Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable by Mark Dunn

39 reviews

redheadorganist's review against another edition

challenging tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Alcoholism and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death and Confinement

michaelion's review against another edition

challenging funny informative inspiring tense medium-paced

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

5.0

What an amazing and PERFECT book!!! I was imagining the book being taught in English classes and how this would've made me so excited to read. I was so excited to read it at 24 years old, I read it without the audiobook! What a cool challenge to have kids try to write without certain letters! The history of the island is also interesting too, which meant for students learning bigger, more archaic words! I knew I was gonna give it 5 stars before I was 25 pages in. 

It's also a good representation of so many things kids will encounter as they get older. Idol worship / fanaticism / religious cults, fascism and political activism against it. What a perfect book! What a perfect book!!!

Unrelated to the book, whenever I get a new pen I always tested it by writing "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog." I find out IMMEDIATELY I've been writing the sentence wrong FOR YEARS!!!!! I know there was a time when I wrote it right! What happened!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Religious bigotry, Bullying, and Police brutality

Moderate: Death, Violence, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Self harm, Death of parent, Deportation, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Grief, Ableism, and Murder

Minor: Gaslighting, Racial slurs, and Misogyny

meecespieces's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality

greylovesbroccoli's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Police brutality

Minor: Alcoholism

katiecoconut21's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

Ella Minnow Pea is a delightful story told through letters exchanged by liberal arts enthusiasts on an island off the California coast, Nollop. Only these letters become harder to write when their government forcibly removes access to more and more alphabetical letters (I recommend reading out loud when you get to the end; you'll know when).

This story is a young adult, dystopian novel. Amidst the familial ties, striking dystopian characteristics sneak through, making the story all the more interesting in the midst of what may appear to be a simple story.

I truly loved Ella Minnow Pea, and I highly believe it will be considered one of the classics. Give it a read if you haven't; you won't regret it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation and Suicide

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Police brutality

pastlifetragedy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Deportation, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, and Alcoholism

blipbloopsie's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation and Grief

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

ninasloft's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Definitely a must-read for logophiles & those with an unquenchable passion for words & the English language. I don't consider myself largely able to read or speak in complex terms, however I really enjoyed the word play & the enthusiacally eccentric way they speak in the book. If you've ever seen the episodes containing Paige Sinclair from Bojack Horseman, that is how I imagine the characters in this book to speak & I personally adore it. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but a wonderful book with a unique, interesting idea. My only wish is that it were a little longer so that we as the reader were able to connect more deeply to the characters. A strong recommendation nonetheless, especially for those who are fond of the writing style such as myself, I foun  it to be a fun & quick read. Although it glosses over some intense subject matter, which might be off-putting to some.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation and Police brutality

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Ableism

beccaaxon's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality

Moderate: Deportation

Minor: Suicide attempt

annaavian's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

This book attempts to portray itself as something deep and thought-provoking, but ultimately falls flat. While the book's characters write clever and emotive letters, they're still just letters, leading to a pedantic recounting of events. As a result, the characters have no life or vibrance, and the reader is left with nothing but the dull experience of reading letters from strangers. 
There are many better books that explore similar themes of totalitarianism, censorship, free speech and the power of language in more captivating and inspirational ways. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry and Police brutality

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, and Violence

Minor: Ableism and Suicide