Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

10 reviews

jennieliv's review

emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.25

Took a while to get into but loved the way it ended 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Genocide, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Medical content, Slavery, Death, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism

ewinnk's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Genocide, Police brutality, Violence, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Medical trauma, Addiction, Confinement, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, and Racism

hollyprickles's review

challenging emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Medical content, Addiction, Genocide, Hate crime, Police brutality, Child abuse, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Violence, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racial slurs, and Racism

erinwolf1997's review

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Death, Colonisation, and Police brutality

Moderate: Addiction, Genocide, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Cultural appropriation and Animal death

____emily____'s review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective slow-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Medical content, Police brutality, Cultural appropriation, and Genocide

kypn's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content

Moderate: Police brutality, Medical content, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Genocide and Colonisation

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

challenging funny mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

The Sentence is a ghost story, although it is as comforting as it is haunting.  It’s an intimate picture of bookselling, and of bookselling during a pandemic and social justice reckoning, set in Erdrich’s own store in Minneapolis.  Its heroine, queer Indigenous ex-con Tookie, is so alive she leaps right off the page—gritty, passionate, and human.  Louise Erdrich is a natural storyteller and fabulous narrator—warm and sincere, with perfect timing.  This is a book about connection in every way possible.  It’s funny and enraging and heartwarming all at once.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Police brutality

Moderate: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, and Racism

Minor: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Slavery, and Suicide attempt

sarah984's review

hopeful reflective medium-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

5.0

It's hard to know what to say about this book. It feels like I read it at the perfect time. A lot of heavy content is covered (incarceration, identity, reckoning with historic violence, as well as the events of 2020 as they occurred in Minneapolis) but the tone is hopeful overall. Despite some of the strange situations the characters feel grounded and real, and their conversations gave me lots of food for thought. I did think some of the stuff with the niece felt a bit unnecessary but overall fantastic book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Police brutality, Mental illness, and Racism

Minor: Gun violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Animal death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Genocide, and Rape

This book deals with the events of 2020 (particularly the pandemic and the George Floyd protests) in significant detail. There are also several scenes involving the mistreatment of human remains that I'm not sure how to warn for.

teresareads's review

emotional reflective medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Police brutality, Cultural appropriation, and Pregnancy

Minor: Genocide

sjanke2's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

3.5

While many of Erdrich's novels take place in the past, or on a rural reservation, this one is ever-present and urban. It's an experimental pandemic novel that delivers a new tone from the author. This tone speaks of undying love for her bookstore and employees while also parsing out the complexities of a life and love after incarceration amidst national unrest over police violence. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, and Police brutality