Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

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

64 reviews

ari76's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.5

I have no doubt the writing of this book was Jeffers' labor - of love, of loss, of sifting through the ugly/beautiful/mundane lives of Black, Indigenous, and White folks starting with the colonization of Creek and Cherokee. It's clear how much she loves tangling and disentangling families - one of the most striking parts of this book was how Jeffers was able to continually embed the ways relationship ties can be bound and severed. I was also struck by the way she described sexual abuse and assault against Black girls and women. It was heartbreaking and poignant, though at times I wished for her to follow the thread a bit more. I also appreciated the way she wove in historic events and familiar institutions for Black folks (churches, HBCUs) into the story of these interconnected families. In short, Jeffers has done something remarkable with this book.

That being said, I had qualms. It was a humungous undertaking to write about this family from its relative beginning to the 21st century, and especially big when you consider the time skips and revelations. I commend Jeffers for bringing in the details at every stage and I enjoyed some of the writing that reflected every period. I /learned/ a lot through the book.  However, those choices also resulted in me getting lost in the broader narrative, especially after having Ailey as the primary narrator (and using "I") for a while then switching back to the omniscient perspective. I found myself playing catch-up, and at times feeling a little frustrated without a family tree and with a focus on broader events. I appreciated that Jeffers made family was implicated in broader Black US history, but I feel like we didn't get to see the arc pay off within the family itself at the cost of these connections and perhaps a true timeline of a life. The eras alone were cool to see but also....I could've left more space for the familial processing of the gravity of what happened. That frustration boiled over a bit at the end when Ailey's

dissertation project was happening and she connected the family dots. The time for the family to react (and how they did) was rushed.  THAT'S what I wanted more than hearing about the technical aspects of Routledge College! I wanted more conversations about the sexual violence the sisters experienced, Mama reflecting on herself, AILEY REFLECTING ON IT ALL AS SHE DID AT THE BEGINNING. Those teen chapters were among some of the best I've seen written, yet as a PhD exploring adult it's as if she lost that ability?

I also wanted Jeffers to push further when making mention of colorism. There was definite implicit critique, but the lack of explicit critique that the characters needed - I also think there's more to unpack for all of the men being the primary examples of being "white-passing" and the way that informed their romantic relationships.

 As you can tell by the review, this book brings up so many thoughts for me, and for that, I'm grateful. There was so much that I wanted and I have to remind myself, so much that Jeffers wanted to give. 
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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Rape, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Grief, Death, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Racism, Pregnancy, Incest, Hate crime, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Slavery, and Death of parent

madeleinebay's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence

maxwellkb2's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Racism, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Incest, and Physical abuse

rhymeswithjulia's review

challenging emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Racism, Child abuse, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Pedophilia

corriejn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Rape, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Racism, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Slavery, Trafficking, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual harassment

cuddlygryphon's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexism, Self harm, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Colonisation, Addiction, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Misogyny

Minor: Religious bigotry and Police brutality

erilynne's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

So many beautiful parts to this narrative, and things that will stick with me.

There were many parts that were difficult to read because of the subject matter, but overall the book was hard to put down. The size is definitely intimidating, but for sure worth the read.

My only complaint is that the time jumps were confusing at times and I had a hard time remembering who was who when it switched back and forth. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Racism, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Drug use

wonderwoman11's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring 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

This is absolutely without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read. It’s a very emotional read, and there’s some really challenging content in it, but for hundreds of pages, I could not put it down. I became so invested in the stories being told and I truly didn’t want it to end. I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Rape, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Violence, Racial slurs, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Child death

shoshthemost's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Racism, Classism, Incest, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Rape

heidipolkissa82's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Rape, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Pedophilia