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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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Racism, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug use, and Suicide
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Excrement, Abortion, and Death of parent
substance misuse, fetal alcohol syndrome, adoptionsarahmae531's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, and Car accident
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, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Fatphobia and Forced institutionalization
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: Gun violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Abortion, and Death of parent
massivepizzacrust's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a complex read that pieces together the stories of many characters and how they influence each other's lives. There are so many things to talk about with this one that I think you could lead a whole class on it. I fell in love with the characters and just wanted them to find peace. For some reason I went into the book thinking it was going to be more wholesome and about identity, and it was about identity but it was also about colonialism, racism and the cycle of violence. It is unflinching and only relents a little at the end.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape and Pregnancy
dannythestreet's review against another edition
- 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
Honestly, this book made me care for every single character in it (there are a lot btw). Can't wait to come back to it and read it again
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abortion, and Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
loch_nesa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Death and Gun violence
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Rape, and Death of parent
georgiesutton's review
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Blood
lilcoppertop's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy