The narrative is based on both the fact that 108,000 ancestors remain stolen across the U.S. alone (and those are just the reported cases), and the fact that there is a crisis of MMIWG2S.

Through her summer internship, Perry learns about how museums and universities have been resisting the repatriation of Native American ancestors, as well as cultural items, despite legislation (NAGPRA) being made to enforce repatriation. Instead, these institutions find loopholes which they use to avoid this process, which the less-than-watertight NAGPRA allows for. Another massive issue with NAGPRA is that it cannot hold to account private U.S. “collectors”, or public and private “collectors” overseas! It really disgusted me how academics here (reflecting their real-world counterparts) treated the ancestors and the cultural items as monetary assets, as “things” that belonged to them and that they had a right to. It shone a light on the white supremacy inherent in academia, and in particular challenged my view on archaeology. A striking quote found in the book is “one person’s archaeologist is another person’s grave robber.” It made me question how old a grave needs to be before it turns from grave-robbing to academic study - or perhaps a more apt question is, who the grave belongs to? Is it ever okay to place academic study over respect for a human’s burial? Where is that line drawn and why? I’m coming at these questions from my POV as a Classics student; these questions obviously have clear answers when it comes to Native American ancestors.

The same racism, fetishisation, and control that informs the attitude of museums and universities towards repatriation is also behind the epidemic of MMIWG2S that the book includes. Here I learnt about VAWA (the Violence Against Women Act); I don’t know why I didn’t remember this from Firekeeper’s Daughter. It is another piece of legislation that is supposed to protect Native Americans, but its massive blindspot renders it ineffective. Essentially, non-Indigenous folk have a very low chance of prosecution over harming Indigenous people on tribal land due to how jurisdiction is set up by VAWA. This is just such a glaring oversight and enables non-Indigenous people to harm Native Americans without consequence - as is detailed in the story here.

Please don’t go into this expecting a fast-paced thriller. You will do yourself and this book a disservice. There are definitely mystery and thriller elements that propel the story forward, but the focus is on Perry as she learns about and experiences the issues her community is facing, figures out what she can do about it, and takes action. It is slow-paced, but this fits the story well as Boulley uses the space to realistically show an MC learning, growing, acting, and finding her purpose.

Perry’s character development is significant. She does not begin as directionless per se, but there is such a difference in her at the end of the book where she has found something that she is wrapped up in, that drives her, that gives her actions meaning. Perry was a great MC to follow in other ways too. I loved how headstrong and determined she was, how committed she was to her community and ancestors. I liked how she wasn’t perfect, instead a little messy, but her heart was always in the right place.

I cannot wait to be able to read a new Angeline Boulley, whenever that might be!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Racism

Moderate: Blood, Murder, Cursing, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Car accident, Death, Rape, Sexism, and Grief

Minor: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Addiction, Slavery, Pedophilia, Homophobia, Animal death, Excrement, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Abandonment, Ableism, Drug abuse, Cannibalism, War, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Child abuse

Major: theft, missing loved one, MMIWG2S Moderate: trichotillomania, blackmailing Minor: menstruation, childbirth, grooming, one use of the anti_Inuit e-slur, blood quantum, residential schools, loss of a loved one

mari1532's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I listened to this audiobook through my library.

Brief Summary: Perry Firekeeper-Birch is a laid-back teen with no summer plans. That is until she crashes her car and is required to work off her debt to her aunt. Luckily she can join a group of misfits for the summer program gaining experience and money. However, when her work experiences expose her to how the university system treats the remains of an ancestor, Perry's life is changed forever.

Thoughts: I read this book fairly early in the year, but I have absolutely no doubt that it is going to be in my top two books of the year. Boulley's writing is enthralling. I was hooked on every word in this story and did not want it to end. 

Perry is also an excellent depiction of a teenager. At the beginning of the book, she thinks she knows what is important in life and no one can tell her any different. However, as she is exposed to other members of her community she begins to realize that there is room for the things she holds dear and expanding her horizons. I particularly enjoyed her relationship with Cooper Turtle. The development of their relationship and the lasting impact that he has on her as a mentor was a beautiful description of how important teachers can be to shaping the next generation. 

The "Misfit Toys" were also a great group of characters and I enjoyed that even though the larger summer program saw them as outcasts our perspective showed them as the normal teenagers that they were because we are seeing things from Perry's perspective. Shense was my second favourite character in the book, not only because of her friendship with Perry but because of how loyal and honest she is throughout the story. 

Although it was not my favourite part of the book, I did enjoy that Boulley also included the drama of teenage relationships against the far more complicated picture of the narrative. I truly enjoyed Perry's reaction to Lucas and Pauline and how that played out throughout the study. It was also interesting to see how Erik and Perry's story ended. I was captivated by the push and pull of them and I felt entirely satisfied by this portion of the subplot. 

It was interesting how Boulley could weave so much information about the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The way that it was woven into the story not only informed the reader of the law itself but also about how the bureaucracy of the university and federal system continue to disadvantage Indigenous groups. 

I would highly recommend this book!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Kidnapping, Racism, Toxic relationship, Genocide, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Car accident and Sexual assault

jdieperink's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring mysterious medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Grief, Colonisation, Confinement, and Racism

Moderate: Murder, Cultural appropriation, and Death

Minor: Car accident, Rape, Pregnancy, and Police brutality

leannanecdote's review

adventurous challenging emotional informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Stalking, Misogyny, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Kidnapping, and Abandonment

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

batwinggoth's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Blood, Classism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexual violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Murder, Death, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Rape, Car accident, Grief, Mental illness, Racism, Child death, Gun violence, and Drug use

cartermon4's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Colonisation, and Grief

Moderate: Car accident, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy

Minor: Rape

livelaughlesbian99's review

adventurous challenging funny

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Kidnapping, Blood, Murder, and Colonisation

Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Pregnancy

erikagibson126's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Confinement, Cursing, Kidnapping, Racism, Violence, Genocide, and Colonisation

Moderate: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Xenophobia

rover_under's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

4.25

I really enjoyed the journey of this novel, and the tension it highlighted between doing things by the book and seeking justice outside of how things are expected to be done. Like the first book, it manages to cover a lot of ground in a relatively short story. 

If I had to critique anything, I'd say the character of Eric felt a bit underdeveloped. I think his background of being a self-identified 'white hat' ethical hacker could have been a jumping off point to include his journey more into the morality vs legality themes of the novel

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy

Moderate: Misogyny, Genocide, Death, Rape, Xenophobia, and Child death

emmehooks's review against another edition

challenging hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Kidnapping, and Colonisation

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Murder, Pedophilia, Genocide, and Racism

Minor: Racial slurs, Pregnancy, and Medical content