Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

21 reviews

k_winchester's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I know I'm like a decade and half 'late' to this book but here we finally are. 😂 

Call it 3.5???? I guess???

Tbh, very conflicted on how to rate this. I really enjoyed reading it overall - it drew me in, I really enjoyed reading so much of it and found myself thinking about it a lot while I wasn't reading it and staying up waaay too late to read just a little bit more. There's alot of beautiful parts and beautiful things here.

But... there were also a lot of problematic things (not even counting the extremely problematic things I've now seen about the book and author - which I didn't know before/somehow missed when this book first came out and was crazy popular). But problematic things that I noticed like... pretty well every female black character is described as being large/fat. (Like there's no other body type for a black woman? If one was described, I missed it.) The way the language was written/the flow for Abileen and Minny was initially a little hard to get into, but once I got it, it was unique and interesting HOWEVER when I realized the author was a white lady (again, didn't know this going into reading or if i did know once upon a time, have since forgot) and it felt reallllly not okay for a white woman to be doing that. There was also a bit of a white savior element to the story at several points, which again was reallllly not great to see. Among some other technically "smaller" things that nonetheless made me go "yikes". 

Without writing an entire essay (...too late? 🙃) there was *a lot* to appreciate, enjoy, empathize, laugh, have deep heartbreak over, and a lot of really good message that I can't discount - I actually loved a lot of it (hence the higher rating). BUT there were also a lot of Not Good things - mainly being that a privileged white lady is the one presenting them, which is sooooo YIKES - that I absolutely can't discount that either.

I guess... split the difference, and call it a tentative, super conflicted 3.5, I guess??? 😅😅😅

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Cancer, Grief, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Violence, Mental illness, Death, and Excrement

griminycricket's review against another edition

emotional informative tense slow-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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Racism, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Cancer, Blood, and Sexual harassment

madreadings's review against another edition

sad tense fast-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? Yes

2.25

having characters in the book be like “this is white savior behavior” does not make your book less white savior

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Racism

Minor: Cancer

rchulin1's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Grief, Sexism, Violence, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Medical content, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Classism, Racism, Self harm, Chronic illness, Body horror, Alcohol, and Blood

akirma's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring slow-paced

• 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? Yes

4.5

A brilliant, important story enhanced by the wonderful audio book narration. I just found it to drag on a little bit at times. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infertility, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Miscarriage

Minor: Pregnancy, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny

ihavecoolhats6's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Violence, Pregnancy, Cancer, Blood, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Excrement and Vomit

earftoalex's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative sad tense medium-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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Blood, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Cancer

Minor: Fatphobia

catsandmetaphors's review against another edition

emotional inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Pregnancy and Cancer

jhbandcats's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

This book was really hard for me to read because I grew up in the Jim Crow South and so much of the story was familiar in a shameful way. The author is masterful at telling a painful but hopeful tale of relationships between white employers and Black housekeepers at a time when all the power was on one side of the equation. 

The story is compelling and funny and awful all at the same time. The characters, even the minor ones, are fully developed. Some are despicable and some are lovable, some are angry or timid or miserable or hopeful, and all are given a voice. 

That was such a terrible period in America and I’m appalled and frightened by the resurgence of racist fear mongering. Like most books that teach an important lesson about humanity, this is likely to be read by the people who need it least and not at all by the people it would benefit. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Cancer, Classism, Excrement, Grief, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

bootrat's review against another edition

informative reflective sad slow-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Vomit, and Terminal illness

Minor: Hate crime, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Excrement