Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

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

61 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

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

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

aashton93's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. I normally don’t like to read books about black
Trauma. I like to escape when I read this book was beautifully written. It had so much history and connection. It focused on real family ties and generational trauma. But also the overcoming. Highlighted the importance of storytelling and family history. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Slavery, Colonisation, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Death of parent, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racism, and Rape

readandfindout's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

Style/writing: 4 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4.5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Colonisation, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Classism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Incest, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Violence, Torture, Rape, Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, Addiction, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abortion

bookishkellyn's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective

• 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

This is probably the best book I’ve ever read in my entire life. The author has a way with words and combined with her extensive research, she weaves an immersive fictional but realistic tale about a multigenerational family–mostly seen through the eyes of the main protagonist (Ailey) from childhood to adulthood. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew these characters after experiencing the highs and lows with them. I enjoyed reading every bit of this almost 800-page masterpiece.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Slavery, Pedophilia, Violence, Racial slurs, Rape, and Racism

Moderate: Colonisation, Infidelity, Murder, Death of parent, Sexism, Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, and Pregnancy

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Blood, and Bullying

cassielaj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book has so much going on, and I still felt like I could’ve kept reading for 100 more pages because the writing is so beautiful. It is absolutely captivating. Beautifully written, informative, and engaging. It ties in major historical events with characters’ lives in a really impressive and effective way. It’s telling family history and American history at the same time, showing how they’re interconnected. It’s also expertly paced for such a long book. I love the jumping back and forth between timelines, connecting Ailey’s present and family history through her ancestral land. It’s horribly sad and challenging to read, but terribly important. And it has some uplifting moments as well. I really enjoyed reading about Ailey’s journey and the way everything connected. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Death, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Hate crime, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Trafficking, Genocide, Infidelity, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Cursing

nikootine's review

challenging dark emotional informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

A beautiful piece of historical fiction. I love how Jeffers connects the characters from the 1700s to those in the 2000s and in between. The writing is poetic and the story is gripping.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Incest, Drug abuse, Grief, and Slavery

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Sexism

noteworthy_fiction's review

Should have read the content warnings first.  This book is VERY well written and I hope we get more from the author, but I cannot do 20 pages of child abuse in the middle of an already sad and trauma filled book that already included child abuse.  Reader beware!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Xenophobia, Racism, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Abortion, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Body shaming

joensign's review

challenging emotional reflective 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: Death of parent, Child abuse, Racism, Addiction, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery

Moderate: Grief, Colonisation, and Toxic relationship