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smh's review against another edition
4.75
Minor: Car accident, Suicide, Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Sexual assault, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Death, and Gun violence
abominablesnowaro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Death, Alcoholism, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault
seawarrior's review against another edition
- 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
Orange's skill and detail creating each of his characters is impressive to say the least. He writes from multiple perspectives and points in time, giving each person their own distinct voice and tone when telling their stories. The problems these characters are living through are interconnected but diverse, even among family members. Yet Orange never fails to get within the minds of these very different people, pressing the reader to understand them all, even those who we know will threaten the safety of the Powwow. He pulls no punches when describing tragedy, illness and grief, but still provides his characters with opportunity for hope and peace whenever possible. This is one of the most effectively written books I've ever read and I highly recommend it, but please note the content warnings below. Alcoholism especially was described with heavy detail, so if that's something you're susceptible to you may want to read with caution.
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, Pregnancy, Suicide, Racism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Misogyny
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Author: Tommy Orange
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: June 5, 2018
T H R E E • W O R D S
Urgent • Profane • Gritty
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Set in Oakland, California, There There is a debut novel following 12 Native Americans as they converge on the annual Powwow. Following the death of his uncle, Dene Oxedene has won a grant and has decided to put together a documentary in the hopes of preserving the stories of his people. Weaving together past and present, each character divulges their story of what life is like for them. Exploring themes of violence, identity, despair, family, community and history the story takes us into the urban experience of each character.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Tommy Orange has taken a lot of risks, and with unique style and voice has delivered an ambitious and healing debut novel. It tackles many themes through both cultural and political perspectives, opening the eyes of the reader to a history they may be completely unaware of. It shines a light on the daily victories and losses, the multi-generational trauma of displacement, and stolen identity of not just the individual but the collective. The writing is superb and it's hard to come away unchanged. This book is filled with so many big ideas and the power in telling our stories.
I listened to the audio while reading a physical copy, and this added to the richness of the story as the audiobook contains a full cast. Because the book follows so many different characters I was appreciative of the list naming each one at the start.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers wanting to expand their knowledge
• book clubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"'Life doesn't work out the way stories do.'"
"'Some of us got this feeling stuck inside, all the time, like we've done something wrong. Like who we are deep inside, that thing we want to name but can't, it's like we're afraid we'll be punished for it. So we hide. We drink alcohol because it helps us feel like we can be ourselves and not be afraid. But we punish ourselves with it. The thing we most don't want has a way of landing right on top of us.'"
Graphic: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Cursing, Drug use, and Suicide
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Excrement, Sexual assault, Rape, Child death, Abortion, and Domestic abuse
substance misuse, fetal alcohol syndrome, adoptionbozicina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Suicide
kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Fatphobia, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence
lyd41's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Mental illness, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Gore, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Cursing, Child death, Child abuse, Car accident, Bullying, Blood, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Fatphobia
gmwells's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Grief, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Abortion, Cancer, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Terminal illness
echoeper's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Suicide
elsiehowie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Suicide, Racism, Mental illness, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Death, Child death, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Drug use, Cursing, and Rape
Minor: Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, and Physical abuse