Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

57 reviews

linneak's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Death, Torture, Violence, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Trafficking, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Blood, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Murder

gladys_enmarte's review

challenging dark informative reflective tense

5.0

Dana, la protagonista, se encuentra desembalando con su marido las cosas en su nueva casa cuando de repente se siente mareada, se le nubla la visión y aparece en un lugar diferente. Se transportó a la escena de un casi accidente. Un niño blanco, Rufus, está por ahogarse pero Dana no duda en tirarse al lago para salvarlo. No sabe cómo se transportó pero vuelve a suceder otras veces más y ve al niño crecer y convertirse en un hombre. La protagonista viajó al 1800 en plena época de esclavitud, un problema muy grande porque ella misma es una mujer negra. A medida que viaja, involuntariamente, más veces al pasado el riesgo aumenta y Dana no sabe qué hacer para salir del peligro y quedarse una vez por todas en el futuro, donde pertenece.

El libro está ambientado en su mayor parte en el sur de Estados Unidos, donde la situación con la esclavitud era mucho peor que en el norte, y antes de la Guerra Civil. A medida que la protagonista comprende a qué época se transporta, se da cuenta que las películas que vio ambientadas en este período de la historia eran mentira. La  situación con los esclavos fue muchísimo peor, ve y experimenta por sí misma toda la violencia e injusticias que sus antepasados tuvieron que soportar.
Nunca se explica cómo la protagonista es transportada al pasado porque ese no es el objetivo de la autora, su objetivo es escribir un libro con una mujer negra como protagonista y no un mero personaje secundario que luego de ayudar a la/el protagonista muere -como venía sucediendo en los libros escritos en esa época y por hombres-. No solo es uno de los primeros libros del género escritos por una mujer negra y con una protagonista negra, sino que la historia es una excusa para contar lo que verdaderamente sucedió. Butler investigó muy bien en archivos de esclavos libres para escribir este libro.

Sí, es un libro duro de leer en partes, te conmueve, te hace enojar pero la trama y los personajes están muy bien escritos. No son perfectos, tienen sus fallas y eso es lo que hace a este un muy buen libro.
Lo super recomiendo.

PD: Concuerdo con la autora que este libro no es de ciencia ficción, sino una fantasía oscura.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Colonisation, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

hcrawfo3's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Gore, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Torture, Colonisation, Cursing, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Grief, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Violence, Body horror, Death, Murder, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, and Hate crime

nikitag291's review

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, and Slavery

Moderate: Colonisation

liv_davis's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

Such an important, incredible book. Octavia Butler is a beautiful writer and it really amazes how she is able to craft such a powerful, immersive narrative while also providing so much depth and commentary on society as a whole (really a mastery of “show not tell”). The themes and content of this book are incredibly important (and hard to read sometimes), and is something I think should be required reading in school. Please read this book!! ❤️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Suicide, Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Colonisation

storytimejess2's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Really incredible book! I love how it gets right to it and breaks a lot of tropes we’ve come to expect from time-travel stories. I will be thinking about this for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Rape, Death, Pregnancy, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, and Classism

ladydamonayde's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Violence, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Colonisation, Sexual violence, Cursing, Rape, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

jenmcreads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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 one of those books that is so good you lose any access to words trying to describe it. The word that comes up most for me is visceral. The experience of reading this book was so visceral for me. I think this does an incredible job of showing both individual responsibility in the midst of horrifying injustices (in this case, slavery, so among the very worst imaginable), however also emphasizing the way individuals can get swept up in such a large system. The narration was clear that individuals (such as Rufus) were not solely responsible for the overwhelming brutality and injustice of the system, but it also did not exonerate the characters for the acts they were responsible for. Something about this book more than anything I have ever read really drove home the relentless and lifelong brutality of life for those who were enslaved in the antebellum South, and while horrifying, this was a truly remarkable read. I feel so dumb trying to write about this book, just read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Alcohol, Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, Pregnancy, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Misogyny, Self harm, Classism, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Rape, Alcoholism, Child death, Sexual assault, Bullying, Cursing, Gun violence, Incest, Gaslighting, Gore, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Death of parent, Sexism, Blood, Hate crime, and Racial slurs

hramona's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

5.0

I am somewhat stunned. This is the first Butler book I’ve read and I am struggling to find the words but I am crying and I am in awe. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Death, Rape, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

sddavis13's review

dark emotional reflective tense fast-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: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide attempt, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Colonisation, Blood, and Cultural appropriation