Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

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

153 reviews

elliott_the_clementine's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

The Love Songs of W. E. B. du Bois is beautifully written; it is very clear that the author, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers is a well-researched poet who expertly wields words like a weaver at a loom. The story is expansive and gorgeously constructed. It is also incredibly brutal (rightfully so, given the brutality of the topics discussed by Jeffers, and portrayed remarkably without romanticization of the extreme trauma experienced by the people of the book) and, as such, may be incredibly unpleasant to some readers.

I will likely never read this book all the way through again without taking breaks because I was deeply affected by the Jeffers’s nuanced portrayal of trauma. I hesitate to use the word triggered because it is so often weaponized by critics of books like these that deftly detail and describe the legacy of slavery in America and that discuss the intersectionality of abuse (domestic and sexual most prominently throughout this book) as well as racism and sexism. I experienced significant distress at certain parts of this book and I would recommend that all readers take the time to look through the trigger warnings and protect their mental health while reading, because I do highly recommend this book. 

I cannot really put a numerical rating on this book - its value as literature and as a historical and cultural text cannot possibly be encompassed by assigning a number of stars - so I will instead say this: Read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Body shaming, Mental illness, Rape, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Child death, Self harm, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Incest, Classism, Infidelity, Sexism, Blood, Colonisation, Racism, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Dementia and Homophobia

Minor: Vomit

emilyrowan1990's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Pedophilia

bookishvanessa's review

challenging emotional informative 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Rape

Moderate: Abortion

sydneyletta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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

This book doesn’t have a plot. It follows the main character’s life and the lives of her ancestors. The audio book kept me engaged but this was a tough family saga that covers a lot of very hard topics. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Racism, Rape, Addiction, and Trafficking

Moderate: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Violence, and Suicide attempt

brynalexa's review against another edition

emotional 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? No

5.0

Perfect. It’s a rare long gem that deserves to be so. I loved making small discoveries throughout the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Genocide, Infidelity, Infertility, Mental illness, Body shaming, Abortion, Classism, Grief, Homophobia, Violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Self harm, Rape, Racism, Police brutality, Colonisation, Sexism, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Addiction, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Murder, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Physical abuse, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy

aweekinthelife's review against another edition

emotional 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

a stunning intergenerational saga that switches between Ailey’s current perspective and stories of her ancestors. highly recommend drawing out a family tree because having the family tree handy was really helpful for quickly remembering who the characters are, especially when i was just getting introduced to everyone. 

 

the writing is immersive and all the characters are given their full human-ness with space to have complicated feelings, make mistakes, etc. a brilliant story and i’m a member of the Uncle Root fan club. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Slavery

lns6519's review

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, and Drug use

Moderate: Violence and Abortion

ackaleigh's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I started this book hoping to read it throughout the year. Oh, how quickly I gave up that idea when I started reading! This book spans generations. It demonstrates the curiosity we have of family history and how those stories impact us. If you enjoy literary fiction with strong elements of family and community, you will love this book. It is not without its sadness, but it is beautifully and carefully written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Racism, Slavery, Addiction, Racial slurs, and Drug use

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

ennzito24's review

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

5.0

Words can't describe how much I love this book. This was one of the most beautiful stories I've ever read and it's something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Theorizing was so captivating and elegant! While the book is fiction, the subject matter behind it is very much real. Honorée is truly a master storyteller and I can't wait to read more of her work. Everyone needs to read this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Toxic friendship, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Eating disorder, Death, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Rape, Racism, Police brutality, Miscarriage, Ableism, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexism, Mental illness, Hate crime, Grief, Genocide, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Colonisation

kerrin's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, Slavery, and Sexual assault