Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

21 reviews

deereadingwallflower's review

emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Drug use, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Violence, Abortion, Addiction, Child abuse, Grief, Rape, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, and Slavery

cheryl1213's review

challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Among the best I read in 2021 (fixed my own memory glitch there...feels more recent) . Thankful to the publisher for the ARC. The fact that I feel capable of writing thus overdue review says a lot. (I justify my bibliohoard in part bc the nuances of my memory results in books often feeling brand new when I revisit them.) Definitely plan to reread this

It it quite accurately described as a "saga" ... and not just because of the length. It's immersive but not as overwhelming as the page count might suggest. A main protagonist (a strange phrase but one fit for a lot of novels published in the early decades of the 21st century) links the reader to other women in her family. We get to know several sub-protagonists and experience both the beauty and the pain that is shared alongside maternal DNA. The women aren't perfect, but the author is talented enough that we're drawn in and care.

There's a lot here. It's ambitious enough to be fairly characterized as a story of America. It's also specific enough to be about the experience of being a Black American Woman in the context of a family and history. Themes include race, gender, and inherited trauma. We encounter abuse (sexual and other; child and adult victims; family perpetrators and others), racism (overt and quieter); drug abuse; depression; and more. A lot of books try to cover all or some of this ground. This feels much more successful than most. The fact that the novel still feels unique and real ... that the events seem natural, rather than forced in to check off a box ... is a feat in itself. 

If you are concerned about trigger warnings, it's probably there. 

Two notable and random bits that stand out in my memory:  1) Characters coming of age and finding themselves in an economic ditch from which selling illegal drugs seems like the only potential way out (and the temptations the temporary career move creates). 2) A lighter yet deeply rich scene in which a minor character (watched by one of our protagonists) visits a Black-owned homestyle restaurant and attempts to order a diet-conscious salad (it may not be fair, but i see it as an upper-middle class, suburban meal) but finds greens aren't quite what she envisions.

......

Post-review note: Someone on a review site says "If you are a white reader, THIS BOOK IS NOT WRITTEN FOR YOU!!! If it comes into your hands, know that you are on sacred ground and act accordingly. Read it with humility and with wonder." I'd like to think the book is "for" anyone who chooses to read it. I certainly felt it had much to offer me (a white woman who has spent much of her 45 years in middle to upper-middle class homes, mostly eastcoast subruban, some geographically southern but not deep South, cultural Jew but very much a hidden minority who absolutely has not experienced life in Black skin). That said, I'll own my privilege. And hope wonderment shows  I have little doubt that the experience of this book will be very different for different readers. It would be a wonderful book to discuss with a group of diverse, respectful, honest readers (yes, I'll recognize the difficulty of finding such a group and the many pitfalls (including otherness traps and recognizing each reader as speaking only for themself))

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual content, Mental illness, Racism, and Slavery

qqjj's review against another edition

dark sad 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Death of parent, Homophobia, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Incest, Murder, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Mental illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Abortion, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Self harm, Drug abuse, Child death, and Violence

katievh's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Addiction, Child abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Grief, Slavery, Infidelity, and Misogyny

carmenvillaman's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense slow-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

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Trafficking

jessgreads's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-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

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Title: The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois

Author: Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

Genre: Historical Fiction

Setting: Chicasetta, GA / Harlem, NYC

Month Read: February, 2022

Book Type: Hardcover

Publication: 2021

Publisher: Harper

Pages: 816

TRIGGER WARNING- 

There are too many to name, but some big ones include:

Racism / Genocide / Rape / Incest / Pedophilia / Suicide / Murder / Slavery 

"We are the earth, the land. The tongue that speaks and trips on the names of the dead as it dares to tell these stories of a woman’s line. Her people and her dirt, her trees,"

No Spoiler Summary:

The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois is a tour-de-force novel following a family from the slave trade to the civil war to modern day America, with many stops in-between. It ties in different works of W.E.B. Du Bois as you weave your way through time, and takes you on an incredible journey through centuries of Georgia.

Review:

I'm blown away by how incredible this novel is, and had no idea how many twists and turns I would be taken on while I read this. I wept, I cheered, I felt loss, sorrow, happiness, regret. It's an absolute must read novel for me, but I know the people who need to read this book most never will. 

I loved the split timelines, and I think the characters were all so perfectly placed where they needed to be in this book. I loved getting to follow the same plot of land through so much time, and when I started piecing together that these were all descendants of the original Native Americans living in that space, it was beautiful. 

There are a LOT of tough subjects in this book, and the hardest part for me is the chapters and chapters and chapters of slave child rape. If you're sensitive to this at all, I just want to make sure people really know this going in. It's very tragic, as everything about slavery is, but nothing is spared in detailing these horrific crimes against fellow humans. 

There is also some tough chapters about drug abuse, and it was just so sad seeing one of my favorite characters fall really hard due to drug use. It really brought things into perspective that it doesn't matter who you are, your family support system, your dreams--- it can all be taken away so, so fast. 

There's so much more to talk about- the writings or 'songs' of W.E.B. Du Bois prefacing each chapter, the ties of family, the beautiful prose that exists in this book- but I really just implore everyone to read it. I tried to take this book with one section at a time, especially because after some I felt like I really needed to sit and think about what I had just read. It's a big book, I won't shy away from that- but it's an incredibly worthwhile read. I'm grateful to Oprah and Obama for putting this on my radar. and I'm just very happy to have read it. 

See more reviews at:  https://jessgreads.wixsite.com

"These are the incongruities of memory. It is hard to hold on to the entirety of something, but pieces may be held up to light."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Slavery, Sexual content, Racism, Rape, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Suicide, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Incest, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Trafficking, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Addiction, Stalking, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, Child death, Classism, Child abuse, and Abortion

Minor: Self harm, Body shaming, Bullying, and Sexism

nyssbomb's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-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: Death, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Racism, Addiction, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, Slavery, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Bullying, Cursing, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Incest, Infertility, Child death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Genocide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Lesbophobia, Body shaming, and Ableism

bkmckown's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Heartbreaking and beautiful. I almost didn’t realize there was over 800 pages because I devoured it. The stories interweaving stories from the past and each family member. I had moments of outrage, incredible sadness, anger and complete heartbreak. I got so engrossed in this story and it was brilliantly written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Mental illness, and Racism

jcargabr's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence

shellbell22's review

reflective

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Hate crime, Incest, and Mental illness

Very good book. I love how it follows the family through the generations. There was a lot of abuse in this story but, it isn't super graphic but, still hard to get through at times. Just be warned if it could be triggering for you.