Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Hell of a Book by Jason Mott

30 reviews

beccablock's review

challenging dark funny reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Bullying, Murder, Child death, and Hate crime

katielong84's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Death of parent, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Child death, and Racism

siobhanward's review

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.0

If this whole book had focused on Soot's storyline, it would have been a fantastic read. However, Soot was overshadowed by the author and his journey to promote his mysterious book. Maybe it was just too meta for me. I don't know. What I do know, is that some parts were fantastic: Soot and his story, the end of the book, and interactions between the author and the Kid. Unfortunately, the rest of the book just kind of dragged for me and I found myself waiting impatiently for the plot to move past the author and back to Soot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Gun violence, Death, Violence, Racism, Death of parent, and Child death

christineplum's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

wow. there are not many books that I read that I believe are true “modern classics.” as in, required reading both for poignant content and for the formidable usage of literary devices. I plan to revisit this with something to annotate in hand, because it’s worth the reread and attention to detail.

I should add that I listened to the audiobook, and I very much enjoyed the narrator. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, and Gun violence

readingrandbow's review against another edition

dark emotional sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Gun violence, and Racism

hanley's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

i think calling your book "Hell of a Book" and then having it be one of those meta stories in which there is an author with a book of the same title creates high expectations. yet Jason Mott managed to surpass them all and I enthusiastically concede-- it's a hell of a book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Violence, Racial slurs, and Gun violence

whataboutzana's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Child death, Death of parent, and Racism

Moderate: Sexism and Panic attacks/disorders

bookgardendc's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

4.5

The title does the book justice. I’ve never read anything quite like this - it’s funny and complex and deeply profound and yet somehow two-thirds of the book manages to 
 feel fairly light. I clearly felt the inner struggles of the characters, and the generational trauma that African Americans must experience. Beautiful book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child death, Hate crime, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Death, Violence, Gun violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Alcohol

Trauma is a major feature. This book centers on police shootings of black men and boys. While descriptions aren’t graphic, it is an ever present theme.

randisworld's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

This was an incredible read. It made me cry. It put into words so many complicated emotions I have about being Black in this country. Stellar achievement and absolutely deserved The National Book Award and all of the accolades it received. Just WOW. It made me cry. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Sexism

Minor: Police brutality, Murder, and Gun violence

paigereitz's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

 It is, as the name suggests, a hell of a book. It is an intense deep dive into race relations in novel form, from the Black experience, and it is an emotionally heavy read, but it was so, so good. An indictment on modern society, skillfully woven through a story that is disorienting and jarring and hard and emotional.  I'll be processing this book for a long time. 

From the book, "Laugh all you want, but I think learning to love yourself in a country when you're told that you're a plague on the economy, that you're nothing but a prisoner in the making, that your life can be taken away from you at any moment and there's nothing you can do about it - learning to love yourself in the middle of all that? Hell, that's a goddamn miracle."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Police brutality, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cancer, Slavery, and Grief