Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - There There

Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

felofhe's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

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crescent_moon22's review

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challenging dark emotional informative 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? Yes

4.0

***check trigger warnings***
This book follows 12 characters and their life journeys. They drive the plot by eventually meeting up at the big pow pow in Oakland, CA. It describes the struggles of modern day Indians after centuries of oppression. Orange has a beautiful writing style and can easily code switch between the characters.

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brewdy_reader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚢 𝚃𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚢 𝙾𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎
𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘍𝘪𝘤 • 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 • ⁣𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 5 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘦 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.75 rounded up to 4

A Pulitzer finalist, this debut novel by Tommy Orange tackles the largely untold story of modern day Native Americans living in urban cities. Set primarily in Oakland, this narrative is told from 12(!) POVs. When I first began reading I thought, "this has to be based on a true story,” and I continued to feel that way until the story arcs started to overlap in overly-coincidental ways that only happens in fiction. However without that factor, this could have easily been a memoir told as a mini docuseries, referencing historical events that took place from 1492 through 21st century Alcatraz.

There's nothing romanticized here. No stories like what is depicted in popular TV series/movies with life on the Rez or the American frontier. There is no pulling of punches & no white savior mentality. This is not a feel good story. However, it is a well-written one, packed with vivid analogies, metaphors, and descriptions of life in a system that reinforces the status quo. Paying homage to the indelible stains of colonization and genocide of a nation and the long-lasting effects impacting many generations into the future.

The ending was not satisfying with characters' fates in the air as well as many unresolved issues between MCs. I was left wanting more than what we got. Even still, this should absolutely be required reading for all Americans. In order to change our future we must understand our past; we must confront it head on, however painful it may be.

So many TW: Domestic Violence, Gun Violence, Mass Shootings, Acoholism, Death, Addiction, Racism, Murder, Colonization, Suicide, Genocide, Drug Use/Abuse, Grief, Child Death, Rape, Cancer, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Violence...and more

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lingfish7's review against another edition

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emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I started listening to this on Thanksgiving and it was the perfect Thanksgiving read to honor the history of indigenous people groups and learn more about “urban Indians.” The prologue of the book actually delves into the true history of thanksgiving, where the original thanksgiving meal was a land deal and the second thanksgiving meal was where 200 Native Americans were purposefully poisoned at the table. The somber tone of the prologue sets the stage for the rest of the fictional story.

The book takes place in Oakland, California and alternates between the POV of 12 different people, all culminating to the powwow event at the ending where their lives intertwine. I thought it would be difficult keeping track of all the different perspectives and characters, but the audiobook actually made this fairly simple by using different voices for each. The book read a little like historical fiction because some of the scenes or memories date back to the 60’s and covered events I had never heard about, like the Alcatraz Occupation of 1969 (a 19-month long protest when 89 Native Americans and their supporters occupied the island of Alcatraz). But most of the perspectives are from “present day” in Oakland, CA.

Many of the stories were heartbreaking and cover the vicious cycle of alcoholism perpetuated by hundreds of years of trauma and genocide. Other stories cover the complexities of belonging and identity with characters who are only half native and are struggling to connect to their ancestry and in the midst of a large city. The ending was wild and abrupt and doesn’t provide closure. I think that’s okay, because it allows the reader to write their own ending and recognize that these stories and people’s struggles are still ongoing. This book was insanely well written, filled to the brim with powerful metaphors, beautiful prose, and authenticity in each story told.

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