Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

28 reviews

hapikohw's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

To be 17 and write something like this, so heavy, with such fullness, grace, lyricism and most importantly - empathy. Wow, we have a writer right here.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Pedophilia, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Rape, Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child abuse, Stalking, Transphobia, Abandonment, Blood, Misogyny, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Violence, and Grief

syllareads's review

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

Moderate: Trafficking and Suicide attempt

Minor: Transphobia and Drug use

littlehibou7's review

emotional hopeful sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Trafficking

Minor: Transphobia

lidia7's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, and Police brutality

Moderate: Child death, Trafficking, Drug use, Child abuse, Alcohol, and Cursing

Minor: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Transphobia, Addiction, Blood, and Torture

amandalorianxo's review

challenging dark emotional slow-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? Yes

3.25

I genuinely didn’t know that Leila wrote this at the age of seventeen and published at nineteen/twenty. That is a wonderful feat for any debut author so props to her for joining the young writers of this generation. However, as much as I liked the story on its own, there were times when the editor should have gone in to edit some of the purple prose or longer sentences thrust in there. The poet in Leila showed up a lot (which makes sense given that is her first love.) The initial understanding that black women aren’t respected / automatically treated like adults at such a young age was heart wrenching. This is a book that does have some content that can be triggering - including but not limited to sexual assault, police brutality, sex work, death and other content. It’s a heavy book from the beginning when Kiara talks about a pool with feces to the very end at the author’s note. Looking forward to the growth and exciting projects Leila has in store for the future. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Police brutality

Moderate: Trafficking

Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, Blood, and Transphobia

bookishpip's review

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? Yes

5.0

This was such an amazing debut.

It’s about a young girl whose family are absent. Her father is dead, her mother in a halfway house and her brother unemployed and preoccupied with becoming a famous musician. On top of this there is a young boy in the flat below hers whose mother has a history of substance abuse and has left him to fend for himself. As the rent in her apartment block rises and there is nobody else to look after her and Trevor, she takes to the streets to keep a roof over their heads.

This book absolutely broke my heart and touched on so many important topics in some depth. These included police power and brutality - especially towards Black people and poor people. The fact that our protagonist was a Black, poor, 17 year old girl makes this story even more chilling - especially when you read the Author’s Note and see that this is loosely based on real stories. I was absolutely rooting for her the whole time; the stifling feeling of having no other choices and being vulnerable to danger was so pervasive.

Her life and events were portrayed with such clarity that I’d say this book provides an important dialogue for understanding the struggles of non-white people in relation to the myth of equality of opportunity, material deprivation and the knock-on effect of these things.

I would absolutely recommend this - but do look up trigger warnings first as there are some quite brutal parts. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, and Police brutality

Minor: Transphobia

travelseatsreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

Nightcrawling takes us into the life of 17 year old Kiara (Ki) whose world is crumbling down around her. Her father has died, her mother is in a halfway house, she's jobless, she lives in a high rent hovel, her brother has zero notions of pitching in and she's caring for her addict neighbour's little boy, Trevor. Despite all her attempts at keeping her head above water she becomes involved in a world of sordid abuse and manipulation by a group of police officers who coercively control her as an underage 'nightcrawler'.

The novel is absolutely devastatingly gripping from the very first page. Immediately, it's obvious Kiara is in an awful situation and the urge is to wrap up her up and take her from this devastation. Mottley writes so well that there's an immediate emotional connection and investment with Kiara and you can't help but want to run in and rescue her.

Leila doesn't shy away from the nasty, gritty and graphic reality of this case. And honestly that's one of the most frightening parts, that this story is based on true events which occured in the Oakland area. Leila allows us to see into a world overflowing with poverty, abuse, police brutality and incredible injustice. Not only does she allows us to catch a glimpse of this world, she is so authentic and faithful in her writing that it is hard not to feel the fear and desperation seep from the pages. 

It's hard to imagine that such a well written, gripping and important book is a debut novel but even harder to imagine that Leila began writing Nightcrawling just before her 17th birthday. I was completely consumed by every page and am very excited to see what's to come next from the wonder that is Leila Mottley.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Rape, Police brutality, Misogyny, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Confinement, Trafficking, Sexual content, Sexism, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, and Self harm

rosienotjen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Trafficking

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Minor: Transphobia